The Seven Shoe Wardrobe

[NYCfixie]

Slightly OT but not really: Why do many Americans wear brand new white sneakers when on vacation, both in the US and abroad? Is there some rule about vacation footwear?

As Ashley Weston, celebrity menswear stylist, says...
(so, it is not just for vacation)








And, don't forget the ultimate guides to which white sneaker to buy:

[72gmc]

The best white sneaker is the white Chuck Taylor lowtop, which a) doesn't fit my foot and b) wouldn't stay clean on my foot.

[Chik]

As Ashley Weston, celebrity menswear stylist, says...
(so, it is not just for vacation)








And, don't forget the ultimate guides to which white sneaker to buy:

Tennis / basketball shoes are not the ones I'm talking about but rather like the New Balance model posted above. And they're always brand spanking new.

[Chik]

if it's any "consolation", throngs of people wear those clunky sneakers on a daily basis, too

perhaps it's to be expected. With >60% of the population overweight or obese, any additional bit of cushioning helps when there's a lot of walking involved.

So those things must be part of their Seven (or whatever number) shoe wardrobe.

[j44ke]

So those things must be part of their Seven (or whatever number) shoe wardrobe.

Or all seven.

[echappist]

There may be a pair of Uggs, a pair of Crocs, and a pair of square-toe leather shoes in the ensemble

[Chik]

Style choice aside, why do they have to be brand spanking new when on vacation? I'm not the only non-American that's fascinated by it. I can appreciate the preference for white since it's unlikely to clash chromatically with one's garment choice. But why do they need to be new? The question is rhetorical but not really.

[echappist]

Style choice aside, why do they have to be brand spanking new when on vacation? I'm not the only non-American that's fascinated by it. I can appreciate the preference for white since it's unlikely to clash chromatically with one's garment choice. But why do they need to be new? The question is rhetorical but not really.

At the risk of coming across as judgmental, I would think it has to do with trying to show oneself in the best light, so to speak

Like how I would shine and buff my shoes before going on vacation. Who really cares how shiny they are? Probably only my wife and I. But shiny shoes makes me feel like I have an extra bit of pep in my steps, regardless of the fact that during our most recent vacation, I could often be found taking 3-hour long naps in the afternoon. No pep there :(

I guess (and this is an exceedingly wild stab) something similar is at work here. The best preparation for a walking-heavy vacation in a walking-friendly city is to ensure that one is in shape to do so (e.g. not carrying too much excess weight and being aerobically fit enough to walk 4-5 kms/day). Creased white walking shoes really don't present well, no matter how much buffing and shining might go into it. So new footwear might help to put an extra bit of pep in one's steps.

And to end on a somewhat positive note, this reminds me that I ought to polish my shoes.

[Chik]

At the risk of coming across as judgmental, I would think it has to do with trying to show oneself in the best light, so to speak

Like how I would shine and buff my shoes before going on vacation. Who really cares how shiny they are? Probably only my wife and I. But shiny shoes makes me feel like I have an extra bit of pep in my steps, regardless of the fact that during our most recent vacation, I could often be found taking 3-hour long naps in the afternoon. No pep there :(

I guess (and this is an exceedingly wild stab) something similar is at work here. The best preparation for a walking-heavy vacation in a walking-friendly city is to ensure that one is in shape to do so (e.g. not carrying too much excess weight and being aerobically fit enough to walk 4-5 kms/day). Creased white walking shoes really don't present well, no matter how much buffing and shining might go into it. So new footwear might help to put an extra bit of pep in one's steps.

And to end on a somewhat positive note, this reminds me that I ought to polish my shoes.

You're most probably right.

Yeah, and I need to deal with the dog poo stuck in a Commando sole from stepping on one the other day...

[j44ke]

Style choice aside, why do they have to be brand spanking new when on vacation? I'm not the only non-American that's fascinated by it. I can appreciate the preference for white since it's unlikely to clash chromatically with one's garment choice. But why do they need to be new? The question is rhetorical but not really.

The style is to keep the shoes as white as possible. I think people dress for vacations. It is part of suiting up and dressing in a way that will prove acceptable in a country they imagine as being fashionable or more sophisticated. Americans can be pompously judgmental about other countries, but they also travel with a bit of inferiority complex. The ironic aspect of fashion and travel is that many of the fashion trends one sees in other countries (especially Europe) are based on stereotypes of what Americans look like as gleaned from Hollywood and pop music. So Americans go to France - for example - and see themselves reflected back at them but with a French accent. But somehow Americans don't think of themselves as much as originators as followers and Europeans as the creators of fashion they follow and improvise upon. The truth is more like mutual osmosis.

