Rule #86 - Shoes say a lot about the man.

I agree. Shoes DO say a lot about the man. I'm not just saying this because I love shoes and would have a different pair for each day of the week if I could. I guess if you want to get technical I do have at least that many. 17 pairs of shoes to be exact, but that is a minor detail. The point is that I love shoes.



Having the right shoes is paramount to the success of any outfit (or ensemble if you prefer, and I do). Perhaps this post is revealing some of my metrosexual tendencies, but I've come to far already, there is no turning back. It is for this reason that I have so many shoes, and why if I had more money (or a higher limit on my credit card...) I would have even more zapatos, as Spanish Mike would say. The reality is that most of my shoes are rarely worn, simply because they must be matched appropriately with the rest of my ensemble. So if you see me on a fairly regular basis you are probably saying to yourself, "He wears the same shoes most of the time, what the heck is Carl talking about." It is true. The last few years my ensembles have gotten increasingly casual making my shoe options limited. I usually wear whatever pair of sneaks I have that are the newest, with little variation. This is why I must be very selective when buying new sneaks, I need a versatile pair that goes with pretty much everything and that I wouldn't mind wearing almost everyday.

Here are my current #1 pair of sneaks:


They are white, black and grey, allowing for maximum outfit matchability. I can wear them with shorts and with jeans of all shades. But I can't use these sneaks for everything, that would be silly. So I have other shoes for other utilities, as follows:


These are my dress shoes, for use with suits or slacks.


These are my semi-dress shoes, because they can be used with slacks, but also with a nice pair of jeans and a button up shirt.


These are my boots, for use in cold or snowy weather. I have probably worn these twice since i have been in Oklahoma.


These are my white Nike kicks, for when I want to be pretty fly for a white guy.


These are my imitation Birkenstocks, used when I need to take Henry outside and don't feel like putting on socks (yes, they smell) or for when I want to feel like a hippie.


And of course I can't forget my running shoes, used for running. Putting this picture up made me realize I didn't count my 2 pairs of soccer cleats and 1 pair of turf shoes in my count (sorry, no pics of these, they live in my car's trunk in case of spontaneous soccer) so i actually have 20 pairs of shoes. The shoes that I did not take pictures of I probably should give or throw away because they serve no unique purpose in my life, but I am a pack rat and will probably keep them for the next 10-20 years.

Finally, allow me to introduce you all to the newest member of my shoe harem, recently purchased and en route to Stillwater as we speak.


These are my Livestrong Lunar Trainer+ running shoes. They were my gift to myself this Christmas (well, them and my new iPhone 3G...) and are intended to motivate me to train hard and live strong in the '09.

So if my opening salvo were true and shoes really do say a lot about the man, what do my shoes say about me? After rereading this entry I realize my shoes say that I am a vain and superficial individual with a shoe shopping compulsion, nay, obsession. And I am okay with that.