When a man is a well-dressed man, he is someone who has taken a great deal of time to put himself together. Even in the most casual clothes, he has taken the time to know exactly what to put on in order to display his own unique style. A nice pair of leather dress shoes, Italian loafers, or even a pair of artisan shoes paired with a wide leather belt can really show a man off.
Men’s dress shoes are not quite as dominant as the market is for women; they only account for 6% of the shoe market. High end mens shoes can bring in a hefty price, mainly because of some of the exotic materials that are being used, such as alligator and crocodile skins. From 2009 to 2014, men’s designer footwear saw an increase in retail value sales growth of 39%.
But men are not simply buying exotic shoes with a wide leather belt and calling it good. They are going with the suit, shirt, and socks to put the entire package together. There have been studies recently that reveal very clearly that people form first impressions of one another within the first seven to seventeen seconds of meeting. What is more is that more than half of a person’s opinion is determined by physical appearance.
Let’s say for just a moment that you are heading in for a job interview. You have an old suit on that you never wear and didn’t think about taking to the cleaners on time. Your shoes are worn, and you spilled some coffee on your only tie, which you also forgot to take to the cleaners. What kind of a first impression do you think you are going to make?
Take another scenario in which you are wearing one of four tailored suits that you invested in. Your shirt is one of several and the tie you have chosen does not have a year-old coffee stain on it because you took it to the cleaners. You look down and notice that your shoes which are new and polished and your wide leather belt pulls everything together so nicely. You look like a man ready to do some amazing things in the world.
Impressions matter. When you find a suit that makes sense on you and a shirt and tie that compliment the suit, you know that all you need is a fine pair of shoes to complete your look. You get most of your style from the shoes you wear. Putting together a look to make that first impression be exactly what you would like it to be, tart with your suits, then your shirts and ties, and then finish up with a nice pair of shoes with a wide leather belt. You can’t go wrong, once you have your very own special look that defines who you are and leaves that quality first impression.