Can You Spot the Difference? $20 shoes vs $600 shoes? (brand, wearing, handbags)

[Nelly Nomad]

Good Morning America (ABC News) recently did a test to see whether people could tell the difference between a $600 () pair of Christian Louboutin black patent leather pumps (with 4-inch heels ) and a pair of nearly identical $20 black patent leather pumps. Because the $600 pumps had a "signature" red sole, ABC painted the $20 soles so they'd look identical. Then, they performed three tests.

First was a sight test. They stopped people on the street and asked them to pick which was which. According to the reporter, 40% of the people they talked to incorrectly identified the shoes.

Second was a wear test. They had identical twins walk a mile in the shoes (with 4-inch heels!!! ) then rate their comfort, 1 to 10 with 10 = PAIN!!! The twin wearing the $20 shoes said she was "up there in the 9s", while the $600 twin said "I'm just going to go with the 10". In other words, neither shoe was comfortable, as was evidenced by shots of the twins' feet with obvious rub marks. The twins both ditched the shoes immediately.

The final test involved cutting the shoes in half to look at construction. The interior of the less expensive shoe was layers of rubber and cardboard, whereas the more expensive was made of leather, through and through.

I wish I could link the segment for you but every time I pull it up, it comes with an advertisement embedded and I don't think C-D would like that. If you want to see the segment, you can go to ABC News and type "$20 shoes" in the search box.

As for me, I can guarantee I wouldn't be able to tell the shoes apart. Not by sight (I'd never even heard of Christian Louboutin before this news segment), probably not by walk-test (I doubt I'd be able to walk 20 feet, much less a mile, in 4-inch heels). Secondly, I can't think of any reason why I would EVER waste $600 on a single pair of shoes. Heck, I have a hard time justifying spending $100 on shoes. I'm sooooo not a shoe person . I own maybe 5 pair of shoes, none of which cost over ~$60.

So, my fellow shoe-wearers, how about you?

[ChessieMom]

$20 shoes?? Yeah.... I'm pretty sure I could tell. I've tried those payless shoes, and they are very cheap looking and feel terrible.

[vlorak]

oh yes I can. i have tried pairs of cheap shoes and that is how they felt. cheap.
the last two weeks I have been wearing Rlauren 4inch shoes, and my feet did not hurt once. They are very comfortable. I usually don't wear such high heels, but i am in love with these shoes right now.
i have not seen the segment you're talking about, but i think i would be able to tell the difference

[maciesmom]

The odd thing is why they chose each extreme....most women wear something in between. It's not like those gals who run out and buy Christian Louboutain's are going to turn around and start running to Payless after that segment. And who the heck walks a mile in 4" heels - regardless of the brand or quality.....

[Nelly Nomad]

They did another test with a $3,000 hand-made handbag (I forget the name, but it was something cute-sy, like "Kerry") and a $35 knockoff. The maker of the $3K bag put their pattern on a website. The maker of the knockoff copied the pattern, got similar (but not identical) materials and made her own version.

Again, I can guarantee I wouldn't be able to tell the pricey one from the inexpensive one. I guess I'm just not attuned to these sorts of things. $3,000 for a handbag? Makes those $600 shoes look like a bargain!

I wish I could link some pictures for you, especially for the shoes. They really looked similar, although I'll admit the expensive ones seemed to be a bit glossy-er and the leather seemed to be a little stiffer.

[vlorak]

Nelly Nomad,
I could not tell the difference between cheap and expensive purses. not in a million years . shoes yes. and macies mom is right, i think most of us wear the in between shoes.

[momof2dfw]

I could tell the difference in a heartbeat. The cheap shoes that are not made out of leather will make your feet sweat in no time. Also, the fact that the shoes were PATENT leather would make them not as forgiving to walk a lot in. Throw in the cheap ones were fake patent leather and those would not be comfortable at all. No give at all. At least with the REAL patent leather over time and wear the shoes would "give" some and become a lot more comfortable.

[JanuaryGirl]

I think I could tell after wearing them... the cheapo ones are usually made on lasts that don't fit me as well because I have higher archers.

Also, I think it would be better if they could test how they wear over time. So many of the cheaper shoes I've bought in the $30-70 range end up have stitching coming out, scuffs right away, etc. I've sure never had a $600 pair but the more expensive ones I have had didn't show that kind of wear.

[ChessieMom]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

The odd thing is why they chose each extreme....most women wear something in between. It's not like those gals who run out and buy Christian Louboutain's are going to turn around and start running to Payless after that segment. And who the heck walks a mile in 4" heels - regardless of the brand or quality.....

Exactly. I thought that was a really strange selection for them to make. Useless really,

[plaidmom]

I can tell the difference, both with shoes and handbags.

Now if you bumped the price points closer together (say 150.00 pair of shoes and 300.00 pair , or a 300.00 handbag and a 700.00 version) and I couldn't see any designer labels or logos? . Yeah, I'd probably be stumped.