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I was thinking of a spacer society (e.g. people born and raised in space), and I don't think they will try to emulate "walking" in free fall, but will "swim."
We see that evolution even now: Skylab had magnetic shoes. The ISS (as far as I know) doesn't.
They tether/fix things and people with velcro and bungie cords, but their shoes are regular non-magnetic sneakers. And they don't try to "walk."
Free fall + metal shavings => protect your airways and eyes, not your feet.
That would be something every spacer would wear/have on their person: safety glasses and maybe even a small filter mask.
"Sorry mom, the drinking ballon leaked -- there are milk droplets in the kitchen!" - "OK, wear your glasses and mask until ventilation has cleared them out!"
And why would the surfaces of somebodies living room, or the mall, or the corridor to high school be so rough that they are a danger for bare feet?
A society of spacers would live in a space that is even tamer than the ISS (which is my real world touchstone for this kind of thing), not some industrial workshop. Some would work there and will wear work clothes while doing so, but the office drones, pupils, and stay-at-home-dads will not expect dangerously rough surfaces in their everyday lives.
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Emulating walking isn't important. Being able to anchor yourself is. People in freefall don't really "swim" once they can avoid being in the middle of a room with everything outside of arm reach. The motions are a lot more like jumping and climbing. That doesn't change the usefulness of anchors. I thought the reason magnetic boots weren't currently used was because of technical issues. Alternatively you can have velcro footies like in 2001.
I mention metal shavings because it is the reason why ISS crews wear goggles when entering new modules. Once air starts moving that particular hazard disappears but freefall means stuff is floating around in general and it's nice to be able to launch off of most surfaces even if there are milk droplets on it or whatever .
Surfaces aren't dangerously rough, they are just uncomfortable for people who don't walk on rough terrain on a regular basis and stuff like metal gratings saves mass. Surfaces with more friction are also useful for getting around which encourages roughness.
People could take off their shoes when they get into the office on earth but they don't both because shoes are expected to be worn in many situations and because it's easier to just wear something that can handle concrete instead of taking the shoes off. I can't see the custom disappearing in most stations when there are still uncomfortable surfaces to walk on. Most likely most people will stick to tunnels for movement and the odd room that is better in freefall but they will wear clothing that lets them visit most of the station.
Quite possibly freefall clothing will have influences from when people were expected to be able to help maintain the station. (which to some extent everyone still probably is. Not everyone needs to be an engineer but people who live in space need to be able to help with maintenance. It's psychologically useful even with larger populations.) I see early necessities on a space station and belter or space military culture as being influential in space even after a given tradition's usefulness is at an end.
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Originally Posted by Flyndaran
There are so many people I do not want to see in skin tight anything, myself included.
Where's a space mumu when you need one?
I also would like draconian anti-perfume/cologne hygiene rules for my sanity and "their" survival.
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I think NASA inspects for stuff that produces odors. Confined and recycled air and perfume don't mix