An Italian wool casual shoe.

I don’t think of myself as old-fashioned. Younger people have described my Oliver Peoples stylish eyeglass frames as “Cool” and “Hip.” Yet there might still be a tad of old school in me. And that may be why I can’t let go of certain customs I grew up with.

For instance, it’s still hard for me to conceive of wearing multi-colored comfort shoes with a business suit or a sports jacket. It’s an incongruity. Could it be that I have a prudish gene floating in my DNA?

So, several weeks ago, at the Denver airport’s Delta Sky Club, I was struck by the type of shoes passengers had on. Virtually all were wearing comfort shoes in every conceivable shade. The colors would have rivaled the brightest of rainbows.

I had on slightly sporty leather brown ECCO shoes. No one would have given them a second look other than at a “Tuxedo required” gathering. At any “ritzy gala” event my shoe style in black, buffed with shiny polish, would have competed favorably in a contest with any high-priced tux patent-leather footwear.

At the Sky Club the idea about a column on shoes occurred to me. I started quietly taking photos of as many passenger shoes as I could with my smartphone.

The internet is replete with articles about the demise of the dress shoe and the rise of comfort shoes. (For me comfort shoes are really sneakers on steroids.)

A cultural shift has taken place during the last decade. Comfort is king. That shift was probably accelerated with the pandemic. People who stayed home from work were apt to buy primarily comfort shoes.

This wave of comfort shoes popularity has given rise to “sneakerheads.” These individuals collect and trade sneakers at shoe fares. I might have doubted the existence of such cult events. But I should have known better as a family member, accomplished in his field, is also a collector and trader of high-priced sneakers.

How different is all this from my college years as a cashier at a Safeway supermarket? There was a bin in the frozen food aisle filled with sneakers. They sold for $2.99 a pair.

More recently, on a consulting project for a grocery chain I spotted a part-time teenage worker with deep red sneakers. The laces were bright yellow. When I complimented him on his choice of shoes he retorted, “I got them on a good deal. Just $199.”

That teenager reminded me of how the world was changing. Also, I knew then I had once again muffed an investment opportunity. This time on the booming comfort shoe/sneaker market. It was comparable to my faux pas over 35 years ago when I foolishly sold my Apple stocks.

That cultural shift I referred to, like the rise of the comfort shoe, is often driven by technological advancements. As it was with the now gone Blockbuster chain, once a provider of home movie and video game rental services.

And how about the American shoemaker? Is that occupation passe with changes in footwear preferences? A colleague said, “I used to take my shoes in for new soles and repairs. No longer. It also felt good to support a local business. That trade is disappearing. I wonder how they feel to see their life’s work change.”

He added, “We live in a disposable society, where things are replaced, not repaired. It will be interesting to see if the price of a basic shirt is less than the cost of bringing it to the cleaners. Also, in the past an oil change was $30, and a brake job was $300. I just had both done recently, $2,600! I may be looking for a disposable car.”

As to disposable cars my colleague ended that reference with a “Ha, ha.” But who know? He may be onto something. Today, men and women wear baseball caps and an assortment of head gears. But in the pre-1960s men’s brimmed dress hats were a must.

Comfort shoes with a sneaker feel have engulfed us. The dress shoe of the past is rarely worn, other than at weddings and funerals. If you like football look at what broadcasters in pre-game TV shows are wearing. Comfort shoes mostly. Are men’s dress shoes dying or already dead? Will women continue buying high heels?

Could the demise of the dress shoe affect the movies? In the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” Dorothy wore ruby red slippers. In the remake, “The Wiz,” in 1978 Dorothy wore sliver slippers. What might she be wearing in a future remake? Red and silver comfort shoes?

And lastly, I wonder if I am “out of step” with my thinking. Maybe I should buy a multi-colored pair of comfort shoes with bright laces, wear them to every function I go to, and see how I feel!

Juan Negroni, a Weston resident, is a consultant, bilingual speaker and writer. He is the immediate past chair/CEO, Institute of Management Consultants.