# Why do Dutch men wear pointy shoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521 "2015-10-04T17:48:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/1 "2015-10-04T17:48:11Z")
In the past year I went to the Netherlands and I noticed in business casual offices many leather dressy shoes were at least as long as American cowboy boots but had a square toe. Like 1 1/2 - 2" beyond the toe space inside. Some designs made me think of fairy boots in children’s books except the toes didn’t curl up. 1. Is this a European style thing? 2. Is this a Dutch traditional thing? 3. Does this go back to some function like cowboy boots being easy to slide into stirrups? ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/2 "2015-10-04T17:50:10Z")
I’m a Dutch man and this is the first I’m hearing about it. IMHO it’s 4) They don’t ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/3 "2015-10-04T17:59:28Z")
How do you know there was all that unused space? Dutch people probably have bigger feet than most. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/4 "2015-10-04T18:26:46Z")
I think it is just a fashion thing, as far as I can tell their modern variations on [winklepickers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winklepicker), that have been fashionable with various UK youth cultures on-and-off for over fifty years. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/5 "2015-10-04T18:29:37Z")
I’ve seen the same style worn by many US men of a certain GQ-wannabe bent. (GQ as in Gentlemen’s Quarterly). And this has been true for a few years now. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/6 "2015-10-04T19:16:07Z")
I think you may have missed the point (no pun intended!). It’s not that Europeans like to wear overly long shoes; it’s that we absolutely hate to walk _with our toes squeezed together_. (I know this is true of me). For some stupid reason, fashion dictates that shoes should be at least somewhat pointed _towards the center line_; I guess this had some reason hundreds of years ago, for riding purposes or whatnot. Anyway, the only way to get rid of the unbearable pain of the shoe pressing against your big- and pinky toes is to get shoes the size of a small kayak (unless you opt to buy handmade shoes, which will cost you a fortune!) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/7 "2015-10-04T19:33:25Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > I’m a Dutch man and this is the first I’m hearing about it. IMHO it’s 4) They don’t The typical [wooden shoe](http://www.505rct.org/Memorabilia%20505%20-%20RCT/Holland%20wooden%20shoes.asp) looks like it has a point on the end. Not that Dutch wear these much, and they aren’t confined to men’s wear. Maybe that is what the OP is talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/8 "2015-10-04T19:53:51Z")
French here, and moderately to very long pointy toe ends have definitely become a common aspect of male fashion here over the past… I dunno, 5 ? 10 years ? I think it looks ridiculous myself, but then again non-ridiculous fashion isn’t 🙂 It’s a fairly recent development (older men’s shoes have/had rounded or square tips), so no fancy age-old origin. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/9 "2015-10-04T20:07:58Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > French here, and moderately to very long pointy toe ends have definitely become a common aspect of male fashion here over the past… I dunno, 5 ? 10 years ? I think it looks ridiculous myself, but then again non-ridiculous fashion isn’t 🙂 > > It’s a fairly recent development (older men’s shoes have/had rounded or square tips), so no fancy age-old origin. It goes back to the 1950s, but has only recently spread outside the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/10 "2015-10-04T20:24:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The typical [wooden shoe](http://www.505rct.org/Memorabilia%20505%20-%20RCT/Holland%20wooden%20shoes.asp) looks like it has a point on the end. Not that Dutch wear these much, and they aren’t confined to men’s wear. > > Maybe that is what the OP is talking about. You’re joking, right? ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/11 "2015-10-04T20:49:18Z")
[Do you mean Mexicans?](http://scs.viceland.com/int/v18n3/htdocs/look-at-these-fucking-boots-721/three-guys-in-boots.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/12 "2015-10-04T21:40:23Z")
I don’t think OP is talking about winklepickers or corner-kickers, I think he just means an elongated toe box, like [these](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCKK3u8vjqcgCFUsziAodCb8Obg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fglobal.rakuten.com%2Fen%2Fstore%2Fshoes-otto%2Fitem%2F708br1%2F&bvm=bv.104317490,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNEXXlKd6IHN__pznXLjirDbDqiSwg&ust=1444081071210313). It’s actually an Italian thing, but a lot of Europeans take their style lead from Italy. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/13 "2015-10-04T22:36:13Z")
They probably believe the old saw about penis size being related to foot size. Long shoes therefore intended to impress the ladies/ ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/14 "2015-10-04T22:58:38Z")
Fairly common in Los Angeles, too. Men’s dress shoes that are very pointy [like this](http://pierresarti.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dress-shoes-men-pointed-toe-lace-up-solid-cow-leather-2313242-small.jpg). Usually worn by younger men. They make an odd flapping/slapping sound when they are the really extreme styles. ---
**Author:** ![Futurist110](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e4f/32.png) [@Futurist110](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futurist110)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/15 "2015-10-04T23:25:12Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > French here, and moderately to very long pointy toe ends have definitely become a common aspect of male fashion here over the past… I dunno, 5 ? 10 years ? I think it looks ridiculous myself, but then again non-ridiculous fashion isn’t 🙂 > > It’s a fairly recent development (older men’s shoes have/had rounded or square tips), so no fancy age-old origin. You’re French? As in, from France? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/16 "2015-10-04T23:31:50Z")
Guilty as charged. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/17 "2015-10-05T01:34:21Z")
In my office, we have a very international group. We also work with a number of European offices, and it’s a running joke that all the European men wear pointy shoes and tight pink pants. All in friendly teasing, but the European guys only deny the pink pants. That is to say, it appears to be fashionable in Europe, has been for a while, and personally I think they look like clown shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/18 "2015-10-05T01:42:21Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’ve seen the same style worn by many US men of a certain GQ-wannabe bent. (GQ as in Gentlemen’s Quarterly). And this has been true for a few years now. I think this is the answer for what I saw. The individuals that wore then definitely had some GQ tendencies and were type-A personalities in customer-facing jobs. And _French_ dress shoes would be even more GQ. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/19 "2015-10-05T02:30:22Z")
The pointy shoes are a thing among Quebec males as well. I first noticed it during business trips about 8 to 10 years ago. I have seen it among both Anglophone and Francophone Quebecers, so it’s not necessary a French thing. Mercifully, it hasn’t appeared to have taken here in Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521/20 "2015-10-05T02:47:06Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > You’re joking, right? No. I read the title, but didn’t see the detail in the OP. Bad me! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dutch-men-wear-pointy-shoes/733521.md?page=2)