Someone please give this guy a Man of the Day Award? Outstanding.

They might be expensive socks. Cheap "black dress socks" can be had for very little, but high end dress socks tend to start at around $20 a pair on the low end, and can go up to hundreds of dollars or more depending on materials and label.

46 and 38?! Where do you live? I'm in the US and 10-12 size shoes are for large feet.

This be Europe

hahahahahahahahaha! As a woman obviously not in your circle, I can only speak for myself when I say I would LEGIT TAKE YOUR SHOES (and wonder how you have such tiny man feet.) That said, I have also walked barefoot in practically every terrain, including city streets, yards, forests, the ocean, and the creek in my backyard. And I almost never carry extra shoes. But your women friends sound like fun, too. :)

Different strokes for different folks. The core issue is putting our own discomfort against that of a partner, and the romanticism is in the fact they care enough to put us first. Some wouldn't want the "spectacle" of being seen with a barefoot partner, and would find it "humiliating" and refuse. Generally though, the women I know tend towards an idea that such things are unequal and compromise their independence. E.G.: they wouldn't take your shoes unless they would expect to offer thier own shoes to you, or they prefer to not make their partner suffer for their choice as they wouldn't want to be made to suffer on a partners choice. I spent much of my childhood barefoot on all terrains, and if it's the best option I'll personally gladly go barefoot in all but the most disgusting environments. Now that I'm older though I plan ahead to not have to, like always having at least one set of comfy but presentable clothes and shoes in my car as well as certain toiletries and misc products.

I'm a feminist and I think it was a sweet gesture

not you, but someone else will probably say this is opression