Steering my friend away from black plastic shoes

[Mr Checks]

What is the allure of the four-pound black square toe Kenny Cole beasts?

Shopping this week with my best friend; dragged him into Brooks, Neiman, Saks, Marshall Field, Nordstrom.  Turned his nose up at scores of beautiful shoes.  "$400 for shoes, That's nuts."   This guy makes six figures, and can afford such shoes.

Pulls me into the Kenny Cole store on the way out and says it's time to replace his four-year-old clunker square toes.
Price is $165.  He doesn't blink.

I practically beg him to think loafer, moc-toe/split toe, monk strap, chelsea boot.  No bites, not even  at Johnston/Murphy at $99.  Gotta have the square toes.

This is a 40-year old man I'm talking about.  He submits that the ladies still like the square toes.

Weren't these old five years ago?
What is the attraction?
Am I missing something or preaching to the choir?

 

[Teacher]

If he's just dressing for women, there's no hope for the poor son of a *****. Let him go about his milque toast life, no matter how painful it might be for you to watch. Vader was the only one ever to come back from the dark side.

 

[imageWIS]

If he's just dressing for women, there's no hope for the poor son of a *****. Let him go about his milque toast life, no matter how painful it might be for you to watch. Vader was the only one ever to come back from the dark side.

And even it took him 20+ years to do so.

Jon.

 

[RJman]

Moral: Drop your friend in the lava pit (or in your avatar's case, Lavaquiddick -- sorry, can't resist)...

 

[Mr Checks]

With those black boat anchors on his feet, he would sink like a stone.


My strong suspicion is that he will not switch from the KCs until a woman makes him do it.

 

[RJman]

With those black boat anchors on his feet, he would sink like a stone.


My strong suspicion is that he will not switch from the KCs until a woman makes him do it.

If this were a sitcom, in the next scene you'd be in drag...

 

[johnnynorman3]

Nobody knows anything about shoes on this Forum. We mock the square toe, but who are we kidding -- we don't know jack about true style. After a year of being brainwashed here, I have seen the light, and it is Kenneth Cole.

All the thanks goes to that guy who Esquire voted best dressed man in Boston.

 

[Alias]

Well, I obviously cannot speak for your friend, but the girls here like my C&J's, especially the double monkstraps I own.

He needs to meet the right ladies.

 

[zjpj83]

I honestly hate these more than any other male garment. They are a) absolutely horrible and b) ubiquitous. I honestly hate them. I'm not just saying that. Hate is a very strong word and here I am using it with its full force and meaning.

 

[Mr Checks]

Well, I obviously cannot speak for your friend, but the girls here like my C&J's, especially the double monkstraps I own.

He needs to meet the right ladies.

That's the sad thing: the KCs are a magnet for all the wrong types of 'ladies' and will pretty much assure him of not finding a lady.


I bought a pair of Alden black monks the next day, just to cleanse my palate.

 

[Mr Checks]

If this were a sitcom, in the next scene you'd be in drag...

Well, that is how Tom Hanks got his start.

 

[Teacher]

Moral: Drop your friend in the lava pit (or in your avatar's case, Lavaquiddick -- sorry, can't resist)...

I cannot control the Star Wars geek in me any longer. Anikin/Vader did not go INTO the lava, he just caught fire BY the lava. For Pete's sake, see the movie...everyone else has..

Seriously, though: my cousin has a pair of custom Anikin Skywalker boots he wears for Halloween. No sh.t. Actually, under a pair of jeans, they just look like decent dark tan boots, though I can't convince him to wear them often. They'd look better on his size US16 (.) feet than the Rockports he usually wears. Oh, well. Back to your friend: get him a pair of testes so he can just think for himself. Or get him a prostitute.

 

[StevenRocks]

KC is heavily marketed in mainstream media, much like Tommy Hilfiger, Dockers, Reebok and other chesseball dad-wear found at the local mall.  It's not cool at all, but it's impossible to get away from becaue every store north of Wal-Mart and south of Nordstrom sells it or (arrgh.) knockoffs of it.  So people who don't pay much attention to fashion buy this sh.t thinking they're cool and current, when they're drastically behind times.

Your friend may see the light, but it's not likely until the style goes completely off the market.

 

[johnw86]

I'm having this vision of hell. Scene: An ESL class for recent immigrants, all chanting: "How do you like the lamb. The ladies like the square toe."

 

[scnupe7]

I have to question the style of the ladies who tell him they like bulky, square-toed shoes. The ladies I know that have any kind of fashion sense stopped wearing square toes shoes 5 years ago.

Look at it this way. The more guys wearing those bulky square shoes, the more unique it makes us guys who know better and don't wear them.