The shoe selection process requires us to be quite brutal. We must be sure of what we want from a shoe, and discard all others from our stream of thought. Be it a work shoe, a running shoe or a shoe to adorn our feet in bars and clubs – every shoe has an intended purpose. Whilst shoes these days can be perfectly tailored to a specific activity, this comes with the inevitable downside that most shoes are utterly terrible at most things.
If you are shopping for a general shoe, ensure that the shoe you buy is a general shoe. This might sound ridiculous, but if you have ever tried to play tennis in walking shoes or to queue for a nightclub in trainers, you’ll understand.
When you’ve decided on a purpose, you will, of course, have to decide on design. Nowadays, the design of any type of shoe is a factor to consider when buying – and this extends even to trainers and work shoes. Wear the clothes you intend to pair with the new pair of shoes in order to decide which style to go for.
Jeans can work well with almost any style of shoe – just as they do with almost any style of clothing. The only thing to be mindful of when combining shoes with jeans is colour. If you are the owner of some particularly vivid blue denims, be careful not to set this off too sharply – or, God forbid, match – with your new pair of shoes.
If you are really stuck for style, look to the classic designers like Clarks. You can’t go far wrong with Clarks mens shoes. You can also be sure that they offer an array of shoes for an array of purposes. Shoe shopping might not be quite as simple a task as in the old days, but then, nor is life.