STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

kisa · Dooney & Bourke

What do you do with your shoes when you go inside?

Eurodaisy · Dooney & Bourke

I always just keep them on and don't have a complex about it, especially since most of my friends are renters with hardwood floors and aren't trying to protect any white carpet. Besides, it is part of the outfit... an important part, IMO.

Maddie · Coach

Usually if I'm at someone's house it's either a party situation where anything goes and everyone is wearing shoes, or it's just a few friends hanging out so I don't care that much if I'm missing part of my outfit. Ultimately I think being polite is better than looking perfect so I would err on the side of taking off my shoes.

Cortney1982 · Chanel

Shoes stay on unless they have dirt on the bottoms.

luckylily · Gucci

I don't take my shoes off unless it is what the home owner wants. I've always wondered if that is a cultural thing (or maybe even a weather related thing). I don't know anyone here that takes their shoes off when they go inside, but when I visit my friends and family in Canada, they seem to think it is the ultimate crime to wear shoes past the front door. I always wondered if it was related to bringing snow inside, but they all take them off all year long.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

Good question...I generally keep mine on. If I'm at some sort of party or dinner event, definitely on. If I am at someone's home who I feel really comfortable with, and we're just hanging out watching a movie or talking for hours, then I might take them off. Also, if my shoes are soaked with slush or muddy, I offer to take them off as soon as the person's front door opens.

I do think there are cultural things about taking shoes off. My sister-in-law is from Japan and she and my brother remove their shoes as soon as they enter their home.

Maddie · Coach

Hmm I know a lot of people who want you to take your shoes off. Maybe cause they live at home and their parents are more uptight?

member · Hermes

Wow, I rarely ever get asked to take my shoes off at someone's house! I would gladly take them off if someone asked, but most times when I go to someone's house, I leave them on and I don't ask anyone to take theirs off when they come to my house either.

laken1 · Hermes

This is so funny because it's just come up for me recently. I frequent a friend's house where we get together & knit, and EVERYONE takes their shoes off at the door. I was incredibly embarrassed the first time this happen because I needed a pedicure something awful - my feet were yuck & my polish was all peeling....but no one wears shoes at her house. of course the carpet is extremely light - i'd be a basket case...other than that, i always leave them on. Unless I'm at my family's, then i do the same thing as when I'm at home. Barefoot city.

Lilykind · Hermes

This was the topic of a most awesome conversation in 4th grade. People were really surprised to find out that I never wore shoes in the house. Most people wear their shoes inside, I guess, unless it's to keep the carpet clean or whatever. Between the fact that my family is Thai and we customarily take our shoes off when we are indoors, and the fact that we're a bunch of neat freaks, shoes were outlawed in the house whne I was growing up. My mom was a nurse and she would have people put these gauze slippers shoe got from work over their shoes if they refused to take them off.

Now I ask people to take off shoes when they're in my apartment. When I was owning my business we'd have crazy meetings and there would be twenty pairs of shoes in my front entryway. People are generally pretty cool about it. I generally don't have parties at my apartment anyway and even when I do, they're completely laid back affairs so shoes are generally not that important.

Andrea Julia · Coach

When home, I take them off. When at a friend's house, I leave them on unless we are watching a movie or playing a game in the living room. I am completely annoyed by people who have hardwood floors and want you to take your shoes off. Ewww...

jen · Kate Spade

So funny-I just got yelled at today by my bf's roommate. He said it brings in salt and water from the snow and he gets "wet sock." I do live in MI though and snow is on the ground but I wipe my feet and it's not as if I'm dragging in snow...

exsupahero · Kate Spade

I always take my shoes off when I go inside. I actually don't think it's weird to be wearing tights/socks with no shoes on (kinda cute really) but wearing shoes inside is weird!. I guess that's because we're Asians and we tend to take shoes off. It's a sign of respect, imo, and if it was my house, I'd want my guest to take their shoes off too. It's a force of habit also.

Tati · Chanel

my husband, my 2 kids and i always have take our shoes off when we enter our house. i dont care about my carpet or floor but you walk everywhere with shoes outside and i hate the thought of all that stuff being in my house. i dont expect my guests to take them off, i wouldn't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable when their my guests. but what gets on my nerves is when adults have their shoes on at my house and put their legs on top of the couch and the shoes are still on, or when their kids do that too. plus, i think your feet need to breath and think that having shoes on all the time at your house dosen't help with that. but whatever, everyones different.

rosie_the_riveter · Gucci

exsupahero wrote:

I always take my shoes off when I go inside. I actually don't think it's weird to be wearing tights/socks with no shoes on (kinda cute really) but wearing shoes inside is weird!. I guess that's because we're Asians and we tend to take shoes off. It's a sign of respect, imo, and if it was my house, I'd want my guest to take their shoes off too. It's a force of habit also.

I know what you mean....I had a friend in high school who's grandma was from Korea and she demanded that you take your shoes off before you went into her house. It was funny because she was so cute.

Hedvig · Coach

In Finland everyone I know always takes their shoes off. We do have snow and slush in the winter and it's often rainy during all the other seasons, but we take the shoes off even when the weather is nice, unless it's a really formal occasion.

It's funny but I always thought people in the US wear shoes even when they're at home all through the day - because they always do on TV.

atlgirl · Gucci

I have never taken my shoes off in someone's home unless they have asked...which has only happened once, I think. In my own home I never wear shoes. I like to be barefoot at home. And we have had both hardwoods (what we have right now) and carpet, and have never asked people to take their shoes off.

I can understand requesting that if it's a cultural thing, but IMO it's a little anal to ask people to take their shoes off (unless it's really muddy/slushy/etc outside) just to they don't bring dirt onto your carpet. I'd say get a darker carpet then...

When we were house-hunting, we encountered two houses where the owners requested people take their shoes off. This was during the summertime and I had on sandals...it was very uncomfortable for me, because I don't like to be barefoot anywhere else but home - ick! So I was just cringing while walking around the houses. It still creeps me out to think about that now.