(My last few posts have been relatively long, so I'll try to keep this one a bit shorter)
If you know me well, you'll know that I like shoes. During my free time, I'll sometimes go online shopping for shoes. Most of the time I don't even have the intention of buying shoes; I just want to look at them.
In my opinion, shoes are one of the most essential parts of an outfit (if not the most important). They're obviously super important for protecting your feet. Imagine walking around without shoes... That would be pretty painful and awkward.
I, however, also believe that shoes have a much deeper meaning and purpose than to just protect your feet. Shoes make a statement about who you are and allow people to get a glimpse of your traits.
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| Image 1 |
I really like to use sports as an example of what I'm talking about, especially soccer. You can often make (correct) assumptions about a player's style based solely on their shoes. For example, if there's a player with extremely bright and flashy cleats, they're probably quick and skilled (see image 1). On the other hand, if there's a player with basic, normal cleats, such as the ones in image 2, they're probably a very fundamental and "no nonsense" player. They aren't the flashiest, but they get the job done. They also usually provide their opponents with a few aches and bruises.
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| Image 2 |
You might be wondering: "Since you like shoes so much, what are your preferences David?" That's a good question. Thanks for asking.
I'm not gonna lie. I like "hypebeast" shoes. I think they look super nice and are extremely comfortable to wear. Unfortunately, I do not have the money to afford those shoes, so I wear lifestyle Adidas shoes like NMDs. As for color, I prefer my casual, everyday shoes to be shades of black or white. On the other hand, I prefer the shoes I wear for sports (basketball and soccer) to be flashy and bright. They draw the spectators' attention and make your plays much more impressive.
I believe the shoes you wear are a statement about who you are.
Shoes are great.
Images:
1. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0659/9347/products/nike-mercurial-veloce-3-electric-green1_1024x1024.png?v=1493409263
2. https://assets.adidas.com/images/w_600,f_auto,q_auto/b285b4143d6742fbb4dca7fa00dbdc5e_9366/Copa_Mundial_Cleats_Black_015110_01_standard.jpg
I think someone's outfit says a lot about their personality. I agree that it's fun to guess what someone is like based on their taste in clothing, but I try not to focus on it too much because it could leave a baseless bad first impression.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a point about shoes being reflective of a person's personality traits. Clothing and style is one of those things where we don't always make conscientious decisions and that allows our unimpeded self to come through.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who's always been vaguely interested in hypebeast shoes from afar, this post has given me a greater appreciation for shoes in general. I agree that shoes and the things people wear can give clues as to what their personality might be like. In many cases, what people wear are a conscious choice that reflects the way that they want to present themselves. But there are in some cases like mine that while there is a certain leeway of choice, it's quite limited. I've always appreciated the shoes that you wear, (esp those white, sock-like addidas, those are clean af) and we should talk shoes sometime so that I can be more educated.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think of shoes being the most important part of an outfit, but I will say they help tie the outfit together. I do love shoe shopping though. I tend to go online and look at shoes when I need to get something done but I don't feel like doing it lol.
ReplyDeleteI agree that your outfits are often dictated by one accessory, but not sure if it's the shoes. I won't pretend that I don't pay attention to shoes--because I do--but I also think there's more that goes into a look. For example, the person's attention to color, outerwear (oddly enough), and attitude play a bigger role for me. I think this is because I genuinely like fashion and find outfits reflect emotions. Also, I think that because I know hypebeast fashion and sick kicks are out of reach for most people financially so I try to be open about people's shoes. That may just be me. Anyway, great post, David, and if you ever want to talk about the cultural impact of hypebeast (because I think you pull it off well), let me know.
ReplyDeleteI've also been obsessed with shoes, although more so when I was younger. I'd agree that there is something really appealing about staring at a really cool pair of shoes, I'd do it all the time back around the 2014 world cup. The Superfly 4's in particular were the cleanest but flashiest soccer shoe design of all time.
ReplyDeleteI largely agree with your assumptions about soccer players based on their cleats. The solid defender types are usually the ones with the copas (I think that's what's in image two) and the skilled-on-the-ball forwards and midfielders will have flashier cleats. However, I'm the most scared of a player when they have really old shoes, like F50s (old adidas cleat line) from 2010. It shows that they're very experienced.