Watch could be used to say , "I'm a numbers , engineer, accountant type."
The type that has the digital display and little buttons so that it doubles as a calculator. Or maybe, a watch to say , "I'm a rugged outdoor type". Rolex on a young guy says, "My parents are wealthy and I am a spoiled arrogant brat."

As to the post from MZSMBS which read in part, "people with skills not getting the job because they didn't stand up to some stupid meaningless standard.. now, if you haven't taken a shower or combed your hair... then yeah i am with you but being picky on rockports is a little much.."

You are essentially saying that as far as you are concerned, there can be no standards other than the employee's skill and cleaniness. Think, just for a second, about what that would mean.

Doctors who refuse to wear sterile gowns. Airline pilots who refuse to wear the uniform. Military wearing jeans and tee shirts. The examples are literally endless. Sorry, the world doesn't work that way.

Employers are very picky when hiring for certain jobs. they are not as picky for other jobs. The anti-discrimination laws have limited many questions previously asked of candidates. You can't even ask someone their age.

As far as interviewing for employees in my industry, I hear from my clients that it is worse than ever before relative to finding qualified hourly employees. Qualified in this industry means able to read and write, able to read a tape measure, and able to pass the drug test. The drug test is the problem.

When un-employment rates at in the 5 to 6% range the pool gets very shallow. Every single client uses the un-employment office to screen candidates. Then those that are hired are hired through a temp agency for a ninety day trial period. This increases the odds of ending up with a good long term employee. A $10 dollar an hour person costs around $15 an hour with benefits. $20 per hour (40K) costs roughly $28 per hour loaded for bennies or
56K per year. Each employment decision is significant. Being picky is important.

I stand by my recommendation against Rockports on a job interview for a professional position, such as Accountant. I have several pair of Rockports.
They are one of the few brands that are reasonably priced and come in narrow widths. I simply wouldn't wear them to an interview for this type position.

Since I am just waking up, I think I will also challenge you statement about just taking a shower and combing your hair. This can get really sticky. I ran a large manufacturing plant for 5 years or so. Union Shop. We had a couple of situations where employees were complaining that a certain employee smelled (underarm odor). Nothing we could do but ask the guy to clean up.
He said it was none of our business. Had another guy, a true weirdo, that filed a Workers Comp claim for crotch rot. Turned out his shack had no running water. Claim thrown out. So I don't think cleanliness is an enforcable qualification in certain work environments like manufacturing.

Steve