# The great shoe hoax



## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

All my life I've been told that shoes are important to a man's image. As a child Mom would tell me, "People will judge you by your shoes; keep them polished." (Of course she really meant that people would judge _her_ by my shoes-but that is another story).

When I graduated from college Dad said to me, "You are entering the business world now; you must maintain a professional image so keep your shoes polished and when they look tired replace them."

At various times various women would say something to the effect that one of the first things a woman notices about a man is his shoes. And, indeed, the women in my office have expressed that same position.

So I decided to run a little experiment to test this notion (a bit late at 62 years I've been religiously polishing my shoes for about 54 years now).

Our office dresses casual (especially so in the very hot weather we had last week). I came to work wearing slacks, a freshly pressed open neck shirt (no tie), and no jacket. My shoes, of course, were polished. However here is the test:

On Tuesday I wore one Nashua shoe on my left foot and one Walden shoe on my right foot (both Allen-Edmond). You cannot mistakenly take these as a "pair" of shoes. The Waldens are burgundy colored penny loafers (slip-ons); the Nashua shoes are slip-ons also but they are black and brown with a kiltie and a tassel (see links).

At the end of the first day no one had noticed that I was wearing mismatched shoes.

On Wednesday I repeated the experiment (but I wore the Nashua shoe on my right foot this time; the Walden on my left).

At the end of the day no one had noticed. I braced the women in my office and asked them how could polishing be so important if they didn't even notice that I wore mismatched shoes.

They accused me of switching one shoe late in the day to trip them up.

*Conclusion:* Mom and Dad were full of ****. No one seems to ever notice the shoes you wear.

Before anyone argues this point I would suggest they try a similar test to be sure.

Nashua shoes: 

Walden shoes:


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Perhaps the "women notice shoes first" is true in a social or romantic context, but not in business. Perhaps it is not true at all where the man is a friend of long acquaintence. 

FWIW, I've always thought the "shoes first" thing was overblown.


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## Peak and Pine (Sep 12, 2007)

Packard, you are a very brave and inventive man and I like you a lot.


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## Merle (Aug 23, 2010)

They didn't see the difference between those shoes? My god are they blind, that one has tassles and the other one is just a penny loafer?


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

Merle said:


> They didn't see the difference between those shoes? My god are they blind, that one has tassles and the other one is just a penny loafer?


It is not that they didn't see the difference; it is that they never noticed my shoes at all.

The hoax is that people don't pay that much attention to shoes. If you doubt it then try my experiment yourself (but don't give yourself away by drawing attention to your shoes).


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## well-kept (May 6, 2006)

Don't know. So many times, walking in Manhattan, I have passed women who first make eye contact. Then I watch as their gaze drops to my feet, then back up. This particularly happens when wearing light-colored brown shoes. For what it's worth.


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## culverwood (Feb 13, 2006)

Perhaps they saw the difference and did not want to embarrass "old" Mr Packard.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

culverwood said:


> Perhaps they saw the difference and did not want to embarrass "old" Mr Packard.


Actually they all confessed to having not noticed. One was sort of embarrassed that she had not noticed (she was the one that accused me of switching one shoe late in the day).

One laughed histerically.

One shrugged her shoulders (my attire means nothing to her--but she never noticed anyway).


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## DCLawyer68 (Jun 1, 2009)

Interesting - I've always thought the whole "shoe thing" was over blown. Perhaps if women view you as a perspective beau they look...I did have one female colleague at my old place of employment note she enjoyed the fact I didn't always wear plain black lace ups every day when I left. That's about it. It may be more noticed than commented on, but I agree the emphasis some place on them seem to be overblown.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

I don't think it has anything particular to do with shoes - it's that most people see but do not observe. When I worked in an office environment every day, one of my favorite games was to ask people to close their eyes or look at the ceiling, then tell me the color of the carpet under their feet. Less than 1% of the people I "tested" could correctly identify the carpet color, even if they had been walking on it every workday for YEARS.

If they don't know what color the carpet is, how can you expect them to notice your shoes?


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## Mazama (May 21, 2009)

Are we dressing to please ourselves or others?

I generally turn out more sharply than what passes for "community standards", which in my locale leans heavily toward Slobus Americanus. I don't think many people notice one way or the other what I'm wearing (can you accurately recite what others you've seen are wearing?) and to think otherwise is usually a conceit. And those who do notice by clothing probably find my style to be pretentious. I don't much care either way.

