Do women really judge men by the shoes men wear?

I think that attempting to give a definitive answer to the OP's question will necessarily result in some broad sweeping generalizations, which I am generally loathe to make. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is that: men of StyleForum really judge men by the shoes men wear.

women absolutely look at mens shoes. it seems to me that suede gets a bit more positive reaction than calf and edward greens get more than aldens. monks rank high and double monks higher.

The thing is, suede and double monks are out of the norm in most situations. If your shoes stand out and they both fit with the outfit well and are at least of moderate quality, people tend to notice. Does this constitute "judging a man by what shoes he wears?" I guess it does. However, I think most women would consider this primarily as a sign of a man being a bit more adventurous or wants to stand out from the norm, rather than someone who is well versed in style. Most people tend to judge style from entire outfits, rather than any one single item. I think something analagous would be perhaps...hair styles? If a women goes with a hair style different from the norm but carries it well, to most it's much less a sign of knowing hair styles well as it is a sign of being a bit more adventurous.

I guess the bottom line is that people will judge you on anything that stands out in a good way from the norm in a way that people can readily tell without any extensive knowledge. Most people will not attempt to actively judge people by their shoes, that is to say, purposefully look at a person's shoe in an attempt to judge them.

Originally Posted by wmb

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women absolutely look at mens shoes. it seems to me that suede gets a bit more positive reaction than calf and edward greens get more than aldens. monks rank high and double monks higher.

My knowledge tells me that women mostly notice a color that stands out in shoes. Generally brown with a super patina. Generally I feel that woman have no eye for the differences among most shoes, to them "dress shoes" are dress shoes.

Based on most of the hot chicks with guidos in kenneth coles I can't think that it influences their opinion of you as a person. Or perhaps they have crappy taste in men's style. Actually no, most women do have crappy opinions on men's style.

shoes and teeth is what a woman will notice first.

I've seen them do it!

iT'S LIKE A SCAN --

Starts at the top goes down to the shoes and back up to your face - takes about 2 seconds --every little detail noted!!!

Funny...I just had a woman hit on me in the grocery store. She actually made a comment about my looks and all I could think was "Can you not see my ******* shoes?".

Women definitely notice shoes (both ours and theirs).

But, I agree with others that said it is just something they notice. I don't know of any women that consider shoes a deal breaker or maker.

Some women are able to recognize new-money logos such as interlocking horseshoes, etc. Otherwise, to most $75 dress shoes look identical to $500 shoes, you're better off spending money on unique looking shoes (which has little to do with cost).....or on jackets, ties, trim fit shirts, etc, if you want to impress women.

Originally Posted by Beetleything

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I've seen them do it! iT'S LIKE A SCAN -- Starts at the top goes down to the shoes and back up to your face - takes about 2 seconds --every little detail noted!!!

They certainly do, especially teenaged girls and younger women. Exactly like you said, 2 seconds. If they are not impressed with the first scan, it's over. If they like what they see, you get a second scan and possibly some attention (smile, or a 'hi' or whatever) Sad but true. Those ones, to me, are either jail bait or gold diggers.

Originally Posted by Man Of Lint

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They certainly do, especially teenaged girls and younger women. Exactly like you said, 2 seconds.
If they are not impressed with the first scan, it's over.
If they like what they see, you get a second scan and possibly some attention (smile, or a 'hi' or whatever)
Sad but true. Those ones, to me, are either jail bait or gold diggers.

So, unless you are digging a ditch, wear nice shoes.

Most "pros" working the bars in Vegas can tell if a guy will be a potential customer by looking at his shoes.

Twotone

That scan is just normal body language. Some believe it was a way for (a more primitive) us to determine the sex of another person. They've done studies and even nuns who have been sequestered for years will do this "scan". Both men and women do the scan, but women are more adept at hiding it due to better peripheral vision.

I don't know if it has anything to do with shoes is the point I'm getting at.

no.

havent read all of this thread, but this is my theory:


hundreds of years ago, when men went on dates with women (courtship, whatever, maybe they didnt have dates, but hey, women still judged men by their looks) they would see how they would come presentable... down to their feet. have their feet been trodden in dirt all day? is there scum between the toes and toejam in his nails?

sick.

well, if the guy cared to detail out the dirt and clean his feet prior to seeing the girl, the girl was happy. it said something about the guy.

now, men, basically spin that into "we have to have edward greens and lobbs and prada loafers on our feet to woo women"
it just isnt the case. maybe they'll entertain that thought by playing with that notion and saying 'yes'

but more likely the case is, they just want to see that the part of our body that touches the street/dirt all day, can be made clean prior to seeing her. attention to detail. a respect to her. that's what she wants.

Here is the quote from How to Succeed with Women, I found this at a used-books store

Quote (fair usage claimed):

"Women also evaluate men by the quality of the shoes. It is hard for men to comprehend the amount of time women spend thinking about shoes. The have conversations with each other about shoes; they spend discreet blocks of time shoe shopping ; they sit around thinking about what shoes to wear with what outfits....With this in mind, you wouldn't be surprised to find out that she also judges and thinks about your shoes."