Judge John Hodgman: Cease and De-Thrift

December 4, 2014 12:56 PM

Should Alex relinquish his beloved "grandpa shoes", purchased secondhand?
posted by ocherdraco (3 comments total)

The shoes in question are on the episode page. I'm a big fan of New Balance sneakers but God, they're hideous.

I was kind of surprised Hodgman sided with the husband and his ugly $5 shoes, but it was one of those judgments that technically go one way but all resolution goes the other. I liked that Jesse got to inject all the Put This On basics of why you should care about having clothing that fits and looks nice, and it sounds like hopefully the husband guy will put a little more effort into his appearance (and not just walk around in pure angora shirts and pants).

It was great to hear the New Balance origin story and imagine the severed chicken foot on an executive desk.
posted by mathowie at 9:33 PM on December 6, 2014

I am shoe blind the way some people are face blind, but even I detect something off about those New Balance 623s. Is it something to do with the broad, unstructured toe? Not a shoe for the ages, no. Justice was served this day.
posted by mumkin at 2:09 PM on December 7, 2014

Sometimes Judge Hodgman asks a question that gets right to the heart of the problem in a way I don't expect. This week since it was Jesse's area of expertise, he got right to the point: "Do you not care about other people's opinions of you—or do you not care about other people?" It was harsh, but it makes the point that how you dress is not completely about yourself. I think that's been a central theme of Put This On as well.
posted by pb at 9:48 AM on December 8, 2014 [4 favorites]