Today I'm wearing recently refurbished scotch grain AE Grayson loafers, probably the only tassel loafers being worn within 100 miles, maybe 200 miles, of where I live. I'm wearing them 1) as part of a program to occasionally get seldom-worn shoes off the trees and keep them molded comfortably to my feet and 2) as a personal morale booster on a dreary day.


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## Bookman (May 19, 2010)

really great experiment...thanks for sharing.
I agree that rarely do people notice the shoes of everyone around them (unless they are clown shoes, or something bizarre); but, when scrutiny is applied to an individual (interview, first date, bank loan), this probably comes more into play.
Now all we need is a single member of the forum to try this experiment out on a date :icon_smile_big: !


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Without a doubt, a humorous response to your unique way of posing an age old question! However, the lack of notice could be the result of your employees familiarity with the boss, rather than the invalidity of the supposition that the condition of a man's shoes is of interest and important to other's assessment of him. I suspect if a new employee walked in to the office dressed as you were, the mismatched shoes would be noticed in a heartbeat!


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## GoToEleven (May 19, 2010)

Packard said:


> *Conclusion:* Mom and Dad were full of ****. No one seems to ever notice the shoes you wear.


What an interesting experiment! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Let me share a few thoughts, however. While I am sure that your reporting is completely accurate, I think your conclusion is premature. Given your age, I suspect that you are not new to your office. Given your (presumed) past focus upon always presenting yourself well, people have likely already made certain determinations about you (i.e. - that you are well dressed, polished, etc.) from their myriad interactions with you day-after-day. Consequently, their minds don't need to check each day to confirm that you are as they expect you will be. If you were well dressed and wore nice, polished shoes each day for the last three years, they likely see you as being that way regardless of what you have on any given day. Their mind tells them they have no need to check to confirm each time that it is true, as they already know what the answer will be.

I further suggest that were you to do the same experiment with people with whom you had not yet established a persona, such as in a first job interview, that they impact would be very different. If my own experience is any measure, this is certainly the case. I have the position I now hold because the other equally-well qualified candidate came in wearing unpolished shoes and carrying a beat-up purse. The boss two levels up felt that this reflected a lack of professionalism and attention to detail. In the end, the job went to the one with the more professional, polished image (including his shoes).

As you have demonstrated, the "rule" might not prove true in every case, but I'd prefer to be on the winning side of the issue in those instances that it does.

-- GTE


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

My experience has been that women notice shoes more often than men; however, I think that as long as the shoes aren't dirty, muddy, or otherwise ratty looking, they largely go unnoticed by both sexes. Actually I think this is true for clothing beyond shoes. If your clothes are neat, clean, match reasonably well, and fit in with the surroundings, most of the details that get debated at length in this forum go basically unnoticed by most who aren't clothing enthusiasts.

Cruiser


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I'm reminded of a nude King.

The politeness or aquiessence of others should not be confused with that which "doesn't matter!!"


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## but_ch (May 4, 2010)

Lately, I find myself looking at men's shoes as I pass them on the street. I'm frustrated at the lack of care given to them. Also the mismatch: well-dressed from the pant leg up, and ugly not-really-dress shoes on the feet. Or running shoes. Ugh! (I understand some people wear them to get to work and change into dress shoes upon arrival. I still think it is ugly.)


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## Poindexter (Jul 22, 2010)

Bookman said:


> Now all we need is a single member of the forum to try this experiment out on a date :icon_smile_big: !


The guys on this forum have dates?

:^)

Poinz


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## Saddleback Leather (Aug 3, 2010)

Great experiment. Thanks for sharing. Does this mean I can wear flip flops all the time now?


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## Larsd4 (Oct 14, 2005)

I would suggest that most people don't "notice" others' clothing, but imprint it subconsciously in their minds. After spending an hour with someone, you leave. They don't remember what you wore, but they think you're a sharp guy.


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## jwa_jwa_jwa (Jul 13, 2010)

Similar to this experiment, after working in a company for 2 years, I once wanted to see how many people would take notice of my hair and decided to part my hair the opposite way for a whole day.

No one actually noticed!


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Larsd4 said:


> I would suggest that most people don't "notice" others' clothing, but imprint it subconsciously in their minds. After spending an hour with someone, you leave. They don't remember what you wore, but they think you're a sharp guy.


Exactly. Many people couldn't tell you what color the room they were in was, but all kinds of research shows it affects their mood. People might not be able to quote a single sentence spoken from a 30 minute conversation, but they will remember whether someone was articulate or not. I think the same is true of dressing. Clothes operate on most people at the subconscious level. Assuming that because the effect is not conscious it does not exist is foolish.

