Do I let my son choose the sparkly shoes when I'm worried about teasing?

My six-year-old put the pink trainers back in the box when I said, "Are you sure? Someone might call them girls' shoes."

He had been sure until then. They were for weekends, not school uniform, and cost the same as the blue pair I was holding.

My brother had already made a joke about ballet shoes. I wanted to spare my son more comments, but I also hear how I introduced the objection myself. He asked whether sparkles stopped being nice if a boy wore them.

I don't want to tell him nobody will ever comment. I don't want my own anticipation of a comment to choose his shoes either. What would you say before we return to the shop, and how would you handle the adult joke if it comes up again?