Favorite Shoe Brands/Syles? Your prices? (cut, color, girl, mens)

[selhars]

- When it comes to shoes are you more of a comfort person or a style person?
- Do you have feet troubles?

I ask because I'm watching an Orthaheel presentation on TV and the FLIP-FLOPS are $60! I know they're specialty and all that -- but 60 bucks for flip-flops. But I guess I shouldn't just say they're 'flip-flops.'

I also don't have any feet problems. People with foot problems swear by their favorite shoe brands.
I have a couple of friends with bunions -- and they're willing to pay a fortune for their shoes. (and they're style limited)

I did give up high heels 25 years ago. I'm strictly a mules/slip-on kind of person. I haven't had my foot in a full closed-in shoe in forever! And forget about boots. NO WAY! I can't stand having my feet "trapped and restrained" in boots, sneakers, anything like that. They get hot. I MIGHT wear a loafer style every once in a while. So i can always just slip my foot out if I want to. I walk barefoot.sock foot a lot. At home -- always stocking feet. I guess I'm not that crazy about wearing shoes in general.

I also have always had big feet women's 11 and 12. I've womens and 11 since high school. And back in the 70's women's 11s and 12s were harder to find, expensive -- and not in all styles. So that has always been frustrating. I never could find Nine West, or other brands. I would go cheap and buy Payless. Nothing was real leather my foot would always sweat. ugh.

And that to the fact that I have always had price shock on shoes. So for me, I'm thinking $50 for a pair of shoes no way. Now, even if I buy Naturalizer, or Easy Sprit or Aersoles -- I can get them on sale for 30 bucks. I just see no need to by 60 bucks for shoes -- and CERTAINLY not flip flops.

So how much do you spend on shoes, what styles, what brands? And if you have/had foot issues does that influence how much you spend and the brands?

[jade408]

I am a shoe-o-holic and I have been since around age 10. (Thanks Mom!). I grew into my adult sized feet by about 12, and I wear about a 7-7.5. I used to wear an 8, but I think there is some size inflation going on. My feet are a litte wide. Basically, not wide enough for most wide shoes, but is a brand is cut narrow, it might not work for me. I also have an absurdly long big toe (in comparison to the rest of my toes). It is about .75 inches bigger than the other toes. My other toes are really small and short. So I like pointy shoes. They actually look like my feet. Only recently have I started to wear round toed shoes.

I spend about $60-$120 on an average shoe. It depends on the brand.

Nine West max price is $40.
Naturalizer/Aerosoles: max price is ~$50
Clarks: max price is ~$60
Non leather: max price is ~20

Favorite brands: Kenneth Cole and Cole Haan. They have pretty comfortable dress shoes, and I am addicted to KEnneth Cole Collection flats. They are amazing. Coach shoes are actually pretty great as well, if you can find a logo free pair.

I spend more on dress shoes, and less on casual shoes. I'll visit Target or Payless every season to see if there are on trend shoes I want.

Dress shoes, and staple shoes I take better care of. I get them resoled, reheeled etc. They can last for years. I have some sling backs and dress boots that are around 8 or 9 years old and I wear them all the time (Coach and Anne Klein, the lining in the Coach shoes is falling a part a bit, but they did their job, I walked miles in the them, and took them to many job interviews and client meetings. As soon as I find another nicer black kitten heeled slingback, I will retire them.)

I have other old dress shoes as well. I find that some brands are worth the extra money, they do a lot better with materials, craftmanship and technology. And also style. Many "comfort" brands are really ugly, and most aren't all that well made. I have had many comfort shoes fall apart in a few months, and other shoes last forever with my same wear pattern. That's why they are on the lower end of my price scale.

Brands that aren't really worth the price: Calvin Klein, Joan and David, Ann Klein now (they were better made years ago) and shoes from Kohls (even the sales price, they need are worth about $25 max).

I like to pay more for certain brands, because I find they last longer. And shoes make a lasting impression.

[TheImportersWife]

Originally Posted by selhars

- When it comes to shoes are you more of a comfort person or a style person?
- Do you have feet troubles?


So how much do you spend on shoes, what styles, what brands? And if you have/had foot issues does that influence how much you spend and the brands?

Comfort vs Style - depends on what I'm wearing the shoes for and how long I'll need to be in them for.

Feet Troubles - I'm a 12, does that count?

Spending - I buy what l like if I think it will be worn often enough and not collect dust in my closet. People would balk if they knew what I paid (or rather what my husband paid) for some shoes.