I strongly suspect, though, that shoes are the _least_ influential item of clothing. They are not near the face. When meeting someone for the first time, a "once over" from head to toe is not unusual (though men must be careful not to be caught giving the once over to a woman, especially in a business settin), but routine interactions don't involve looking at the feet. In many office settings, feet aren't even visible unless you happen to be walking down the hall.

Moreover, expectations are hugely influential on what our brain sees. (Our eyes gather visual data, but it's our brain that does the seeing.) The OP is a familiar face in his office, and is surely known for being a good dresser. Those in the office would not expect him to wear mismatched shoes, and would therefore not see it.

In short: Clothes do matter, even to those who pay no conscious attention to them at all. Foot covering, though, is probably not as important. And occassional oddities of dress are far less likely to be noticed if the observer has an expectation of their absence.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Ring! 

_*"Hello."*_

"Mr. Smith?"

_*"Yes."*_

"Mr. Smith, this is Employee Assistance. We'd like you to come down and talk with us. "


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## FrontHeadlock (Dec 1, 2009)

CuffDaddy said:


> When meeting someone for the first time, a "once over" from head to toe is not unusual (though men must be careful not to be caught giving the once over to a woman, especially in a business settin), but routine interactions don't involve looking at the feet.


Oh come on, staring a chick up and down is one of the things that makes life worth living!


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

FrontHeadlock said:


> Oh come on, staring a chick up and down is one of the things that makes life worth living!


I wonder about the penalty for delivering the once-over twice over?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

FrontHeadlock said:


> Oh come on, staring a chick up and down is one of the things that makes life worth living!


Ahem: "men must be careful *not to be caught *giving the once over to a woman"


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

I once wore a mixed pair of sneakers in highschool for several months before anyone noticed.

I suspect that in your case, if you had been introduced to someone new during one of your "test days" they might have noticed it immediately. Once someone "knows you" I think they often stop actually paying much attention and actually "seeing" you. We all start to just recognize others in abstract rathar than actually seeing them.


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

I don't know about you, but people check out and make comments about my shoes all the time. :icon_smile_big:


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## 3holic (Mar 6, 2008)

Perhaps they were enchanted by your handsome face and neglected to look at your shoes?


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## N.O.Joe (Jul 31, 2009)

Most assuredly. :icon_smile:

I commend you on having the nerve to try the experiment in the first place. In my case I suspect I would have gotten very different results. I work for one of the largest gaming companies, in the corporate office no less. Our dress code is business casual. Something taken way too lightly, in form of non-collared shirts on men and women wearing bedazzled flip-flops and calling them "dress sandals." I had the privilege of being asked by a female co-worker, "Why do you match your pants with your belt and all that?" "None of the other guys even bother." After her saying this I picked up on quite a few women I work with actually speak to me, and not make eye contact, but look at my shoes (and give me the head-to-toe once-over) while they greet me. It makes me smile and relax down inside but I still think it's the funniest thing.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Interesting experiment. They were both moccasin toes so maybe no one inspected closely.



jwa_jwa_jwa said:


> Similar to this experiment, after working in a company for 2 years, I once wanted to see how many people would take notice of my hair and decided to part my hair the opposite way for a whole day.
> 
> No one actually noticed!


 Now THIS I have to try where I work.


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## Pliny (Oct 26, 2009)

Great experiment and sobering for shoe lovers. there's a great experiment demonstrating 'selective attention' here:






We see what we are looking for and we miss really exceptional things - gorillas, odd shoes - if we're not looking for them. the other people in the office just know you so well they don't consider you a prospect - no offence intended - and so your shoes don't matter at work. On the other hand if you went on a blind date or a wedding or somewhere where people don't know you perhaps they would notice your shoes.


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## jhcam8 (Aug 26, 2008)

More likely they didn't want to embarass you, although some probably didn't notice. Once I grabbed a slightly different pant/coat suit combo - one a grey stripe the other a darker blue/grey pinstripe - when dressing in low light. It was noticed.


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## ESilver (Jul 1, 2005)

I too am a solid adherent to the “shoes matter” philosophy and over the years have observed that people notice most if 1) you are an unfamiliar face and they want to give you an initial sizing-up; or 2.) you are familiar, dressed more smartly than usual, and they want to evaluate the complete package.

I am shocked that far too many men will take care to put on nice trousers, shirts and jackets, and then slip into shoes that look as if they were rummaged from a landfill – severely diminishing the image they want to project. 

Conversely, a man who is shabby up top, but has on immaculate shoes, will be given a pass (at least that one time) for being unkempt, and is perhaps more favorably perceived than the well-dressed gent with the shabby shoes.


