“Really, how often do you look at a man’s shoes?” This quote from Red, as played by Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption is one that rings loudly in the ears many sartorialists. The reason for that is that it runs counter to many perspectives which are, quote, “the shoes make the man.” The truth here, as so often happens, is more nuanced than either.
Red was partially correct: you may not often pay attention to a man’s shoes… but only if he is wearing the right shoes to begin with. Indeed, it is ironic, that if you are wearing shoes that are of reasonably high quality, that suit your body style, fit the fashion you are currently wearing, and are of good repair, then few people will take notice of your choice in footwear. In this case, the shoes do not necessarily make the man, so much as his other choices in fashion and grooming.
By contrast, if your shoes are of noticeably low quality, or are in a state of disrepair, are a color or style that does not match what you are wearing – for example, wearing athletic shoes with a business suit – or of some obnoxious, trendy style or color, then people will pay close attention to your footwear, and look at them – and you – very awkwardly. In this case, as you can see, while the right footwear may not make a man, the wrong footwear can break a man.
Believe it or not, there is a psychology that backs up this perception. It is a concept with which many people are familiar, just not by name. This would be likened to where you find yourself drawn to look at the unusual, perhaps unwittingly looking at a person’s scar and hoping not to offend them, or a car that you see on a road that is in an extremely loud and atypical color. This concept is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. It is a concept of frequency bias, wherein we tend to seek out and visualize something that is new or atypical. It is also a facet of human predisposition to find bewilderment and discomfort, even if unwittingly, in the atypical. These are things that you should keep in mind when you are asking yourself whether you should wear those blue suede shoes with the white stitching and the thick, white soles, together with your nice suit to your friend’s wedding.
As with many things, a lot of this comes down to an idea of trendiness, meaning to keep up with the latest goings-on by celebrities, or just a desire to do something different. There is nothing wrong particularly, with regard to dress footwear, with sticking to the relative basics. None of this is to say that you should not be comfortable, and definitely not to say that you should not have footwear that is functional – far from it. Your footwear should match both your need, and all else that you are wearing. I would not expect someone to wear formal tuxedo slippers to work in their garden any more than I would expect – God help me, even though it is somewhat of a trend – a gentleman to wear flip-flops with a suit. (Please don’t. No, not even on a beach.)
Even with regard to sneakers, many of the outrageous trends are just that: outrageous. You may have a desire to have the latest and greatest (and usually) most expensive footwear, going with whatever you see advertised, but I will give you an example for those who went to school in the late-1990s: does anyone look back on their old pictures, in their bright-red Air Jordans, and think that they look good? Yet everyone seemed to want them!
You will not go wrong with something fairly basic and understated; plain black or dark colored shoes are certainly versatile, in all respects. Indeed, even with regard to athletic shoes, while I leave it to the readers’ discretion, I recommend dark colored sneakers with dark or black soles. Please leave the chunky white soles to the New Balance 803-wearing dads in 1996 – or worse, the Reebok Classics.
Before I address dressier footwear, there is another travesty that many men need to be aware of, and I will bring it up just in case others are nervous, afraid or otherwise reticent to do so. When it comes to sandals, flip-flops or other open-toed shoes – while these are certainly acceptable if you are on your way to, or at, the pool or the beach, unless you have exceptionally attractive feet – and far more men have feet that would be at home in a Lord of the Rings movie than a fashion shoot – do not wear open-toed shoes or sandals, exposing us to the joys of your lower claws.
On the topic of dress shoes, while most of us feel the draw to differentiate ourselves, men’s footwear is one of those things, much like the suit, that has become relatively timeless. You will not go wrong with leather footwear that matches to the color of your outfit; typically black will go with most things, and point of fact, when in doubt, go with black for most things (we will address footwear colors in a later article). A dress shoe or boot, be it plain, cap-toed, or oxford, will serve you well and avoid the glances that will have you wondering whether someone is appreciating you choice, or are they wondering if you forgot to open your eyes when you put your shoes this morning.
Remember, in this instance the simple goal is not to be noted for your footwear, but rather to ensure that it does not ruin the image that you are striving to attain in all else that you do.
