To sock or not to sock; that is the question

I’m pretty sure I’m losing my fashion sense.  Well, if I had any to begin with.  I think it’s a common occurrence with older men, especially if they don’t have a significant other to nudge ‘em in the right direction.  I remember 20+ years ago, dressing for my dad’s funeral and wondering if anyone would notice my pinstriped suit was 4-5 years old.  I needn’t have worried, there were several men there (my dad’s age) wearing neatly pressed leisure suits from the 1970s and paying their respects, God bless them.

I’m getting away from myself here.  This is about a pair of shoes I got recently, so recent I haven’t worn them outside yet.  I’d like to, they feel comfortable for walking to the store, but I live alone and don’t have anyone to warn me if I’m going to look like a damn fool if I venture out in public. 

Can I wear these Skecher’s Walkers Slip-ons with ankle socks?  Or should I go without?  I think wearing them with socks would help them last longer.  Even on sale, they weren’t cheap.  They’re regularly $70.00 on Skechers.com, but I got them for $38.00 on Memorial Day weekend from Famous Footwear. 

I can’t put Odor Eaters in them, they have a raised memory foam layer insole.

Since my early twenties, I’ve had a problem finding shoes that fit my platypus feet.  I wear 9.5 EXTRA WIDE, and you’d think this was a common size, but it isn’t.  I’ve always had trouble finding shoes that fit, then last year I discovered Skechers has a whole line of Extra Wide shoes for men.  I bought 2 pair of lace up walkers and a pair of white running shoes, but now all I see are these slip-on sneakers, and NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long on TV talking about the convenience of them.  So I thought I’d get a pair…now if I just knew how to wear them.

Speaking of sock & shoe dilemnas, I went thru something similar in the fall of 1969.  This was a year before we moved to the country, so we still lived in town (down the street from the old Waynesburg High School).  As I mentioned here before, we walked past the high school every day on our way to South Ward Elementary.  I always got a kick out of seeing those high school kids along our way, girls with their long hair & miniskirts, older boys in their… open toed sandals and dark socks? 

Third grade, first day of school, Sept 1969

For some reason, I thought those socks & sandals were the coolest thing ever.  I told my mom I HAD to get a pair of brown leather open-toed sandals, to wear to school.  Mom said absolutely not, I’d look like a little hippie and freeze my toes off.  When I insisted I wouldn’t, I’d wear them with dark socks, she laughed and told me you didn’t wear socks with sandals.  I said I’d seen other boys wearing them to school and I wanted to fit in.  (I just didn’t tell her they were in high school!) 

She relented, and a couple days later I was wearing sandals (and navy blue socks) to school and feeling like a junior Halston.  They got a lot of attention from the girls too. 

It didn’t last long though, I made the mistake of wearing my sandals with white socks one day, making my footwear a lot more obvious.  The teacher in the classroom next to mine, Mrs. Pider, asked me where I got permission to wear “roman sandals” to school, then asked my own teacher Mr. Porter. 

Frankly, I can’t remember who said what after that.  All I know is, I never wore sandals with (or without) socks to school again.  

So… what do I do in regards to these slip-ons?  I’ll go bare if I have to, I’m just partial to socks and need to know if I’ll be breaking any fashion rules!