Until very recently, I didn't care much for shoes. As long as they looked good and felt comfortable, that was all I was looking for. Recently, I bought a bunch of new clothes for a new job. I bought some new shoes that weren't even super expensive.....about $200. They are Cole Haans, so they're not even a "luxury" brand. I wanted something that looked professional but was still comfortable since I am on my feet and walking up and down stairs all day.

This may seem obvious to some people, but I never truly realized how much women pay attention to shoes. Pretty much every day, I get compliments on my shoes and ~95% of the time, it's women. Most of the time it's from strangers. They range from teenage girls to geriatric women. All different races too....white, Asian, Latina, black etc. I've noticed women looking at my shoes who didn't say anything either.

For me (and I suspect a lot of other guys), shoes are a neglected part of the wardrobe. A lot of men have a very utilitarian approach when it comes to shoes and don't care much for the style. But from my experience, it seems like women are far more likely to notice your shoes than your fancy watch or even your nice suit.

I suspect it comes down to solipsism. Women love shoes. I'm sure most of us know at least one woman who is absolutely gaga over shoes. They really don't know much about suits, watches, ties, dress/business shoes etc. But most of them will have many pairs of shoes. The average man might have 2 or 3 pairs.

TL;DR Women notice your shoes. Wear nice ones.