Categories: OPINION

Put your best foot forward this spring

By SOFIA LYNCH
Features Editor
and TAYLOR MABELITINI
Contributor

Everyday when we encounter new people, we make split-second assessments about them. As much as people may like to deny it, we all do it. For those who keep a keen eye for fashion, one of the first things one might notice about a person is their shoes.

Shoes can tell a lot about a person. No, they don’t really portray the depth of someone’s personality, but there are some general things you can surmise about people from their shoes.

The preconceptions that people pair with certain shoe styles usually stem from their own personal experiences. If your crappy ex-boyfriend wore Jordans, you might write off every guy you meet wearing the same shoes.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but there are some things you can assume about certain shoe types and their owners. Someone wearing New Balances is someone more focused on the functional rather than the material – e.g., the kid you cheated off of in Physics. Boater shoes, like Sperry’s, usually signal someone more preppy, so on and so forth.

One thing that can’t seem to be agreed upon is what time of the year is the proper time to switch to sandals. In Michigan, the first sign of sun can have people trading in their thick boots for flip flops in March, despite temperatures barely breaking sixty on a nice day.

Instead of going right for your favorite open-toe shoe, try switching to a more spring-appropriate shoe.

April showers bring puddles and mud, so light shoes like Toms, Keds and Vans are more functional and better for keeping your feet dry. If you’re interested in staying on trend with the high fashion world: gladiator wedges, statement flats and lace up sandals were popular at New York Fashion Week, according to Glamour.

Hope Donaldson, 20, Ypsilanti, Liberal arts transfer

What do your shoes say about you? They’re cute, but they’re functional too. I usually wear sneakers. I wear Chucks and things like that, but it’s wet, and it’s cold, and I think these are functional. Docs are just really, I think, in culture, they’re like hardcore, punky, and I wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore person, but I feel like other people would. I do like that; I’m into that. I mean, I think they’re cool. I didn’t want plain black ones; I wanted it to be a color, something different.

Do you think that shoes say something about other people? I feel like this is so horrible. I’ve had this conversation before. I do a little bit. Definitely with guys.

What time of year do you think is appropriate to break out the sandals? When we break seventy degrees, that’s when you can break out the flip-flops.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? I have, like, a solid 20.

What’s your favorite style of shoe? Right now, I’m gonna say booties, just, like, ankle boots.

Ameera Hassan, 18, Ann Arbor, Chemistry

Do you think your shoes say something about you? Well, I actually chose to wear these shoes today because I thought boots would be too … I don’t know, easy.

Do you judge others by their shoes? Well, it depends on the type of shoe. If it’s, I guess, poor quality, I’d think, “Well, they don’t care much about their appearance.” Shoes, not so much other clothes, but shoes, I think they show where you’ve been and stuff like that.

When do you think is the appropriate time of year to wear sandals? Right now, I guess.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? Probably like five

When you get dressed do you choose your shoes first or last? I pick them last, but I am really choosy with the ones I wear.

What’s your favorite style of shoe? I like sneakers.