Why Women Like Shoes

One time I went on a sales call with a colleague of mine. We arrived downtown at around 9:30 in the morning. I noticed that not only were the shoe stores open, but women were happily shopping inside. This lead to a series of questions between us which can simply be boiled down to: “Why?”

After a few months of soul-searching (admittedly with no field research and no expert interviews), I finally reached an answer. Women's outfits have more variations, more styles and combinations. Skirt length and shape itself can be the subject of volumes of books. You need a variety of shoe styles and colors in order to mix and match with the rest of the outfit. Having a good collection of shoes is like having a good set of oil colors, or a well-stocked spice rack: it makes it easier and more fun to create a successful final product. 

This also explains why other accessories may not be the popular collectables that shoes are. You do not carry a handbag all day. Jewelry goes in and out of style. Shoes, however, you have to wear all day, every day. As a result, women have to constantly be on the lookout for shoes that complement or accentuate their outfits (including ones they already own and ones yet to be purchased). 

As a side-note, when a woman says, “I have nothing to wear!” it means she is not sure how to put together a fresh-looking, interesting clothing combination based on the ingredients in her clothing closet.