At last count, Mr Arthur Agraviador, a relationship manager in the finance industry, owns about 60 pairs of shoes - a number far higher than what his wife has.

When it comes to dress shoes alone, the relationship manager has at least 18 pairs.

"One should never wear the same pair of dress shoes two days in a row, so that they get a chance to breathe and will last longer. It is also my excuse to buy more shoes," says Mr Agraviador, 49. Originally from the Philippines, he has lived here for seven years.

So precious are his dress shoes, which can cost up to thousands of dollars a pair, that he takes them off and walks about 100m home barefoot from the MRT station when it rains.

Ever since he started reading men's magazine GQ at the age of 12, Mr Agraviador has made shoes the focus when dressing up. "You can be wearing a top-of- the-line suit, but if your shoes are mediocre, you'll look like a slob," says Mr Agraviador, who is ... Read more »