My go to brand is Stuart Weitzman. I know his shoes are TTS and comfortable as well as stylish. Otherwise I love a lot the designers out there: Gucci, Brian Atwood, Rene Caovilla, Charlotte Olympia, Miu Miu, Sergio Rossi, Giuseppe Zanotti

[selhars]

Wow,importerswife, maybe it's my big feet -- and I'm SURE it's my price point and lack of interest in costly shoes -- but I never heard of many of those names. (I mean I love Kenneth Cole and Michael Kors -- but just would never pay those prices -- plus I don't think they'd have my size anyway) One slip-in flat mule is just basically like any other so way pay more just to cover my feet)

For my shoe size, most of my recent years I've shopped Easy Spirit...or the Massey's catalog. I went through an ES buying spree 2 years ago, now I'm stocked up on enough shoes for the next 20 years or more. I wear one pair of shoes constantly until they wear out -- then move on to another pair. I've also bought 2 of the same pair so the next is always waiting in the wings. I have shoes in boxes I've never worn.

I work 3 days a week to during the week, and 2 days are weekends. So 3 days a week I wear my 'better' work shoes -- weekends I wear some ugly walking mules to work. So my good shoes I only wear three days a week, and they tend to last me YEARS!!! at a time.

YEARS ago I bought ONE pair of mules at Nordstrom -- 150.00 JUST so I could say I bought at least one pair of shoes in my life at Nordstrom! I've never worn them! I guess you could say I'm am 'impulse' kind of shopper.

BIRKENSTOCK AND ORTHAHEEL:
Anybody out there think the Orthaheel flipl-fops are worth 60 bucks...plus they'e ugly. Oh, I did go through a Birkenstock phase 30 years ago. Knockoffs of course. I couldn't bring myself to pay REAL Birkenstock prices. Plus, they're ugly too. They've come a long way but I don't care how many colors they have or how many ways thy try to design the straps, they're still ugly. But I guess it's the sole design you pay for...it sure ain't looks

[LexWest]

I tend to be more of a style person, but also value comfort. While I'll still wear high heels on occassion, these days I wear more moderate heels and flats for practical reasons. I find that any style of shoe will get tiresome after a while, so I rotate heel height accordingly to maintain style as well as comfort.

Unless you're buying a quality brand at a sale price, or buying into an overrated brand, you get what you pay for with shoes. I will pay more for dress shoes than casual, but that's because I buy fewer and expect my dress shoes to last; and will want more variety in casual shoes to rotate them more often. I replace my casual shoes biannually as I find something else I like, or as the shoes wear out. However, I've kept a few of my casual shoes longer if I haven't found replacements.

Brands, I wear include Aldo, Nine West, Charles David, and Guess. I personally like Jones New York the best for dress shoes.

I buy flip flops at Target and won't spend more than $10 unless I really like them or can't find a certain color I want at a cheaper price. Even that may be on the high side for flip flops.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

When I worked, I bought a lot of expensive dress pumps to go with every color suit I had. I only bought Bruno Magli 2 inch heels to be comfortable. Casual shoes were Bass, Easy Spirit, Naturalizer.

Now retired, I look for sales. I found a pair of Clark's clogs for $20 last year. I like Clark's, Ugg clogs for winter, Hotter(English and about $100 but worth every penny, online), SoftWalk, still like my Bass, and casual shoes from Land's End (online).

I buy a lot online from Zappo's and Land's End. They both take it back with no problem. I have wide feet and a hammertoe so now comfort is important.

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[cb at sea]

I have a Morton's Neuroma so I need a shoe with some cushioning in the ball of the foot.....if the shoe doesn't have padding, those Dr. Scholl inserts for ball of the foot work wonders!

I generally don't spend over $50-60 on most shoes....I'd rather pay less, if possible! I love the platform heels....you get the look of a really high stilleto, without the actual height bending your foot! I also love wedges for summer, as we do alot of stuff that requires walking in grassy areas (concerts, etc...) and heels just don't work in soft surfaces!

In the winter, I wear ankle high boots with jeans....sometimes, heels...depends on my mood. I, too, don't like high boots...they are constricting!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

CB, SoftWalk would probably be very comfy for you. They have an eggshell crate footbed that is wonderful.

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[anadyr21]

I've gotten the majority of my casual work shoes from Payless. I have 2 pairs of "fake" Timberlands and a few pairs of casual work shoes that I've had for 15 years and are still in good shape. The most I've ever paid for any of those was $30.

I have a few pairs of Naturalizers, that while comfy, look a bit more "mature" than I generally prefer. I only get them on sale. The most I've ever paid was $50. I wear these mostly in the spring and summer.

I really, really like Madden Girl. Very cute and stylish and go with any of the dresses I own. I don't think I paid more than $40 or $50.

Though I'm not opposed to shopping at Payless at this time in my life, I've found better brands on sale for close to the same price as I'd find at Payless. But my limit is $50.

[Info Guy]

Kenneth Cole, square toe, Black.