Walking tall

WHEN THE in thing for gents is dressing up, can the `dress' down the feet be ignored? No! As the other side of the fair sex, too, indulge in grooming themselves, much importance is also being given to the kind of wear that is wrapped round the feet.

Traditionally, it has been either the usual leather bound shoes for the formal wear and more sporty sneakers for the informal wear to go with jeans and the likes. That was till the `in betweens' happened as in the semi-formal wear which gave room for trying out different styles.

Whatever be the case, the fact is there's more variety among shoes for different occasions to suit different pockets. Branded as well as unbranded shoes are available from Rs. 300 to more then Rs. 5,000 with the styles running into hundreds. "People have become very discerning and are willing to spend money. They only have to like the model to walk away with it irrespective of the price," says G. Panduranga, manager of Woodlands (Banjara Hills). The company came up with its semi-formals in colours never before a few years ago.

Very true, agrees Vishal Rajan, salesperson at Rockport Reebok stores. "The brand name is the key factor and then people look for the comfort. They do not mind spending extra money for it," he avers. There are shoes for walking, running, tennis and so on, in his store. For a price, of course. There are also semi-formal shoes, `pro-walkers' reportedly preferred by Bill Clinton.

Everything is not at a premium, however, says Saleem Ajani of Metro Footwear and Leather Stores in Abids, which always is choking with customers. "Shoes these days are worn by the kind of dress people are wearing. Black is still the preferred colour and leather is as popular as ever," he says. "The clientele going for the branded shoes are different. We keep all the important brands but the fastest moving shoes are the unbranded quality products which are moderately priced," he says.

While people are definitely spending more on their shoes, the designs have more or less stuck to conformed norms. In the sense, the beatles, anklets, heels, outrageous colours etc have vanished and those that wear have to bear smirks. Laces and slip-ons are still eternal favourites with the straps nowhere to be seen.

The interesting part is young, middle-aged and the old seem to be wearing the same kinds. May be, it's because shoe designs have become aesthetic and the colours muted, though there are fluorescent ones for those who want to stand out, literally!

By V. Geetanath

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Section  : Southern States
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