Cheap Shoes - Don't Kid Yourself

One of the truest statements I ever heard before was from one of my high school friends who is currently a bed salesmen and tells his customers this: "There are two things that you should never go cheap on. One is your shoes and the other is your bed because if you are not using one you are using the other!" When I actually thought about it, he was dead on and I had never realized that. And now I cannot wait for the day that I can buy a memory foam mattress to have heavenly sleep on. The problem is that most other men don't think like this, but they should. 

(For statements made down below I have added pics of nice shoes vs. cheap shoes just to show how easy it is to tell the difference. That same difference is just as noticeable when they are on your feet!)

Top Of Page Picture Courtesy Of: Leffot

Above Top Row: Left - Cheap Shoe; Right - Gaziano & Girling

Above Bottom Row: Left - Cheap Shoe; Right - Barker Black

I never understood why most men are willing to drop thousands of dollars (or pounds or euros) on a suit but right after go to a shoe department and not want to spend more than 200 dollars. They then look like an oaf because the intelligent eye can see the contrast between a Zegna suit and a China-made Hugo Boss or some Kurt Geiger shoe. Yet, it is always like this and I cannot comprehend why? I want to understand the point in history where it came to be that most men decided that shoes were the part of the wardrobe to go cheap on. You don't know how many times I have heard men say, "I would never spend 400 dollars on a pair of shoes," scoffing as they say it. What's funny is that most of those men were rich and could easily crap 400 dollars. And when I heard this I thought three things: 1. This guy is a cheap bastard, 2. He is a complete idiot and 3. He is sadly naive. 

Above Top Row: Left - Cheap Shoe; Right - J.M. Weston

Above Bottom Row: Left - Cheap Shoe; Right - Lodger

As I have said before there is a health issue at hand when it comes to cheap shoes. Not being properly supported can affect your posture, your spinal alignment and can create feet problems like bone spurs. The only difference between wearing cheap vs. expensive clothes is how you will look. Chances are that if you are one of my regular readers, you don't fall under this category but if you just happen to be visiting for the first time, ask yourself if this sounds like something that you would do. And if so, stop being cheap! People can see and smell it a mile away and it's not attractive to anyone. If you have the money, invest it properly. And believe me when I tell you that a good pair of shoes will be one of the best investments that you will ever make. It may not do so in a monetary gain, but it certainly will in health, looks, and perception of yourself from others as well as from yourself.

You are only kidding yourself when you try to justify that shoes should not be something you spend wisely on.