Some people spend hours picking out the right pair of shoes, while others seem far less concerned.  For others, all that matters is that the shoes look nice.  But, does your choice of footwear really matter?

Here’s a question that will seem like a simple enough question to put to experts: do your shoes really matter?  But, for many of us, our answer may well be a: no.  After all, it’s not like we’re going to have people examine the heels of our shoes or the soles of our feet.

It’s certainly understandable that we don’t like to think that our choice of footwear is largely based on appearance rather than any serious cost consideration.  After all, if we didn’t buy the shoes, how are we going to pay for them?  After all, it’s clearly much more inconvenient to have uncomfortable feet than to have uncomfortable feet and no shoes.

But is it really worth putting other factors into as much consideration as footwear?  After all, it seems to worthwhile to pay more attention to comfort, if only because discomfort is such a pain.  Besides, isn’t it important to feel good about yourself?

There may be other reasons why we should think about more practical matters.  For example, research shows that the perceived quality of our shoes is higher than the perceived quality of other shoes.  That’s right; we’re not just buying shoes because they’re cheap.  Most of them have to be some how good.

Or, are we merely to blame the high prices on the extraordinarily high prices of designer shoes?  After all, they’re only a few dollars.  Most of the money we pay for shoes is spent on shoes that loose.

Is there something to these studies – or indeed, other research – that indicates that the perception of quality is likely to have a significant effect in our decisions about shoes?  Or, is there something about the way that we experience quality in our shoes that leads us to associate the word with the highest price tag?

There are of course various theories about how people make such distinctions.  Don’t we all tend to buy the shoes that we think are good value for money?

One possibility is that people believe that the other people perceive them to be an expert when actually they’re actually relatively experts themselves.  The result of this is that we feel we must choose to buy the best products or face the consequences.

That’s not such a bad idea.  It’s certainly the best explanation for why big retailers can charge so much for name brand clothes.  But is it in fact true that the most expensive shoes are the best?

We don’t know.  We don’t really know anything about shoes.  What we do know, however, is that people think there more sense in spending a lot more on shoes that are relatively fewer dollars.  That seems to be at least as much true in fashion and footwear as it is in other areas.

The obvious difference between shoes and other clothing is that there are many different styles.  Almost every manufacturer of shoes has a range of styles.  There are shoes that are designed for every imaginable situation.  Shoes are different from dresses, for example.  (Perhaps surprisingly, given the reasons for buying shoes.)

So there seems to be a whole lot of reasons for believing that shoes are a good investment. Which ones should you follow?  There are myriads of style magazines and books out there that argue that shoes are a fantastic investment.  You should believe them!  (I mean, how on earth can you even buy a pair of shoes!)

Some of those gorgeous shoes will set you back a few hundred dollars.  That’s not such a bad deal if you want to look posh for a change.  You don’t have to drop that sort of money on the most fashionable shoes available.

Of course that doesn’t mean that you can’t find shoes that are cheap enough to buy but that look as if they were hundreds of dollars.  And if you can, buy several pairs.  That way you don’t have the awful lipstick shock when you have to decide which pair of shoes to wear – and which ones to leave at home.

Of course that’s if you have any sense of style at all.  If not, there’s always the automaticallyggy pair of trainers that’s been sitting in your wardrobe.  A good pair of shoes can be a great confidence enhancer as well as handy to have around to cheer yourself up when the going gets tough.

For many women, shoes are the vital final touch to an outfit.  The most important thing a pair of good shoes can do to your overall look is make you feel good. That’s why the right pair of shoes from a proper shop is critical to a great look.