I am surprised that this thread got 47 posts in before this was cited.
Oh, hell yes, I check out shoes. They are a straightforward piece of intelligence when sizing up someone in a business setting. Rich entrepreneurs and silicon valley types wear worn out casual shorts and jeans like most employees, but they will have the latest pricey footwear. Or, in some cases, a well-off executive will be a shoe collector, or a fashion dude - either of which I could use in conversations - oh, you have Nike Jordan 1’s?! Wow!
I could not care less from a fashion standpoint*, or to somehow be a Mean Guy judging other men’s choices. Fuck that. But as a piece of intel? Oh yeah.
*if you saw my wardrobe, you would be moved by the profound obviousness of this statement
Sure do. I like shoes. I currently have 67 pairs, plus a shit-ton of boots, so I am always looking at other men’s shoes to see if there is a style out there that I don’t have.
Happily, my wife is generous enough to let me use the larger walk-in closet. Since my retirement a few years ago I have much fewer opportunities to wear certain segments of my collection, so I am thinking about reducing the numbers by half.
Many of my shoes and boots have a scuff of the top of the left toe from shifting gears on motorcycles so often. I try to spot other motorcyclists with similar scuffs in non motorcycling events. It’s a conversation starter.
Kind of like you can tell a new motocross racer 'cause his bike and his helmet still match?
As an experiment, a co-worker once stuck a paper reinforcement ring on the two of both his shoes in the morning. Nobody, male or female, commented on them all day.
I get the “oh, I am a cool man and Real Men Don’t Care About Shoes” basic mindset that is in a lot of posts, not just this one.
But, really?
I find this cute and macho, but kinda silly. Again, I am Fashion Clueless, and have NO place to be judging anyone’s choices in shoes, but let’s be clear: Most men have *far *fewer fashion choices that reveal any information about themselves vs. most women. A wrist watch. Your choice of tech toys. A briefcase/hi-tech backpack. And shoes.
Observation / Question: I assume that here on the SDMB, there are more scientists and science-related professions vs. business executives, folks involved in business development / sales, etc. In those jobs and settings you are looking for any insights you can gain on the people who are sitting across from you at the table.
If we were a bit more diverse that way, I suspect we would see very different results.
