What to do here sort of depends on the formality or casualness of the gathering. And it depends on how comfortable you are with the people you've invited. I like to pad around my house barefoot. But when I have people over, I usually wear shoes, just because I know everyone else will be and I'd feel weird if I didn't. But the situation like you've described sounds very casual: gather round the TV, kick off your shoes, make yourself at home, watch a movie. So you could approach it two different ways. You could just be barefoot before everyone arrives and then let people know that it's ok to keep shoes on or off, whatever makes them comfortable. OR you can keep your shoes on till everyone's situated in front of the TV, then kick off your shoes and say, Hey, everyone's welcome to kick off their shoes too. Either way, some probably will go barefoot, some won't. This of course assumes that you're fairly comfortable with these people, that you know them at least fairly well. If these are people you don't know, or don't feel pretty comfortable around, you might be better off just keeping shoes on. Example: if the friends are all your buddies and their significant others who gather often and all know each other well, then shoes off ok. If this is your girlfriend and her parents who you're meeting for the first time, shoes on. At least till you get to know them better and see how formal/casual they like things. So, based on how well you know the friends, AND the formality of the event (I wouldn't kick off my shoes at a dinner party for example), use your judgement. I've definitely gone the barefoot route before, especially in small gatherings of close friends for a casual event.

I probably have more than I need but not an extreme amount. As you can see, women have a tendency to buy more shoes than they can possibly ever wear and that's where I come in. Almost all of my shoes are from Goodwill or yard sales but still new and usually brand name (anyone else ever buy a pair of Merrells for 50 cents??? Clarks for $4.50????) I do buy my running shoes from other sources since they have to be Asics but it's easy to find a good deal on those. I buy one pair at a time, wear them until they need to be replaced, then I buy a new pair. I keep the old pair on hand in case I need a pair of getting dirty shoes (yard work, painting, etc). Whenever I get a new pair, I shift them and throw the oldest pair out so I always only have two pairs of running shoes.

We are a shoes or slippers always (except when sleeping) in our houses. I do not want someone's bare or sock feet on my floors. Barefoot is for outside only - floors can be slippery. If someone wants to take their shoes off, I will send them to the back yard or patio, and they can soak their feet in the pool or spa, but they must put their shoes or slippers back on before coming back inside. Bare feet can track water into the house from the pool. Weather is always pleasant for going barefoot where I live, if that is what one is compelled to do. We do most of our entertaining in the back yard or patio. I agree with Kermit Venice that New Balance shoes are good, and I have the "mule" slip-on version as well as the ones with the Velcro closure. Before that, I had NB slip-on shoes that had elastic on the top front, and those were the best, but they no longer make them, and I somehow left mine at a friends condo in Mexico City. I should have been wearing them to the airport. I agree that Crocs are not the same as the original ones, and I bought Crocs in Palm Springs in 2003 at a special store before I had seen anyone else wear them. The first ones I got were yellow and were softer and more comfortable than any other shoes I had ever worn. The first ones were quite a bit more expensive, and I believe they were $55 plus tax. The later ones got stiffer and harder and used a very different formula for the material. I adjusted by going one size up, partly because I have a very high instep and arches. I have always worn them with the back strap over the front on the shoe, until I decided just to remove the back strap and make them permanently into mules. I believe that if you want to buy Crocs, you should try them on in a store, but they are definitely worth trying. Even if the new ones are as good as the originals😞, they are still my choice of shoe for indoors. I do not wear them outdoors, except only briefly. I do not consider them to be good gardening shoes. In Cathedral City, I have tile floors throughout the house, which is good because of the hot climate. I find them to be the easiest to clean. In L.A., all the floors have hard surfaces, except for the master bedroom, which was added to the 1950 house in 1992. The old portion has the original oak hardwood, except for the kitchen (which was expanded in 1992) and hall bathroom, both of which have tile floors. In the dining room/art studio (used as a den by the previous owners) and added hall, there are travertine floors, and the master bedroom has carpet over concrete, and I have not gotten around to changing that. The master bathroom has a tile floor.

Those are cute and just my style. I still wear Ked's and slip-on Ked's. :) I'll never buy another summer shoe that's black if I'm going to be standing in the hot sun. I nearly burnt my toes off wearing black tennis shoes at an air show which was held on asphalt. Are they at least comfy to wear?