Stylish footwear bumps outfits to next level

Think about it: What is the first thing you notice about an outfit? I’m not talking total composition here, I mean one aspect.

For most people, myself included, it’s what someone is – or is not – wearing on their feet.
Although I try to resist the urge, I catch myself looking at the ground when I’m walking. That’s after being told this behavior is a sign of shyness, insecurity or fear. (I’ve written about my wedgies for the world to read – I definitely don’t think that constitutes shyness, insecurity or fear.)

Perhaps this is too much of a general perception, but I have the feeling I’m not among a minority of people who watch the ground rather than where they’re going.
That said, I’ve found that it is slightly problematic at times – like when I run into people – it’s also quite helpful because, hey, nice shoes!

“Most people avoid eye contact with others when walking around campus,” said Ellie Salzbrenner, a second-year English student. “They end up looking at peoples’ feet before their faces 99 percent of the time. Therefore shoes [equal] very, very important. So make sure yours are rad.”

Jillian Strunk, a third-year international affairs student, agrees.

“People naturally look a person up and down,” Strunk said. “Shoes are the end of the line so they are noticed. The right shoes show confidence.”

Footwear is probably the most underrated part of an outfit when it should actually be one of the most important and key elements. When the shoe choice misses the mark, everything else seems to fall out of whack or go unnoticed.

If you frequent fashion blogs or Web sites, how often do you see an otherwise ordinary outfit, such as jeans and a white T-shirt – the American staple – and see reader responses are less than underwhelming. If said blogger adds a great pair of boots or four-inch pumps, the mood of the post and responses change entirely. Suddenly the outfit identical to the one your grandma wore last weekend looks killer and she is the best dressed person on the Internet. Why?

Oh my god, shoes.

From the mouth of a woman who owns a lot of shoes, I was once told that “shoes are the exclamation point to the end of the fashion statement,” a quote originating from fashion industry insider and stylist Laurie Schechter.

These are words to live by, but still, why are they so crucial?

Footwear can change the entire mood of an outfit. If you consider the same denim and white T-shirt, how does its aesthetic change if you imagine it with four-inch pumps? Flats? Tennis shoes? Studded booties? The list of different footwear could go on forever, but you get the point.

It’s not quite the same, is it? Proportions of an outfit can entirely shift by deciding to wear sky-high heels instead of a pair of flat, knee-high boots. The pumps might suggest a commanding attitude where the boots could be more playful and relaxed.

Also consider how you feel in different pairs of shoes. Women in pumps tend to stand taller and straighter. They suggest confidence and power – not the same emotions conveyed through tennis shoes or flats, which tend to be more casual and laid back.

“Heels in general are a woman’s best friend,” said Amanda Mecozzi, a fourth-year architecture student at Andrews University and former UC student. “The right height can add dimensions to her figure in all the right places, put a little strut in her walk and generally increase confidence, all in the six seconds it takes to slide them on. Attitude is so much more than clothes, and the right shoes can give it to you.”

Aside from style obsessions, shoes also give women common ground. Because not everyone can be that “perfect” size four, or six or whatever it’s supposed to be, relating or having a cohesive understanding of shape, size and fit for all is nearly impossible. More than 90 percent of women can’t wear the same outfits as Kate Moss or Gisele Bundchen; shoes can fill that void and give every woman a way to relate.
Shoes. Trivial? Maybe. Undeniable? I happen to think so.

Do the kicks make the outfit? Bear your sole to thefashiondungjen@gmail.com.