Donald J. Pliner...Quality???

[Eric]

I recently bought a pair of Donald J. Pliner shoes for a nice discount at Nordstrom Rack. They are expensive shoes, but that doesn't really equate to quality.

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/7499216/c/1430.html

I can say that they are extremely comfortable and I like the look, but how will they hold up in the long haul? After looking at DJP's collections I like some of their other shoes but before I purchase anymore I'd like to know what kind of quality I'd be getting for this price (200ish)

Thanks.

Eric

 

[chorse123]

They will not hold up well, at least in my experience. I had a pair of Pliner shoes and the glue holding on the sole came undone after less than a year of infrequent to moderate wear. I think they're a decent buy at about $100, but I wouldn't pay much more for disposable shoes.

 

[Duveen]

I only bought DJPs once and it was a bad experience (caveat: a sample size of one is far from adequate for deep conclusions).

What I found was:
* The shoes (also loafers) tore up my feet something terrible. I bought them for a trip to Europe with the intention of doing heavy walking. They were recommended by the guy at the 'comfort' shoe store. A bad call.

* They fell apart (sole came unglued) after two weeks of heavy walking.

YMMV

 

[Eric]

Ouch!

I paid 120 for the pair I got...

I won't be looking into investing any more in DJP. Thanks!

Eric

 

[JLibourel]

My wife seems to be quite fond of Pliner's women's shoes and has quite a few pairs...for whatever that's worth! Well, she's never had any complaints about them as far as I know, and whenever she has a complaint about anything, I am usually the first to know!

 

[billiebob]

I hear they are made in the mountains of Italy.

 

[acidboy]

must be hard to get good quality glue in those mountains of italy.

 

[chorse123]

Something about the altitude, I think. It's high up there in the mountains.

 

[johnapril]

These shoes are for all intents and purposes disposable.

 

[tiger02]

Even intensive purposes?

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by tiger02

Even intensive purposes?

Well, OK, I can see them working for SAT or MCAT.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

My wife seems to be quite fond of Pliner's women's shoes and has quite a few pairs...for whatever that's worth! Well, she's never had any complaints about them as far as I know, and whenever she has a complaint about anything, I am usually the first to know!
Same here. My wife has many pairs of DP shoes and has found them to provide a better fit than most other lines. When her DPs are put alongside her other pumps--some pretty high-end (although no Manolo Blahniks)--the Pliners seem to compare well wrt style, quality of leather, and construction. However, it has struck me that women's shoes are a very different phenomenon than men's, with lower-quality shoes often being more sought after because of a particular style feature or color. I don't think there is the equivalent of Edward Green or John Lobb in women's shoes (thank God)--i.e., shoes that feature superb leather, super construction, and handwork--although C&J have a very limited offering of (really pretty awful-looking) women's shoes. Nor does there seem to be the whole bespoke phenomenon; at least my wife hasn't discovered it yet!

 

[thinman]

Originally Posted by Roger

Same here. My wife has many pairs of DP shoes and has found them to provide a better fit than most other lines. When her DPs are put alongside her other pumps--some pretty high-end (although no Manolo Blahniks)--the Pliners seem to compare well wrt style, quality of leather, and construction. However, it has struck me that women's shoes are a very different phenomenon than men's, with lower-quality shoes often being more sought after because of a particular style feature or color. I don't think there is the equivalent of Edward Green or John Lobb in women's shoes (thank God)--i.e., shoes that feature superb leather, super construction, and handwork--although C&J have a very limited offering of (really pretty awful-looking) women's shoes. Nor does there seem to be the whole bespoke phenomenon; at least my wife hasn't discovered it yet!

Although I know nothing about women's shoes, my (uninformed) impression is that women's shoes styles change so quickly that it makes sense for women's shoes to be relatively inexpensive and disposable. Hence, there is no women's equivalent of EG or JL. Perhaps someone in the know could weigh in(?). I'm curious.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by thinman

Although I know nothing about women's shoes, my (uninformed) impression is that women's shoes styles change so quickly that it makes sense for women's shoes to be relatively inexpensive and disposable. Hence, there is no women's equivalent of EG or JL. Perhaps someone in the know could weigh in(?). I'm curious.
Thinman, I think that's part of the explanation. High-heel pumps, though, remain somewhat similar from year to year in their overall outlines. With women's shoes, however, you often see the upper covered in satin or other fabrics, or dyed the full spectrum of colors, with the leather quality and finish of far less importance than the fact that they end up shiny and of bold color. Corrected-grain (or worse) leather works fine in this context, as does plastic. Also, women often match their shoes to individual outfits, so that a larger collection of shoes is needed, with each pair of only limited importance.

 

[Flame]

Originally Posted by Roger

Thinman, I think that's part of the explanation. High-heel pumps, though, remain somewhat similar from year to year in their overall outlines. With women's shoes, however, you often see the upper covered in satin or other fabrics, or dyed the full spectrum of colors, with the leather quality and finish of far less importance than the fact that they end up shiny and of bold color. Corrected-grain (or worse) leather works fine in this context, as does plastic. Also, women often match their shoes to individual outfits, so that a larger collection of shoes is needed, with each pair of only limited importance.
Women shoes need to look good with the outfit more so than to have superb quality and craftsmanship. Also, shoe fashions are cycled quickly, so it's makes more sense to have somewhat affordable shoes that can last the particular fashion cycle than have a women's version of JL.

Having said that, Donald J.Pliner's shoes for men's arent worth it. I had a pair of loafers 2 years ago whose soles peeled apart within 5 months of wear. so much for quality.