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## Hanzo (Sep 9, 2009)

First of all, fantastic experiment, I think its great.

Secondly, to echo some of the other people here, I think that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Your experiment is perfectly valid and can't be argued, but at the same time, I'm sure that you, as well as every else here, as at some point received a compliment on their shoes. That would indicate that they are noticed, the question is, when are they noticed and when are they not. Your experiment clearly shows that its not as often as the "shoes matter" philosophy would imply.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

I would have noticed them on my own feet, and would have thought less of myself.


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## DougNZ (Aug 31, 2005)

I think GoToEleven hit on the central point. Phrases like "One can tell a gentleman by his shoes" and children being taught to polish their shoes concerns a man being put under scrutiny. At an initial meeting the hair, cut of clothing, colour of clothing and shoes are all taken in and assessed. Only hair and shoes require daily upkeep so they are a good indication of the wearer's attention to detail (most of us here would also consider ironing and clothes brushing). The degree of scrutiny diminishes as the crowd in which the wearer moves increases.


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## deanayer (Mar 30, 2008)

Maybe you should repeat the experiment wearing a flip-flop and an ice hockey skate and see if they notice then?

Personally I think that the saying is true but its much truer when it comes to first and second impressions. When you become part of the furniture in an office over years its less likely that anyone will notice. Clever experiment by the way, I am surprised nobody did notice.


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## Finian McLonergan (Sep 23, 2009)

I believe the notion that women notice a man's shoes is just a polite way of saying they pay particular attention to the size of a man's feet.

Therefore, I recommend modifying this experiment to increase your chances of triggering the female detection apparatus:

Day one: Opera pumps, ballroom dance shoes or ballet slippers.

Day two: Double-soled storm-welted brogues.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

When I arrive home last night I doscovered I had a booger hanging out of my nose.

No one said anything, so I must walk around with a booger in my nose more often!!


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

LOL, Finian, that's precisely why I wonder why some AAAC members express such a love for "elegant" shoes that make the foot look smaller!

Pliny, selective attention is exactly what I was inarticulating positing was a factor in my earlier post.


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## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

IMO the experiment was carried out on the wrong audience. Try it at a party or bar when you're chatting up a woman, and see what happens...


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## wgiceman (Jul 24, 2006)

I met up with a friend last evening that I had not seen in 25 years. She complimented me first on my cufflinks, then the monogram on my shirt sleeve, and finally on my shoes. She distinctly mentioned that she like the understated quality of the shoes and the fact that they were polished and well kept. She stated that these items all together, made a definite positive statement about me. This woman is a highly successful businesswoman who interacts with successful people in all professions all over the country, so I did appreciate that she saw these things as a positive. (As a side note, her sister and another female company executive was also present and they all more or less agreed with her opinion.)

While I do not dispute the results of your findings, I have received numerous compliments from men and women regarding wearing nice, well-maintained, quality shoes. I think that people do notice; they may not say anything in most instances, but they do make a mental note. 

But in the end, I dress the way I do because of how I feel about myself. It's a part of my self-image. The fact that others see it favorably is simply a serendipity.


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

wgiceman said:


> I met up with a friend last evening that I had not seen in 25 years. She complimented me first on my cufflinks, then the monogram on my shirt sleeve, and finally on my shoes. She distinctly mentioned that she like the understated quality of the shoes and the fact that they were polished and well kept. She stated that these items all together, made a definite positive statement about me.


I'm curious, were you specifically asking her for her opinions or was she just voluntarily offering up all of this information? I ask because I can honestly say that in all of my 61 years I have never had an encounter where an acquaintance went into such detail about clothing. Usually it's "You look nice" or "I like your jacket" or "I like your shirt", that sort of thing. What you describe sounds like a clothing review.

Cruiser


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## wgiceman (Jul 24, 2006)

Cruiser said:


> I'm curious, were you specifically asking her for her opinions or was she just voluntarily offering up all of this information? I ask because I can honestly say that in all of my 61 years I have never had an encounter where an acquaintance went into such detail about clothing. Usually it's "You look nice" or "I like your jacket" or "I like your shirt", that sort of thing. What you describe sounds like a clothing review.
> 
> Cruiser


I didn't solicit her opinions in any way at all. Everything she said was totally voluntary. She did say that she was one who liked nice clothing, but that she was not one to have to spend foolishly. She said that she appreciated men who took the time wear nice but conservative quality clothing. She felt that it made such a great statement about how the man thought of himself. It was not the subject of the conversation; really it was more like a passing comment as we caught up on the past 25 years.

