|
|
Dress Shoes
 Hal Manogue- Author Essayist and Poet
Dress shoes have been going through a metamorphosis over the last fifty years. Identifying a dress shoe in this new-age society can be a daunting task because jeans and t-shirts are just as dressy as a suit or a dress. That's a big change for people who were raised in a world filled with stiff wing-tips, straight tips, monk straps, and high-heel dress pumps.
The business, religious, and political segments of society still have strict dress shoe policies when it comes to formal events and social gatherings, but even these institutions are experiencing cracks in their foundation when it comes to dress codes. Black and brown five-eyelet calfskin wing-tips and plain-toe women's pumps are not considered essential fashion items for Generation X and Generation Y. A large number of folks who were born after 1970 feel dressy in a pair of high-tech Nike running shoes, or the latest sport shoe that may look like, but is five times more comfortable than, Granddad's precious oxfords or Granny's spool heel pumps.
Dress shoes must have one essential ingredient in order to qualify for shoe stardom these days. Comfort is the game changer when it comes to dress shoe appeal. Shoes worn for casual or dress purposes must pass the comfort test in order to win the approval of this new shoe generation. Consumers want flexible and long-lasting outsoles, padded sock linings and insoles, and soft and durable upper linings and upper materials.
New age consumers are educated shoppers that know the difference between quality and quantity, and they demand a big bang for their hard-earned bucks. Dress shoes must meet the new flexible standard in order to be part of our changing fashion world. That means they don't have to look stoic anymore.
| | |
|
|
|
|
.jpg)
