When you say function, you mean, “it protects my feet from broken glass and concrete, is easy to put on and take off, and feels good.” You’ve defined ‘functionalism’ to mean the effects of the item on you rather than including its effects on others. The functional uses of fashion (being attractive, being liked, being approachable, raising the aesthetic average) are very powerful in any location with people around.
Some fashionable alternatives to sandals with socks: boat shoes such as Sperry Top-Siders, loafers, or generic slip-on shoes such as Vans, potentially combined with no-show socks or flesh colored ankle socks.
Note that fit requirements are important for shoes as well—many people don’t realize that their feet require more or less width than is found on a normal shoe. If your toes are constrained, you could try different half-sizes and widths.
You’ve defined ‘functionalism’ to mean the effects of the item on you rather than including its effects on others.
Excellent point. The notion that the “function” of fashion is merely one’s own comfort is incredibly strange. This kind of thinking may be the consequence of all the public fictions about status (e.g. “it’s what’s on the inside, not the outside, that counts”, “clothing is shallow, intellectual pursuits are deep”).
Thanks to these public fictions, lots of intelligent, technical people just want to opt out of clothing as a communication channel. Actually, I think it’s more “shallow” to want people to use less channels of social communication. Including the clothing channel allows a greater depth of signaling.
When you say function, you mean, “it protects my feet from broken glass and concrete, is easy to put on and take off, and feels good.” You’ve defined ‘functionalism’ to mean the effects of the item on you rather than including its effects on others. The functional uses of fashion (being attractive, being liked, being approachable, raising the aesthetic average) are very powerful in any location with people around.
Some fashionable alternatives to sandals with socks: boat shoes such as Sperry Top-Siders, loafers, or generic slip-on shoes such as Vans, potentially combined with no-show socks or flesh colored ankle socks.
Note that fit requirements are important for shoes as well—many people don’t realize that their feet require more or less width than is found on a normal shoe. If your toes are constrained, you could try different half-sizes and widths.
Rain said:
Excellent point. The notion that the “function” of fashion is merely one’s own comfort is incredibly strange. This kind of thinking may be the consequence of all the public fictions about status (e.g. “it’s what’s on the inside, not the outside, that counts”, “clothing is shallow, intellectual pursuits are deep”).
Thanks to these public fictions, lots of intelligent, technical people just want to opt out of clothing as a communication channel. Actually, I think it’s more “shallow” to want people to use less channels of social communication. Including the clothing channel allows a greater depth of signaling.