Men's footwear treads in the comfort zone

NEW YORK - When it comes to men and their shoes, it's hard to get past the comfort zone. Literally.

While the stereotype of the shoe-obsessed woman is that she'll sacrifice just about anything - the ability to walk, her weekly food budget - for a cool, trendy shoe, it's just not that way with most men.

"Men are all about comfort and neutrality. They certainly are not going to suffer because they think a shoe is stylish," says Marcia Kilgore, founder of the FitFlop brand. "Women are willing to 'break it in,' but that would never cross a man's mind."

They also fall into a rut of buying only what they know, adds Daniel Silver, one half of the designer label Duckie Brown. Duckie Brown's partnership with Florsheim has resulted in electric-blue suede lace-ups, metallic brogue boots and canvas wingtips.

Even with their edgier collection, the men who do like them come back wanting more of the same. "Men like to have the same thing over and over again. They buy a brand and style of shoes, and five years later come in to a store and say, 'Do you still have these?' " observes Duckie co-founder Steven Cox.

The basic shoe wardrobe for men includes a sneaker, weekend casual shoe and weekday dress shoe.

"At work, men really don't like pushing boundaries," says Tommy Fahrner, men's merchandiser for Piperlime. "They stick to a black oxford or, if their work is more casual, the brown loafer."

Maybe, just maybe, Fahrner says, an urban creative type might pull off a sleek, all-over black sneaker with slacks, a button-down shirt and vest.

"I think men are a little intimidated by shoes, and it's a little bit of an afterthought," Tom Julian, author of "Nordstrom Guide t

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