[litchickuk]

as much as it takes to get my hands on the pair that have taken my eye!

[kimair]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarina So tell me where I can have made a pair of custom made shoes of very high quality.

i know that manolo blahnik will custom make a pair of shoes for anyone...
you need to go into the boutiques to do it (not neiman's, bergdorf, etc.)...
if it's an already existing style, the price is about 20-30% more, depending on materials used...
brand new designs start at $900 (for a flat)...

i spent $900 on a pair of balenciaga ankle boots, and i've spent about $600 on a pair of gucci bondage pumps from f/w 02...
that would probably be my limit...

[Zarina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimair i know that manolo blahnik will custom make a pair of shoes for anyone... you need to go into the boutiques to do it (not neiman's, bergdorf, etc.)... if it's an already existing style, the price is about 20-30% more, depending on materials used... brand new designs start at $900 (for a flat)... i spent $900 on a pair of balenciaga ankle boots, and i've spent about $600 on a pair of gucci bondage pumps from f/w 02... that would probably be my limit...

Exactly, you don't get much for 1k.

[luckyme]

we are all drawn to different kinds of shoes for our own personal reasons; shoes run the gamet in quality depending on the standards of the manufacturer, whether a name designer or not. what I consider to be worth spending my money on is not going to be the same standard as another person, that's the beauty of choice.

there are so many factors that go into the cost of branding.

[leyla m.]

i agree with most posts here but i must say that you simply cannot get a good quality shoe for a low price.... no matter what. and if someone does have a great quality shoe for a great price, i am very intrigued to know where i can find the shoe and decompose it (brand or no brand )

[BlkLadyLaw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarina So tell me where I can have made a pair of custom made shoes of very high quality.

I approached someone on ebay once who was selling a fabulous pair of shoes in a large size and asked her where she got them from. She referred me to this site

http://italianheels.com/index_en.shtml
No idea about their quality or anything...but just sharing as fyi

[Zarina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlkLadyLaw I approached someone on ebay once who was selling a fabulous pair of shoes in a large size and asked her where she got them from. She referred me to this site http://italianheels.com/index_en.shtml No idea about their quality or anything...but just sharing as fyi

As far as I can see, they only offer adjustment and not design of a completely new style.

[Urbanstyles]

The average I'd probably spend is 100-300$ for shoes. I'm actually looking to buying a pair of Perry Ellis shoes. Just haven't determined which pair I want though.

[leyla m.]

just remembered the day when my mum bought me my first "brand" shoes . ..
i was probably around 9 and i got a pair of REEBOKs freestyle trainers for my gym class at school! i loved them sooooooo much and i still do! well i dont have them anymore but i recall it as if it was yesterday. at the time it was such a big thing to me ahhhh, just love my childhood memories

[Guessgirl96]

growing up I wore a lot of payless and k mart shoes, or sometimes maybe something like steve madden as gifts. I remember the straps would always come out of the sole and heels would break. Thats all I knew and thought thats just how shoes wear. When I first began getting into designer I saw a pair of pucci shoes that I loved and just had to have, but were $350 on sale which was insane at the time. I saved up some money and got them, and I was so surpised when they didnt come apart after one summer. Although designer prices can get ridiculous at times I do think your paying for quality.

[Zarina]

I totally agree with you. It isn't difficult to find cheap clothes and cheap make up of good quality, but with shoes it happens very rarely.
From my childhood I remember the feeling of my feet being sweaty because of plastic insoles. I will never buy that again.
I don't deny that you also pay for the brand if you choose Louboutin for example and you can find unknown Italian shoes of the same quality for half the price (I like for example Pitti Oro and Neri). However I have experienced that I get much faster fed up with their design. Although a shoe by Louboutin or Manolo Blahnik also goes out of fashion, it's design quality is still visible to me and I don't mind buying their shoes from older seasons.

[woodstock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dego How much of the price for a pair of CL's do you think is for workmanship and for materials, and how much for the BRAND? There are shoe factories in Italy that produce shoes for high profile designer brands like Prada etc. These brands just slap their sticker on the insole to raise the price, you can get the same quality materials and workmanship for a much lower cost if you go to these factories directly.

do you know where these shoes may be sold? (what factories, what outlets, etc.)

[fashionista-ta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimair i know that manolo blahnik will custom make a pair of shoes for anyone... you need to go into the boutiques to do it (not neiman's, bergdorf, etc.)... if it's an already existing style, the price is about 20-30% more, depending on materials used... brand new designs start at $900 (for a flat)... i spent $900 on a pair of balenciaga ankle boots, and i've spent about $600 on a pair of gucci bondage pumps from f/w 02... that would probably be my limit...

Just wanted to note, as kimair said, I've read that you must go to the boutique, a phone call won't do ... I wish he'd open one here, this is a big Manolo market ... he did an oxford for Peter Som (if I recall correctly) last fall that I would love to have ...

And btw, wrt to custom shoes and their cost, Suzi (aka Bob) noted early in this thread that she had gotten some custom shoes for less than $500. There may be another market that is, ah, not as mainstream that we may not have visibility to

PS Great memories I remember my sister & me getting matching summer sandals--white leather with little wooden wedges. And I remember my mom taking them to the neighborhood shoe repair to be freshened up, and he restained the wood--it was a cherry stain. I was impressed--good as new!