By the way, she is an executive recruiter who deals with clients nationwide. I suppose that she interacts with a lot of people in that profession.


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

wgiceman said:


> By the way, she is an executive recruiter who deals with clients nationwide.


Probably explains it, to some extent. I'm sure she's tired of telling prospective CFO's that they can't go on interviews wearing ragged Nike running shoes, no matter what they got away with in the accounting department of their old employer.


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## Scoundrel (Oct 30, 2007)

You say shoes don't matter, therefore that is a universal rule? Yeah, right buddy...

P.S. With shoes like that, it's no wonder people ignore what you are wearing.



Packard said:


> All my life I've been told that shoes are important to a man's image. As a child Mom would tell me, "People will judge you by your shoes; keep them polished." (Of course she really meant that people would judge _her_ by my shoes-but that is another story).
> 
> When I graduated from college Dad said to me, "You are entering the business world now; you must maintain a professional image so keep your shoes polished and when they look tired replace them."
> 
> ...


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Scoundrel, if you have nothing constructive to say maybe you shouldn't say it.


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## Saltydog (Nov 3, 2007)

Scoundrel said:


> You say shoes don't matter, therefore that is a universal rule? Yeah, right buddy...
> 
> P.S. With shoes like that, it's no wonder people ignore what you are wearing.


Gotta be a jerk in every crowd.


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## gordgekko (Nov 12, 2004)

I'm one of a few guys in the building where I work and I'm typically the best dressed with pants, shirts and a sport coat (ties would be a bit much there) -- that's not saying much I suppose. I also wear good shoes that are clean and polished. Number of women who've noticed those shoes? One, and she happens to be into clothes herself.

Proof of the OP's contention? No, and I think he's not quite right with his argument, but I do think the claim that shoes are the _sine qua non_ for female or general approval is overstated.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

Let's turn it around slightly: if you meet a nice attractive lady-type person, and are wearing scuffed, unshined brogans, you can bet your sweet broguing she *will *notice. Better safe than sorry.

I'm 60 and have heard "nice shoes" comments probably less than ten times.


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## Mr. Mac (Mar 14, 2008)

Yeah, but when my shoes aren't polished _I _notice. And mine is the only opinion that matters.

It's like an old customer of mine told me once. He was looking for a pair of Florsheim wing-tips to replace a pair he'd bought in the late 1960's. I ordered him a pair of Kenmoors with the double sole. When he picked them up I asked why he would want to buy a shoe so heavy and clunky. He said, "When I started at IBM my boss told me to go buy a pair of these babies in black. I asked why. He said, 'because this is the shoe you put on to go kick some a**'. He was right, and I've been kicking a** in these shoes for the better part of 4 decades."

And now, guess what shoe I wear when I've got some a**kicking to do?


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## jhcam8 (Aug 26, 2008)

Packard said:


> So I decided to run a little experiment to test this notion (a bit late at 62 years I've been religiously polishing my shoes for about 54 years now).
> 
> At the end of the first day no one had noticed that I was wearing mismatched shoes.


I unsubscribed from this thread only to have it pop up, unbidden, later with these thoughts.

I maintain that most people say nothing either out of politeness or indifference. After all, many are so wrapped up in there own lives and social media that they're generally oblivious.

Consider: have you ever seen someone at work with his fly unzipped? How many took the trouble to point it out to him? How long was he walking around like that?


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## Srynerson (Aug 26, 2005)

well-kept said:


> Don't know. So many times, walking in Manhattan, I have passed women who first make eye contact. Then I watch as their gaze drops to my feet, then back up. This particularly happens when wearing light-colored brown shoes. For what it's worth.


This fits with my experience too -- people are much more likely to react to my shoes when I'm wearing something other than black or medium-to-dark brown.


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## ESilver (Jul 1, 2005)

Srynerson said:


> This fits with my experience too -- people are much more likely to react to my shoes when I'm wearing something other than black or medium-to-dark brown.


Agreed. I get LOADS of attention when I wear my Bruno Magli navy blue loafers.


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

I asked my wife last night about the idea that women focus on men's shoes. She works senior corporate - previously at one of the largest global banks, now in a major telecom.

Its only anecdotal but her response is that inspection of a man's shoes is brief, and only to classify it into one of 3 categories - physically damaged, wildly inappropriate for outfit, fine. All other details are basically superfluous. Physically damaged means torn, cut, or badly discolored. Inappropriate means obvious sneakers with a suit or clown shoes with jeans, fine means anything that doesn't violate the first two conditions. 

