Do people notice your shoes ?

[Despos]

Receive comments/compliments of the style, color or shape of the shoe I wear. More from women than men.
Once I was scolded by a shoe geek who recognized I was wearing hand made shoes. He could hear the leather's cry of anguish from lack of nourishment.
Told me the leather was dry and should immediately show them some TLC and apply some polish and cream.

 

[JohnMRobie]

once again, speak for yourself.

This is just silly. You could look at 10 random pairs of shoes on someone’s feet and I can say with 100% certainty that unless you know the exact shoe on their foot you have no means to determine whether they are hand welted, Goodyear welted or glued, have leather or celastic heel stiffeners and toe puffs, whether the soles are oak bark tanned, acorn tanned or veg tanned.

 

[TheChihuahua]

Of course people notice your shoes!
And they might not compliment them, as it isn’t about the shoes being so pronounced that they stand out. But a well taken care of shoes is distinguished from a poorly taken care of shoes all day, whether somebody compliments them or not.

regarding construction, I tend to agree that many observers won’t know the quality of a pair of shoes at first sight. However, most observers will be able to distinguish a well kept pair of shoes from a poorly kept pair of shoes, and it is easier to keep a well made pair of shoes looking sharp over time than a poorly kept pair of shoes.

 

[dieworkwear]

Receive comments/compliments of the style, color or shape of the shoe I wear. More from women than men.
Once I was scolded by a shoe geek who recognized I was wearing hand made shoes. He could hear the leather's cry of anguish from lack of nourishment.
Told me the leather was dry and should immediately show them some TLC and apply some polish and cream.

UrbanComp once told me a story about how he wore Red Wings to a menswear meet-up. Some "shoe guy" noticed that his work boots were dry and covered in dust. He asked him how did he let his boots get like that, and UrbanComp answered: "because I work."

 

[Despos]

UrbanComp once told me a story about how he wore Red Wings to a menswear meet-up. Some "shoe guy" noticed that his work boots were dry and covered in dust. He asked him how did he let his boots get like that, and UrbanComp answered: "because I work."

Wish I could think of come backs as good as that!

Have a pair of shoes made in the early 80's by a defunct English shoe maker. Have shown the shoe to 3 other shoe makers sine then. They all inspected and noticed things I would never know meant anything. One of these guys told me the individual who made the shoe by a signature nail he placed in the shoe that was unique to him. He wanted the shoes to tear apart and see the techniques used. I said no.
Anyhow, it's interesting to hear a shoemaker comment on the make of a shoe and the things he sees in the make that we can't.

 

[usctrojans31]

I mean last month we had entire **** show of a thread because people who spend time on this forum bought shoes and had no idea how they were made. The idea that anyone can tell the difference when looking at your shoes about the construction or components is nonsense because they’re literally on the inside of the shoe where they couldn’t be noticed.

I have plenty of pairs of “quality” footwear and I’m more of a shoe guy than a tailoring or menswear guy, I just understand that I buy these things for myself to appreciate and enjoy not because some random person on the street gives a **** or notices that I opted for voucalou over crust or asked my maker to use 12 spi on the outsole vs 10 or asked for Bakers components over JR.

Loser. I only judge people based on the spi. In Japan, they have the business card ritual, I have the welt counting ritual. And when I look at people's shoes, they know that I am just weird enough to not mess with me. It's how I plan to take over the world. By long conning people into submission.

Sartorial splendors to world domination.

 

[Despos]

Receive comments/compliments of the style, color or shape of the shoe I wear. More from women than men.

Thinking about this and the difference in the comments;
Women comment on the aesthetic of the shoe.
Men want to know what brand or where I purchased them if they like the look.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

^ they appreciate different things. I used to have a pair of well worn chukka boots that I wore as beaters. One woman liked them and always commented how “rugged” they looked.

I think women probably ask about brand/designer and where they were purchased if commenting on another woman’s shoes.

 

[comrade]

I once had a podiatrist marvel at the shape of the last
on one of my pairs of Ludwig Reiter 3 eyelet derbies in
the now discontinued Amerikaner last. He noticed that it
angled slightly inward, if I recall, and said that it was unusual.
I had no idea. The shoes fit me which is rare when one has
3E-4E width.

 

[upsett1_spaghett1]

Let's be real, most people notice shoes but they don't always know what looks good or if a shoe is decent quality.

I have friends send me pictures or links all the time of some god-awful **** from Cole Haan or Magnanni or some weird Amazon brand saying "oh I could see you wearing this," and I know they don't mean offense, they just think anything with more leather than a pair of Vans is elegant.

That being said, I would rather wear my Vans than a pair of dress shoes that doesn't look good.

 

[darkcharger]

Rarely from strangers but it has happened a handful of times. Family and friends have complemented me on my shoes but a lot of that is because they are more accustomed to sneakers and sandals. I do also get comments & questions from my tailors and from clothing/shoe retailer employees.

Of course, I don't actively probe who may be looking at my outfit or specifically my shoes so I have no real gage on how many actually notice them or not. I likely stare at them more than anyone. LOL

 

[Despos]

In the dentist chair today and when he walked in he noticed my shoes and said he has a pair from the same maker.

 

[dieworkwear]

In the dentist chair today and when he walked in he noticed my shoes and said he has a pair from the same maker.

Did you ask him for his StyleForum handle?

 

[comrade]

I would be surprised if the average SF-er can even tell the difference between these things. There was recently a controversy here where a company selling handwelted shoes turned out to be selling glued shoes. One of the active "shoe guys" on this forum was tasked with "reviewing" these shoes, and he didn't even know he had glued shoes in his hand. He compared them favorably to Crockett and Jones and Edward Green. Turned out, the shoes are built more like Cole Haan.

Without all the flashy details -- such as bright colors, fiddleback waists, two-tone combos, sleek lasts, heavily shaped heels, etc. -- I think most people here would struggle to know whether a pair of shoes was "high end." Once you take out all the flashy details, many "high end" shoes can just look like regular shoes.

Here's a pair of bespoke shoes I own from Nicholas Templeman. The styling is very conservative, but in terms of "build quality," it's a very well-made pair of shoes. I'm sure to the average person on the street, a pair of Ferragamos look better.


View attachment 1600192



Here's another pair of bespoke shoes with all the details mentioned earlier -- handwelting, leather stiffeners, etc.


View attachment 1600193



Here are some other shoes (these are from other people)

View attachment 1600195 View attachment 1600200 View attachment 1600201


Which pair looks "higher end?" I assume the second set. Those are from Meermin.

Was Mr Templeman inspired by these when he made the first pair?

 

[dieworkwear]

Was Mr Templeman inspired by these when he made the first pair?

Shoes were inspired by JM Weston's hunt derby, but those Boy Scout shoes are cool too.