Insider: Fergie Dishes... Shoeing Taylor Swift

Insider caught up with Stacy Ferguson (a.k.a. Fergie) just before her in-store appearance and signing at Nordstrom at L.A.’s The Grove to promote her new shoe line with Brown Shoe Co. And while the songstress said she hasn’t yet spotted fans wearing her styles, she’s excited to see the designs she helped develop in action. “It will be such a big deal. I think I’ll squeal,” she said. Of course, the Duchess has a lot to be excited about these days: In addition to her new shoe line and her January marriage to actor Josh Duhamel, she’s prepping for the June 9 launch of the new Black Eyed Peas album, “The E.N.D.,” followed by a year-and-a-half-long tour. She also is gearing up for the release of her upcoming film musical “Nine” (currently in post-production), where she met ­— and shared the screen with ­­— her fashion idol, Sophia Loren. “She’s amazing,” Fergie said. “Just watching the way she came to rehearsal every day — she’s always flawless.”

Taylor Tours
Taylor Swift kicks off her “Fearless” concert tour later next month, and the country cutie will be taking some appropriately daring footwear along. Reps for Everybody Footwear told Insider that Swift (and her stylist, of course) asked the Boston-based brand to produce its Fargo boot in metallic gold and silver (sketched at right — samples are still in production) for her on-stage wardrobe. Swift is already a fan of the low-heeled style — Insider’s source said the songbird owns the boot in brown, gray and black, which she wore for her performance with fellow teen queen Miley Cyrus at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Armour Amps Up
Nike has ’em, Adidas has ’em, and now Under Armour seems to be diving further into the athlete spokesperson game. (An occasionally risky endeavor, considering the recent brouhaha over Under Armour’s potential involvement with recruiting at the University of Maryland.) But the brand is plowing ahead: At an advance peek for its fall ’09 cleat-and-trainer combo pack, to be sold with a coordinating receiver’s glove, brand reps told Insider the company was actively looking to add to its spokesperson roster. However, they wouldn’t give up the name of the wide receiver who would be associated with the new fall product. Could this be the first of many such deals for Under Armour? “We’re about speed and power,” Insider’s source said. “As we build our footwear brand, we need to deal with male and female athletes who represent that.”