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SF opinion on construction of women's shoes?

antexit

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Hi guys,

I know this forum isn't the obvious choice for this question, but I want to get my gf a pair of shoes that have the qualities I'd expect from my own shoes--durability and timelessness. I know what the big names are in women's footwear (manolos and whatever one has the red soles, and whatever else), but my question is: is there something inherent in women's shoes (the fact that they're supposed to appear delicate rather than solid, for example) that makes it impossible to find one that still looks like a woman's shoe but will perform like a man's? Is there an EG/G+G/Lobb of women's shoes? Or are all the top brands dedicated to form rather than function?

I know you see saddle shoes and the like in women's sizes from Grenson and Carmina, but I'm skeptical of the quality.

Thanks!
 

SpooPoker

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Women have ZERO interest in any of that.

All you need to do is get a pair of the "whatever one has the red soles".

Longer answer, women's shoes are meant to pass through the seasons depending on what is in fashion, not what is expected to last for more than a year or two most of the time. They are viewed as the complete opposite eyes as SF GroupThink does, where you are expected to pick the most classic, unchanged styles that last 20+ years and are timeless.

/thread
 

Gdot

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Sparkle, Sparkle, Pretty, Pretty, Me Likey as long as no one else I know has them too.

/Thread
 

antexit

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So that's a no, I guess. She honestly does want shoes with the quality of mine, and is not a fashion-whore type. I showed her some of the Carmina women's styles, which are pretty old-fashioned, and the Lobb women's styles, which are maybe a little too much so, and she likes them all and could easily wear them for 20 years if they lasted that long. I guess my question is whether even the reputable shoemakers bother to make women's shoes to the standard of men's, since most women, as Spoo says, would feel like they failed at life if they were wearing the same shoes two years in a row.
 

SpooPoker

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So that's a no, I guess. She honestly does want shoes with the quality of mine, and is not a fashion-whore type. I showed her some of the Carmina women's styles, which are pretty old-fashioned, and the Lobb women's styles, which are maybe a little too much so, and she likes them all and could easily wear them for 20 years if they lasted that long. I guess my question is whether even the reputable shoemakers bother to make women's shoes to the standard of men's, since most women, as Spoo says, would feel like they failed at life if they were wearing the same shoes two years in a row.


She's a unique one, thats for sure. :laugh:

IIRC, Lobb and EG both have made women's shoes before (bespoke).
 

MyOtherLife

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Hi guys,
I know this forum isn't the obvious choice for this question, but I want to get my gf a pair of shoes that have the qualities I'd expect from my own shoes--durability and timelessness. I know what the big names are in women's footwear (manolos and whatever one has the red soles, and whatever else), but my question is: is there something inherent in women's shoes (the fact that they're supposed to appear delicate rather than solid, for example) that makes it impossible to find one that still looks like a woman's shoe but will perform like a man's? Is there an EG/G+G/Lobb of women's shoes? Or are all the top brands dedicated to form rather than function?
I know you see saddle shoes and the like in women's sizes from Grenson and Carmina, but I'm skeptical of the quality.
Thanks!


An excellent question. FRYE makes decent womens boots. Gucci makes mens and womens loafers and many of the models are identical in appearance and construction. Bally, Barker and Ferragamo make acceptable womens shoes that are better made. I would also like to learn the names of the better manufacturers for womens shoes. There are other options too. Many women have a hell of a time finding their size. Most manufacturers and stores cut off at size 10. This leaves out quite a lot of women who are forced to wearing mens shoes. There is a way for women to cheat and win. Mens shoes that have Blake stiched soles can double for womens shoes, provided the styling is aggreable to them. Shoes with a 270° Goodyear welt and fiddleback waist on the sole look so feminine that a woman could easily wear them.