I strongly suspect that we vastly overestimate the attention others pay to our footwear do the care and interest we pay to our own footwear.


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## bluesman (Aug 17, 2009)

I accidentally wore one black and one brown shoe to work once, and no one noticed. I often dressed in darkness to give my wife a few extra minutes of sleep before the kids were up and running, so I laid out my clothes and pulled shoes from the rack by memory. I grabbed what I thought were adjacent mates, but I was one space off on the rack and got one each from two pairs identical except for color.

I've worn conservative (plain toe, low heel, no contrasting stitches or piping etc) western boots to work with a suit or jacket and slacks for decades, and only a few people have noticed. And I know who they are because almost everyone who notices says something about them - the top 3 comments are "Are you from Texas", "Nice boots - I wish I could wear them" and "Where's your horse?"

Most people only notice what, to them, is unexpected or offensive. Scuffed, dull, heavily worn shoes do attract attention, as do pantlegs that are clearly too long or too short. But if shoes are in good repair and there's no reason to look beyond the first impression, I'm not surprised that no one notices a tassel paired with a penny loafer. I once took a rather large divot out of my beard because I didn't put the guide back on the blades before moving from the moustache to the body of the beard. Not one person noticed, even in the operating room or office, and it was at least 5 days before it grew back sufficiently to lessen the impact of the bare skin patch.


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## mbkoissy01 (Jul 11, 2007)

The sad reality is that today, most people in America would not pay attention to what you wear. However, this is not true elsewhere in the world! I travel a lot overseas, and can attest that people, including women, do make a difference between a well dress man and someone who is not. From the same token, they will appreciate a man's shoes even though they may not be able to distinguish an EG from a JL, or C&J, etc. I remember recently I was in a cigar shop in Dakar, Senegal in West Africa. I was smoking a Montecristo "Edmundo". A delicious robusto from Havana. I was wearing a pair of dark brown butterfly loafers from Paul Stuart in New York. An African gentleman was intensly inspecting me from head to toe. We started talking, and he told me how much he loved shoes. He then told me that he owns several pairs of JL, EG, Pierre Corthay, Berluti, etc. But he confessed that he had rarely seen such a beautiful pair of shoes. Although they were polished, on that particular day, they did not have the mirror-like shine. The gentleman asked me why I did not "iced them", which is the French expression for mirror-like shine! I smiled, and reminded him of all the dust, etc. I have to admit that I was quite taken. We ended up smoking together, enjoying our expresso coffes, and talking about shoes! I asked him if he knew G&G, Saitn Cripsins and others. He said he had heard of them, but never touched them. I agreed to meet him again, to show him som of my shoe collection, and enjoy a good smoke. The same thing happens to me elsewhere than in Africa. In Paris, London, etc.


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## efdll (Sep 11, 2008)

African refined dandyism has become known thanks to the fine book _Gentleman of Bacongo_, so I'm not surprised at the response mbkoissy01 got in Dakar. Plus anyone who smokes a true Havana Montecristo robusto has taste to, literally, burn. Still, the original experiment was conducted by a 61-year old man. As someone 5 years older, I can testify that at least one girlfriend told me one thing she first liked about me were my -- very conservative, trad, even if the word trad hadn't been coined yet -- shoes. She was half French/half American-born West Indian, which puts her close to the _sapeurs_ in the book. But my point is that I was only in my 30s then, she in her 20s, both of us young enough to cruise one another for possible romance. Not that there can be no romance in one's 60s, but, honestly, how many of us geezers get the once-over, and if so, how often? Still, as long as there's life there's a chance to get lucky. And good shoes help.


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## jhcam8 (Aug 26, 2008)

efdll said:


> ... but, honestly, how many of us geezers get the once-over, and if so, how often?


Another interesting observation - maybe the co-workers either just dismiss the OP out of the arrogance of youth or feel sorry for him and don't mention it.


