Why did you start wearing square-toed shoes?

[mensimageconsultant]

Epic question, maybe, and most people will say, "I never started." Good, but some did, and their input might explain why many unstylish men wear them.

Some possible answers:
A source (for example, a lousy magazine or a female 'friend') said they looked good.
The only affordable options were square-toed shoes.
They looked comfortable or nothing else was in the right size.
They looked good, i.e., the buyer had bad taste.

Be brave. Admit your sins and explain why.

 

[JamesX]

The only pair square toe I have was an accident. The picture in the catalog made it look more chiseled. So I ordered it and didn't even bother opening the box when it arrived (since it was black oxford).

3 month later when I finally needed a black shoe I discovered my mistake. So now I have a pair of Square Toes... which I wore because I don't have a lot of black shoes and I rather wear a square toe than better styles shoes but clash in color.

It would be remedied as soon as my Alfred Sargent arrives from Pediwear.

 

[junior varsity]

i'd never wear square - toed shoes because it makes the feet look small...
i wear 8.5 - 9 size shoes at 5.7 and i usually wear pointier toed shoes so my feet appear bigger
it is vain

 

[MBreinin]

Those black, high gloss, rubber soled Kenneth Cole duck specials were a hit with the ladies, brah.

Mike

 

[phxlawstudent]

Oddly enough I was asked for tips on what to buy to dress business-like. The guy said he liked Kenneth Cole shoes. I puked a little.

Who knows... I blame lack of fashion sense. Although I thought about it and the shoes probably look good by themselves, but horrific when put on feet. Well, thats how I rationalize the square toe thing.

 

[sonlegoman]

Originally Posted by MBreinin

Those black, high gloss, rubber soled Kenneth Cole duck specials were a hit with the ladies, brah. Mike
+1. And I was young(er). Funny thing is they've lasted about 6 years and my brother currently wears them when he needs to (to Buddhist temple events, weddings, etc). They're still in great shape and will probably last another 6 years. He even puts shoe trees in them but only because he has a pair of shoe trees that I forgot to take with me to optometry school. I stopped wearing them at about year 2 or so. Then discovered SF a while later. Of all the Ken Coles, the model I had is probably the most SF-approved.

 

[corey.m]

When did black square bicycle toe shoes become the defacto dress shoe?

What drove the move away from natural toe shoes?

Was there a fashion trend that was adopted by lesser shoe manufacturers?

Who is ultimately responsible?

 

[acecow]

When my Mom bought them for me.

 

[Bad Monkey]

Originally Posted by mensimageconsultant

Epic question, maybe, and most people will say, "I never started." Good, but some did, and their input might explain why many unstylish men wear them.

Some possible answers:
A source (for example, a lousy magazine or a female 'friend') said they looked good.
The only affordable options were square-toed shoes.
They looked comfortable or nothing else was in the right size.
They looked good, i.e., the buyer had bad taste.

Be brave. Admit your sins and explain why.

Never went through that phase. Most assume that becasue some idiot designer creates a supply of something the rest of us are supposed to buy it up.

 

[TRINI]

Aldo

 

[EZETHATSME]

Thought they were "cool" when in my twenties, and all of my peers were wearing them. Evolved away as I began to realize that "classic" was really how I wanted to dress. SF had a big part in the whole transition, not just the shoes.

EZ

 

[Harold falcon]

Never did.

 

[pendragon]

So far we seem to be running about 90% anti. To which I'll add my vote.

The weird thing is that for the last 5-10 years, stores have offered nothing but square toes, all of uniform ugliness. Which may explain why I now buy my shoes online...

 

[Mal]

I have a pair of Aldo square toed shoes that I got when I was in high school (in law school now). The reasoning being some combination of bad taste, my mom saying they looked good, and price.

 

[Bic Pentameter]

Some of us overthink this. The average guy goes to DSW, or Ross, or the Kenneth Cole shop in the mall. He thinks he is an 8.5 or a 9. Maybe that is what his mother told him when he was 17 years old. Maybe the Nikes he wore to the shop are a 9, or a 8.5 or what have you, so he goes to the section with a big "9" or big "8 1/2" above it. He peeks in the boxes. He thinks he wants a dress shoe, or a casual shoe. In all likelihood, "dress shoe" probably means black. "Casual shoe" probably means "not a wingtip." He thinks that if the shoes bear a name he has heard somewhere, such as Cole Haan, Floresheim, or something with lotsa vowels in it, then the shoes must be all right. He sees a shoe that he thinks is "dressy" or "casual." He tries it on. If he can squeeze his feet into the shoe, he checks the price. If it is within his budget, he goes to the register to complete his purchase so that he can do more important things with his time.

I would be surprised if your average male even knows that leather is stretched over something called a last to make a shoe, or thinks that the a manufacturer could make the same shoe in different lasts resulting in different toe shapes. Shoes are to keep you from stubbing your toe and to keep you from stepping in dog doo doo. Who the heck cares about the shape of the toe?

I bought a pair of square toed shoes once. I was in Chicago had some free time at a convention, and extra money from my per diem. It was my first visit to Filene's Basement. I wanted bargains. I knew I was an 8.5 or a 9. I went to the shoe section that had a big "8.5" above it. I peeked into the boxes.

Eventually, I found a pair of black shoes that were marked "9." They were blutchers, with a somewhat rounded but distinctly square toe. I squeezed my foot into them. I looked at the price. I think they were $39.99. They were made in Italy, and the brand name had lotsa vowels in it. I liked them so much, and my foot squeezed into them so well, I scoured the shelves to find a pair in brown. I went to the register and bought them. This was before I joined the Styleforum and the shape of the toe did not enter my mind. They turned out to be glue jobs, and thus could not be resoled. If I could have resoled them, I would still wear them today, current Style Forum membership notwithstanding.

Bic