Women have ZERO interest in any of that.
All you need to do is get a pair of the "whatever one has the red soles".
Longer answer, women's shoes are meant to pass through the seasons depending on what is in fashion, not what is expected to last for more than a year or two most of the time. They are viewed as the complete opposite eyes as SF GroupThink does, where you are expected to pick the most classic, unchanged styles that last 20+ years and are timeless.
/thread


Spoo, you I respect, but this response applies only to rich women; meaning only 2% of all women..
The other 98% of women would beat you over the head with their broken cheap shoes for saying this. :lol:
For a wealthy woman the price of a decent pair of shoes ($500 and up) is like buying a candy bar.
Most of her poor counterparts are forced to use that same $500 to buy as many pairs of cheap (meaning inferior quality as well as priced) shoes as they can to fulfill their needs. I say again, needs.
A wise woman knows she needs less than a dozen pair of shoes that will cover every conceivable need and make an investment in something of better construction and materials. Sadly, like most men, most women want more 'bang for their buck' and buy a lot of crap because they know no better.
 
Last edited:

dieworkwear

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This thread is dangerously getting close to the male equivalent of when PurseForum tried to talk about men's shoes.

You should take your question over to PF. Judging from how well the women there know about handbag construction and leather, I assume a few will know about shoes. Like with SF, you should also be careful about the "democratic voice." Most replies will probably be terrible, but of the few that are good, they're probably pretty good. Don't judge it by what the majority says. Figure out who's worth listening to.

There's also this video, if that helps, but it seems as lay and unsophisticated as anything you'd find like that on men's shoes, so take it for what it's worth.

My guess is that you're much better going to some place like Louboutin. Frankly, all these companies - EG, Carmina, Trickers - make terrible looking women's shoes.

Oh, and one other thing, the YouTube video seems to not address how well the heel stands up. Ask around what makes a good heel construction. I assume it should be metal and one solid piece. Most women I see have crooked or collapsing heels. If the producers of that video wanted to really talk about quality, they probably should have discussed what goes out most often on women's shoes - the heels. PurseForumites can probably give you an answer on this.
 
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Recoil

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It's definitely not the same as men's shoes as others have said. I'd suggest a pair of black leather pumps with a closed toe from a company like Manolo Blanik. This is the closest you will be get to "classic" high-quality woman's shoes.
 

jammyo40

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This thread is dangerously getting close to the male equivalent of when PurseForum tried to talk about men's shoes.
You should take your question over to PF. Judging from how well the women there know about handbag construction and leather, I assume a few will know about shoes. Like with SF, you should also be careful about the "democratic voice." Most replies will probably be terrible, but of the few that are good, they're probably pretty good. Don't judge it by what the majority says. Figure out who's worth listening to.
There's also this video, if that helps, but it seems as lay and unsophisticated as anything you'd find like that on men's shoes, so take it for what it's worth.
My guess is that you're much better going to some place like Louboutin. Frankly, all these companies - EG, Carmina, Trickers - make terrible looking women's shoes.
Oh, and one other thing, the YouTube video seems to not address how well the heel stands up. Ask around what makes a good heel construction. I assume it should be metal and one solid piece. Most women I see have crooked or collapsing heels. If the producers of that video wanted to really talk about quality, they probably should have discussed what goes out most often on women's shoes - the heels. PurseForumites can probably give you an answer on this.


Oh lawdy.

Yeah, SF definitely is NOT the best resource for women's shoes.
 

Northampton Novice

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This thread is dangerously getting close to the male equivalent of when PurseForum tried to talk about men's shoes.
You should take your question over to PF. Judging from how well the women there know about handbag construction and leather, I assume a few will know about shoes. Like with SF, you should also be careful about the "democratic voice." Most replies will probably be terrible, but of the few that are good, they're probably pretty good. Don't judge it by what the majority says. Figure out who's worth listening to.
There's also this video, if that helps, but it seems as lay and unsophisticated as anything you'd find like that on men's shoes, so take it for what it's worth.
My guess is that you're much better going to some place like Louboutin. Frankly, all these companies - EG, Carmina, Trickers - make terrible looking women's shoes.
Oh, and one other thing, the YouTube video seems to not address how well the heel stands up. Ask around what makes a good heel construction. I assume it should be metal and one solid piece. Most women I see have crooked or collapsing heels. If the producers of that video wanted to really talk about quality, they probably should have discussed what goes out most often on women's shoes - the heels. PurseForumites can probably give you an answer on this.


^ I think the above post sums up my sentiments exactly.
 

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