A little sole-searching, then record holder buys even more shoes

Darlene Flynn (pictured) loves shoes. But unlike most women, she does not collect them to wear.

Instead, she boasts a Guinness world record for her self-professed shoe-related collection of more than 15,600 items - ranging from miniature ceramics to footwear-shaped bags.

The native Californian was in town last week to open an exhibition at Telford Plaza, Kowloon Bay, which displays more than 1,000 items from her collection.

'It all started in 2000 when I saw my cousin's shoe collection at a Halloween party and I absolutely fell in love with it,' Flynn said.

She has since looked everywhere for the novelties - from eBay to flea markets.

During her brief stay in Hong Kong, she bought six pairs of miniature shoes and visited the Big Buddha on Lantau Island.