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## phyrpowr (Aug 30, 2009)

mbkoissy01 said:


> The sad reality is that today, most people in America would not pay attention to what you wear. However, this is not true elsewhere in the world! I travel a lot overseas, and can attest that people, including women, do make a difference between a well dress man and someone who is not. From the same token, they will appreciate a man's shoes even though they may not be able to distinguish an EG from a JL, or C&J, etc. I remember recently I was in a cigar shop in Dakar, Senegal in West Africa. I was smoking a Montecristo "Edmundo". A delicious robusto from Havana. I was wearing a pair of dark brown butterfly loafers from Paul Stuart in New York. An African gentleman was intensly inspecting me from head to toe. We started talking, and he told me how much he loved shoes. He then told me that he owns several pairs of JL, EG, Pierre Corthay, Berluti, etc. But he confessed that he had rarely seen such a beautiful pair of shoes. Although they were polished, on that particular day, they did not have the mirror-like shine. The gentleman asked me why I did not "iced them", which is the French expression for mirror-like shine! I smiled, and reminded him of all the dust, etc. I have to admit that I was quite taken. We ended up smoking together, enjoying our expresso coffes, and talking about shoes! I asked him if he knew G&G, Saitn Cripsins and others. He said he had heard of them, but never touched them. I agreed to meet him again, to show him som of my shoe collection, and enjoy a good smoke. The same thing happens to me elsewhere than in Africa. In Paris, London, etc.


A man who'll wear a perfectly fitted one button is going to draw positive attention


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## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

All you've shown is that no one _said _anything about your shoes. What evidence do you have that they didn't privately say later "did you notice that fu##ing a$shole with the two different shoes? And he pretends he's such a fu##ing style icon... ". I take it you're not a scientist. You need better controls.


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## Racer (Apr 16, 2010)

JerseyJohn said:


> All you've shown is that no one _said _anything about your shoes. What evidence do you have that they didn't privately say later "did you notice that fu##ing a$shole with the two different shoes? And he pretends he's such a fu##ing style icon... ". I take it you're not a scientist. You need better controls.


 Reminds me of the old joke:

Q: What is the difference between people from New Jersey, and people from Tennessee?

A: If you walk out of the men's room with toilet paper stuck to your shoe, people from New Jersey will tell you. People from Tennessee will tell everyone else.


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## CRMW (Nov 7, 2009)

The only time I've had people comment on my shoes was in an elevator when a group of women were admiring each others shoes. Of course it was probabally after I made some sort of comment about wearing high heals.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Oh boy... I hope both comments weren't mean-spirited!


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

JerseyJohn said:


> All you've shown is that no one _said _anything about your shoes. What evidence do you have that they didn't privately say later "did you notice that fu##ing a$shole with the two different shoes? And he pretends he's such a fu##ing style icon... ". I take it you're not a scientist. You need better controls.


Yesterday I noticed I missed a belt loop.

Suprisingly, no one at work said anything.

Everything my dad told me about belts and pants were a lie!!


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

JerseyJohn said:


> All you've shown is that no one _said _anything about your shoes. What evidence do you have that they didn't privately say later "did you notice that fu##ing a$shole with the two different shoes? And he pretends he's such a fu##ing style icon... ". I take it you're not a scientist. You need better controls.


I think you need to re-read the OP's post. He directly spoke with people at the end of the day, who confessed they hadn't noticed. Unless they were lying to him (a possbility, but probably not the most likely), they had not, in fact, noticed.

I don't think the test itself was invalid. I think the results, though, do not have as wide an implication as the OP posited.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

jhcam8 said:


> I unsubscribed from this thread only to have it pop up, unbidden, later with these thoughts.
> 
> I maintain that most people say nothing either out of politeness or indifference. After all, many are so wrapped up in there own lives and social media that they're generally oblivious.
> 
> Consider: have you ever seen someone at work with his fly unzipped? How many took the trouble to point it out to him? How long was he walking around like that?


If you re-read my original post you will see that they confessed to having not noticed. They were not being "polite"; they were simply not noticing.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

jhcam8 said:


> Another interesting observation - maybe the co-workers either just dismiss the OP out of the arrogance of youth or feel sorry for him and don't mention it.


Re-read my original post and you will see that it was not the case here.


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## Packard (Apr 24, 2009)

I would suggest that everyone that has posted here repeat my experiment and report. We can then poll the results.

Thanks for all the replies.

Regards,


Packard


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## The Rambler (Feb 18, 2010)

Packard, I read this in the newspaper years ago:

When I was twenty, I worried what people thought of me.
When I was forty, I didn't give a damn what they thought of me.
When I was sixty, I realized that they never were thinking about me.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I didn't bathe or brush my teeth this morning.

No one noticed or said anything.

Everything my Dad told me about personal hygiene was a lie!!


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## TheGreatTwizz (Oct 27, 2010)

Bookman said:


> Now all we need is a single member of the forum to try this experiment out on a date :icon_smile_big: !


In the words of Neil Patrick Harris as Barney on _How I Met Your Mother_: *Challenge Accepted!!*

Who's setting me up on the date? I'll post photos of my shoes and you can vote on the pairing.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

An interesting experiment, and glad I found this thread. Reminds of The Shawshank Redemption, where no one noticed an inmate wearing dress shoes in a maximum security prison.