But the shoes in NYC are just as white as they are in Paris, so Americans appearing in Europe with bright white shoes is just Americans following what is a current trend in the US - and then visiting Europe and wearing their best. When you travel, you armor up. You protect yourself with your perfect outfits to ward off inferiority in a new environment. Details are important. You don't want to be a bumpkin.

Be glad that the pajama wearing Ugg boot shuffling American "ennuist" seems to have waned as acceptable presentation.

[echappist]

But the shoes in NYC are just as white as they are in Paris, so Americans appearing in Europe with bright white shoes is just Americans following what is a current trend in the US - and then visiting Europe and wearing their best. When you travel, you armor up. You protect yourself with your perfect outfits to ward off inferiority in a new environment. Details are important. You don't want to be a bumpkin.

Oh boy, I'm afraid i'll use up my judgmental quota for the month (if not the season) if I continue to participate.

But wearing new/ nearly new white walking shoes instead of creased and dirty white walking shoes merely changes the degree of bumpkin-ness.

[NYCfixie]

...You protect yourself with your perfect outfits to ward off inferiority in a new environment. Details are important. You don't want to be a bumpkin.
Be glad that the pajama wearing Ugg boot shuffling American "ennuist" seems to have waned as acceptable presentation.

Oh boy, I'm afraid i'll use up my judgmental quota for the month (if not the season) if I continue to participate.
But wearing new/ nearly new white walking shoes instead of creased and dirty white walking shoes merely changes the degree of bumpkin-ness.

As-if the baseball hats aren't enough to show you are an 'Merican Bumpkin.

[j44ke]

Oh boy, I'm afraid i'll use up my judgmental quota for the month (if not the season) if I continue to participate.

But wearing new/ nearly new white walking shoes instead of creased and dirty white walking shoes merely changes the degree of bumpkin-ness.

As-if the baseball hats aren't enough to show you are an 'Merican Bumpkin.

But that's just the irony being a foreigner traveling in a foreign land, isn't it? That you can go somewhere and try to blend in, when the reality is that your effort to blend in makes you stick out like a sore thumb.

The question why? quite obviously revealed the lack of success. I was only talking about the why.

So to be a successful spy, you need these 7 shoes...









...and whatever else.

[ides1056]

If I can’t walk ten miles comfortably and quickly in a shoe it isn’t a walking shoe. I have three pairs of AKU approach shoes that are perfect for cities or mountains.

[Chik]

The style is to keep the shoes as white as possible. I think people dress for vacations. It is part of suiting up and dressing in a way that will prove acceptable in a country they imagine as being fashionable or more sophisticated. Americans can be pompously judgmental about other countries, but they also travel with a bit of inferiority complex. The ironic aspect of fashion and travel is that many of the fashion trends one sees in other countries (especially Europe) are based on stereotypes of what Americans look like as gleaned from Hollywood and pop music. So Americans go to France - for example - and see themselves reflected back at them but with a French accent. But somehow Americans don't think of themselves as much as originators as followers and Europeans as the creators of fashion they follow and improvise upon. The truth is more like mutual osmosis.

But the shoes in NYC are just as white as they are in Paris, so Americans appearing in Europe with bright white shoes is just Americans following what is a current trend in the US - and then visiting Europe and wearing their best. When you travel, you armor up. You protect yourself with your perfect outfits to ward off inferiority in a new environment. Details are important. You don't want to be a bumpkin.

Be glad that the pajama wearing Ugg boot shuffling American "ennuist" seems to have waned as acceptable presentation.

I think you're right about them trying to be more presentable, in their own way. However, not sure about them trying to blend in simply because the effort is just so wide of the mark that it's hard to believe it was ever a part of the calculus.

Also, I don't think the phenomenon is exclusive to travel abroad, which is also why I have doubts about it being an attempt at blending in. If you go to any place within the US that's a popular tourist destination, particularly during the warmer months, whether in NoCal, SoCal, NY or wherever, American tourists shod in brand new white sneakers are in abundance. Well, to be fair, they do blend in, just with the other tourists.

[jmgorman]

Guys, does this mean I have to get rid of my white tennis shoes? I admit they're usually the ones I grab when I travel, but I've been doing that since at least 2014. They pack easily and are old, do I get a pass?

[Chik]

Guys, does this mean I have to get rid of my white tennis shoes? I admit they're usually the ones I grab when I travel, but I've been doing that since at least 2014. They pack easily and are old, do I get a pass?

Wear what you like and be yourself.

[robin3mj]

2024 edition- ie, no more dress shoes