Designer Shoes

Posts Tagged ‘flat shoes’

Forgive me for generalising, but women like shoes. Sure not all women like shoes and women that do like shoes definitely don’t like all shoes, but I think it’s safe to say that – in general – women like shoes.

Since they spend so much time and money buying shoes, I therefore conclude that a woman’s choice of shoes must, in some way, provide some kind of insight into her personality and psychology. After all, if I spent that much of my time doing something I’m pretty sure that my personality would be reflected in the finished product, at least to some extent! So I put the question to some men and put the findings together into a series of posts entitled “What Do Your Shoes Say About You?” Please note that this is what your shoes actually say about you to these men, not what you THINK they say about you to men! Since context has a huge effect on interpretation (i.e. wearing trainers to a posh ball says something very different to wearing them in the park), the question was a context-removed enquiry into what a woman’s preferred type of shoes communicates about her personality.

Flat, round-toed shoes like pumps are very commonplace these days. They’re comfortable, easy to come by and come in a huge range of colours and styles that probably makes choosing a pair very easy or very hard. They men on my panel decided that flat shoes reflect a relaxed personality; certain nonchalance towards shoes that suggests the wearer has a more interesting personality than women who are willing to dedicate hours of cognition to a choice of shoes. The guys also decided that women that prefer flat, round-toed shoes were less intimidating than women that preferred pointed shoes or heels and that they were probably “nicer people that are less likely to step on you on their way to career success”. Ho hum!

Interesting to say the least! Next time we’ll look into what men think pointed evening shoes…

Flat shoes, or pumps, are a design of shoe that stems from soft ballet slippers, which have such thin heels that they appear not to have one at all. They usually have some form of binding around the low tops, a gathering or design at the top-front of the toe box and a string tie that is more for decoration than for holding the shoe on. Due to their comfortable fit and range of styles and prices, they are a very popular casual shoe for both work and recreation.

The shoes have existed in some form or another for over 300 years, though in the 16th Century they were commonly worn by men and referred to as “pompes” – from which the modern name “pumps” is thought to derive. It is said that, although flat shoes were out-classed by heeled shoes in the 17th and 18th Century, they had a resurgence of popularity after Marie Antoinette walked to the guillotine in heels! The modern fashion-appeal of flat shoes may well be due to the 1957 film the film Funny Face, in which Audrey Hepburn wore them with skinny jeans – a look that is hugely popular at the moment!

Flat shoes come in a range of materials and designs, and are often cheap enough to replace every few weeks!