Shoes and cars have more in common than one may surmise. For instance, both are a form of transportation, but neither are a bona fide necessity; in addition, both can be had in uninspiring-yet-practical or fashionable-but-impractical forms, or somewhere in between… and both can provide a window into the personality of their owner.
The latter is according to Italian writer and shoe design analyst Andrea Silvuni, who believes that it’s just as easy to tell a person’s character from the pair of shoes on their feet as it is with their choice of wheels. Silvuni and Chevrolet have paired up to map out the design language of car models and shoe types, reflecting a person’s personality and characteristics. Here’s what they’ve come away with:
Shoe Style: Flip-flop
Wide open stance, accentuated by strong, clean body sides free of cladding.
Car: Chevrolet Spark urban city car
Owner’s Footprint: laid back open toed and not traditional. Likes to challenge convention and are open to new experiences. Never sure what will happen tomorrow, but enjoys everything in life to be fun and functional.
Shoe Style: Ballet Slippers/Pumps
Aggressive-looking front, compact taut side panels and a rising shoulder line
Car: Chevrolet Aveo/Sonic
Owner’s Footprint: comfortable in all environments, sweet and dependable who is also kind and considerate in nature. A textbook classicist – prefers to have a schedule, lifestyle and company to be frills-free.
Shoe Style: Wedge-Heeled Shoes/Platforms
Concave shoulder lines, short overhangs at the rear with a dynamic stance
Car: Chevrolet Cruze
Owner’s Footprint: stylish and sure-footed with logical solutions to any problem. No nonsense in relationships; values reliability and trust. A social butterfly.
Shoe: Brogue
Expressive design with a wide, athletic stance
Car: Chevrolet Malibu mid-size sedan
Owner’s Footprint: conservative, reliable, trusting and incredibly calm under pressure. An ambitious, stylish and bright person. Also sophisticated and detailed, carrying an air of achievement.
Shoe Style: Sandals/Mandals
Bold look with crossover concave and rising shoulder lines
Car: Chevrolet Orlando MPV
Owner’s Footprint: a “go with the flow” personality that keeps things down to earth, both sartorially speaking and in your everyday life; also a big kid at heart.
Shoe Style: Cross trainers
Sharply sculpture athletic stance with angular shapes that emphasize sporting intent, with a sleek, rising shoulder line
Car: Chevrolet Captiva SUV
Owner’s Footprint: athletic, assertive and a leader who is flexible and quick on their feet. Gets things done and feels powerful as a result.
Shoe Style: Super-high heeled stilettos
Low-slung V-shaped nose and aggressive ready-to-pounce stance
Car: Camaro or Corvette sports car
Owner’s Footprint: sexy, confident with a wild streak. Confident and you know where your sex appeal can get you.
But there’s more…
Shoes and cars can go beyond a person’s personality — as both have a few intersecting engineering commonalities. “Advances in automotive and tire technology inspire footwear designers to develop rubber soles that help you grip the sidewalk on a rainy day and protective waterproof shoe coatings that can be found in vehicle seat materials,” says Silvuni.
A similar notion can be applied to high-performance cars and high-performance shoes: sports cars like the Chevy Corvette use carbon fiber and titanium pieces to decrease weight while maintaining rigidity, much in the same way that competitive running shoes and football/soccer cleats use light-weight, yet stiff materials to give those who wear them unparalleled control, accuracy, and ability to cut/swerve at any foot-to-field contact.
The GM Authority Take
We’ve never really thought of it this way before, but the analogies presented by Silvuni are undeniable, and dare we say somewhat intriguing. But we wish that the shoe-to-car analogies seen above contained a male-oriented perspective as well, since yours truly isn’t really into wearing stilettos… only because it’s very difficult to heel-toe in them, of course.
Comments
seriously GM? this is what you’re spending money on now? SMH…
This costs money?
What does Mr. Al Bundy have to say about all of this?
OK, I admit it. I wear stilletos. But, ONLY on Saturday nights!
I put this kind of “reasoning” in the same waste bin as astrology, dousing sticks, i ching, homeopathy, and the rest of the unscientific nonsense that plauges modern society.
Seriously? This took a study to figure out that women who wear high heels have (a) the money to buy these cars bc they are single, have no kids, loving life (b) have time to get dressed without kids biting their heels, and have somewhere to go besides school and grocery store (c) wear heels bc they are single and trying to attract someone, thus, want to drive a nice looking car. And, so men and women who come in with sandals, flip flops, sneakers, driving a beat up minivan are probably not looking for love, have kids, don’t have time to worry about shoes, and are going to leave a dealership with a vehicle that reflects the need to haul kids.GM, please, oh please, just pay me the money you spent on this study so I can buy some heels, a babysitter, and a Corvette.
ha jokes on them i wear hikers so where do i fit 😛 lol probably in an suv of some type
Okay, who has been looking in my closet? ;^) But really, has anyone else tried to DRIVE a corvette in stilettos? Yeah, didn’t think so. It’s damn near impossible! Not to mention getting out of the damned thing when you are 3 inches off the ground.
Either way, really? They spent money on this?! I could have told them this for free.
I wear stilettos and drive my Camaro with them on all the time, its just a matter of adjusting the seat a little better and its not a problem at all.