by Hongjun Wang

Created on: February 21, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Shoes are often the premise of women, after all, it is a stereotype that we all have and have been glamorously been amplified by Imelda Marcos and her obscene collection of footwear. Men, however, aren't really seen as major shoe consumers, truth to be told, men are such practical creatures that unlike women, men buy shoes only when it's damaged or a size too small and causing pain. Call it practicality, loyalty or the comfort of knowing that there is a constant in today's ever changing world that when you set out for work or step out of your home today, you know that your trusty pair of footwear is where you want it to be and there's no need to fret over the color, just the function. And this ease of decision making really means that men's primary focus on footwear is for it's function, thus I have come up with a list of footwear that is every man's essential plus a few more for consideration depending on your personal lifestyle. Ladies, this is a good guide towards understanding what type of shoe your man lacks and guys, if you are thinking of adding another set of footwear into your shoe cabinet, be sure to verify the function and needs of it first here!

The Basic Types

1) Sneakers
The humble sneaker can be used for various purposes, if you are on a tight budget, it can be the pair of footwear that you wear for sports, weekend shopping with jeans and on a simple stroll in the park with your favorite pair of ankle socks and Bermudas. The common brands of sneakers are those from Nike, Adidas, Puma, Le Coq Sportif and etc.

2) Black Business Shoes
These are usually black leather shoes for business and formal functions, they are an essential for coupling with your business pants during formal functions and during your work day. Black is the safest and default color of choice. If you are on a budget, a faux leather shoe might be suitable, depending on your usage pattern and frequency, a faux leather shoe will be good if you are a student and spend up to 80% of your time in sneakers and jeans, with the occasional wedding, seminar or presentation in school requiring you to wear formal attire and couple it with black business shoes. If you foresee frequent usage of these particular type of shoe for work, it is recommended that you invest in a decent pair from Clarks, Hush Puppies or any of the in-house brands found in retail stores.

3) Slippers / Flip Flops / Sandals
This is a very general category, loosely defined, it would be footwear that you can wear to the beach or

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