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## blairrob (Oct 30, 2010)

WouldaShoulda said:


> I didn't bathe or brush my teeth this morning.
> 
> No one noticed or said anything.
> 
> Everything my Dad told me about personal hygiene was a lie!!


I _did_ catch something foul in the sou'west breeze this morning but _my_ Dad told me it was ungentlemanly to comment on such matters.


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## chotzo (Nov 26, 2007)

I have had different experiences than the original poster.
To be clear, I work in the visual design field, so this may skew my results....When I began to invest in nice shoes I noticed that my female coworkers would consistently compliment me on my shoes. 
I had a woman, whom I never met previously and works on the far side of my work campus, approach me and tell me I had beautiful shoes.
I had a woman, on a first date at night (we were sitting outside at a fire pit of sorts) tell me I had beautiful shoes.
I had an ex girlfriend who used to call me "Mr. Leather Shoes".
My current girlfriend was subtle at first and said nothing about my shoes. I was trying to wear a different pair each time we went out. She finally commented "how many pairs of shoes do you own?".....I responded "come over to my place and I'll show you"...hahahaha


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## Jake Genezen (May 27, 2010)

chotzo said:


> I have had different experiences than the original poster.
> To be clear, I work in the visual design field, so this may skew my results....When I began to invest in nice shoes I noticed that my female coworkers would consistently compliment me on my shoes.
> I had a woman, whom I never met previously and works on the far side of my work campus, approach me and tell me I had beautiful shoes.
> I had a woman, on a first date at night (we were sitting outside at a fire pit of sorts) tell me I had beautiful shoes.
> ...


Just out of curiosity and ignorance: do women like/appreciate different aspects/features of a shoe in comparison to the aspects/features of a shoe men like/appreciate?


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

Jake Genezen said:


> Just out of curiosity and ignorance: do women like/appreciate different aspects/features of a shoe in comparison to the aspects/features of a shoe men like/appreciate?


A couple of things. First of all I don't think that men on average pay much attention to the "aspects/features" of a shoe. They tend to see dress shoes as any shoe that is leather with laces and a heel, and casual shoes such as sneakers, boots, and other obviously non-dress shoes. Things like open or closed lacing and whether loafers should be worn with suits are often not even things that they are aware of, at least not to the extent that a clothing enthusiast is aware of them.

As for women, my experience has been that they just look at the overall appearance of shoes. Most wouldn't differentiate between a $100 pair of Florsheims and a $300 pair of AEs if both were well cared for and not sloppy. Remember, most women (even those we think of as well dressed) don't wear expensive, high quality shoes. Instead they just have a lot of shoes that they replace frequently.

But having said all of that, my experiences are that women do tend to notice shoes much more than men do; however, what they notice is that the shoes are clean and well cared for. The style that this woman or that woman likes varies and is just personal preference.

For example, I've had women compliment an old pair of Nunn-Bush shoes that I wear with jeans that most in this forum wouldn't be caught dead wearing. Why? I suppose they find them interesting. Without the compliments from women these would have gone to the Goodwill long ago.










One of my most frequently complimented pair of shoes was a pair of Florsheim wingtip tassel loafers that I use to wear with suits (how many here would do that?), but women seemed to love them. Again, I assume that they found them interesting.










Of course women also seem to love the Mickey Mouse watch that I've been wearing for the past quarter century and most clothing enthusiasts probably wouldn't wear that either. :icon_smile_big:

Cruiser


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## chotzo (Nov 26, 2007)

Jake, that's a good question. I was thinking about that myself. I tend to buy shoes that have a more modern and distinctive look. I prefer an elongated last with a chisel toe. So I'm thinking some of the compliments are because the shoes look different to what most men in the area are wearing. One pair that gets compliments are my suede wingtips, I think because they look great and are distinctive. 
My most complimented pair of shoes were a pair of Toschi chelsea style boots (with the elastic sides) in a medium brown verging on red color. They had a clunky sole and a nondescript shape, but I received so many compliments. I always felt it was because they looked semi rugged, simple, masculine and easy going. Personally, I hated the shoes as I am not any of those things...hahahahaha


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## bigbris1 (Jan 24, 2007)

While I'm afraid to view the links to the OP's shoes, I'd have to say that most men and women _do _notice one's shoes. Whether or not they make an audible comment [to the wearer] is another story altogether.

PS: What women think: if your shoes look ratty, then your feet stink. Then _you _stink and are viewed unfavorably.


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