I’m seeing a disturbing trend out there.
No, not Jose Reyes’ tendency to hit lazy fly balls, or the price of a gallon of gas inching toward the price of a pint of Brooklyn Ale.
It’s the trend of commuting men wearing sneakers with their suits, presumably to facilitate walking before or after the train ride, while changing into proper shoes that spent the night tucked under the desk.
I saw three such men this morning alone: One in a fine gray suit with bright white Reeboks, one with a beige summer suit with running shoes, and one clod wearing a charcoal suit with those clunky brown things that are part sneaker and part hiking shoe.
In Trainjotting parlance, these men who so carelessly combine Armani and Nike are known as Armanikes.
I can’t quite put my finger the resurgence of the Armanike. Perhaps those suburban train station parking lots are just so crowded that some are opting to walk the half-mile. Perhaps they see their slim, mussed-hair hipster brethren traipsing around 1515 Broadway and the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, and see that it’s OK to wear sneakers with a sport jacket, or perhaps even a suit.
Far as we can tell, ironic kicks like Chuck Taylors or Vans or Simples with a Salvation Army blazer can work. Big white Reeboks with a standard navy sport jacket–aka “the Seinfeld”–does not.
Men, rise above this. Don’t complain about your blisters, your bunions, your plantar fasciitis. If you’re making the effort to drape yourself in a good suit, dear God, go the extra half-mile and adorn your feet with something made of leather.
Your statue need not have feet of clay.
I totally agree. Thier only excuse would be that maybe they’re all playing softball after work. Doubt this.
I read somewhere (on the internet?!) that the whole running/running shoe craze was a direct result of the 70′s energy crisis and gas lines, and people walking to work that summer.
Sadly, I think those trying times have returned.
When I lived in California we had a better solution: no one wears suits.
I remember the only time I wore suits when I worked in California is when I had meetings in Boston and NYC.
Both times I showed up for a job interview in California wearing a suit, the interviewers looked at me like I was a used car salesman.
It still seems ridiculous to me. If everyone can agree they aren’t comfortable, practical, (or sometimes even affordable – and dry cleaning – ugh!), you can all agree not to wear them and judge professionalism on merit and behavior.
The most physically uncomfortable moments of my entire life are wearing a suit to a meeting in NYC in the summer – ARGH!
Oh and the week leading up to the meeting I have make sure I still have a suit that fits, get it dry cleaned if necessary, check for matching shoes and buy a whole new suit just for the meeting if necessary.
Ridiculous!!!
With that in mind, I have to say that anyone is free to wear whatever they want that makes them comfortable during their commute AFAIC.
However, as someone who is dead serious about comfortable shoes, I have to recommend the Ecco. Its not the flashiest shoe for sure, but its passable and very comfortable.
I have Brunos which fit like a glove, look spectacular and are super lightweight, but they have no cushioning. My Kenneth Coles are just average comfort-wise. The Eccos rock.
(BTW can you tell I just got back from a wonderful weeklong visit to California with a freshly disgruntled outlook on NYC life?)
Why do people care? Why are people so hung up on what other people are wearing in lieu of real friggin’ problems in the world. I walk 4 miles to work and 4 miles from work…sneakers and suit. I get some looks that suggest “cool” and others are straight up repulsed (from my experience the women can be really harsh in blatantly showing their disapproval). I am doing my part to minimize my carbon footprint…what are you doing?
I regularly walk about 2 miles to and from the station where I take public transportation into work. I work in an area with popular but unpredictable public transportation, which means that several times I have had to walk 8 miles home. I’ve been stuck standing on a bus for 3 hours. You’re nuts to think fashion is more important than the health of your feet. I guess you are luckier to have better feet than some, but why is that something to be all snooty about? Just look away if the unfash bothers you. And when you see me in my tennis shoes, I want you to know it’s all about trying not to cripple myself. I don’t care what you think. I’ve been in the situation of not being able to walk because of “fashionable” shoes. I can’t seem to wear any of them (no ball-of-foot cushioning, no arch support, too tight–toes crunching together when you walk, stabbing pain in the forefoot–would you put up with that?).
So, I went to the doctor and guess what he told me (guess what he told me. . .): WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES.