Rant: Synthetic and patent leather heartbreak...

[alphax]

I am done with patent and synthetic leathers. 

They look nice and they are cheap but they're nothing but heartbreak in the end.

Today I found a pair of low heels whose soles have turned sticky and cracked.  The leather upper was perfectly good and soft, and I only noticed the soles when I started walking and heard them sticking to the floor.  Sorry, they aren't worth the expense of re-soling.

Every few months I go through my shoe and boot collection and pull out patent shoes and boots that have turned to goo, or synthetic leather upper or lining that is crumbling. 

And sticky patent gets onto other shoes and clothes and ruins them too.  Yuck!

I have had it with this feeling of... violation, corruption, infection, what have you, and I am just so done with cheap-ass crap. 

I am checking for genuine leather everything before I buy from now on, even if that means paying more.

Thank you for reading my rant.

[Steve63130]

The trouble with polymers is that they often lose the plasticizer, the chemical that keeps them supple and flexible. The plastic gets hard and brittle, like old rubber bands. They lose their flexibility and disintegrate. If they are a patent leather surface like the first photo, they can peel off and leave a bare spot. Or if they're the sole material in the second photo, they can crack and fall apart. 

Going for more expensive shoes like leather usually improves durability, but at a cost of maintenance. You have to take care of leather so it doesn't crack and look bad. Some cheap leathers are worse than plastic. And some plastics are more durable than leather. Also, I'd much rather have a non-skid rubber sole than a slippery leather sole that will be treacherous on marble floors. I prefer leather uppers and a non-skid sole.

Steve

[Heelster]

Limited selection and high prices. Good luck

[Shyheels]

Prices needn't be that high, surely. 

The difference in cost will be that between "costume" shoes and shoes that were designed to be worn out and about, regularly

[Cali]

The synthetics are designed to be a one-season shoe. Buy them wear them out, discard. Repeat!

[pebblesf]

Yeah, I have graduate to all leather as well....

[Pumped]

I generally go for leather too. If you watch eBay and Amazon there are deals to be found, but it takes time. I am wearing a nice pair of all leather Vince Camuto heels I got from Amazon for $35. Luckily I am a  USA size 10.

[alphax]

@Steve63130

At least you can maintain good leather.  A little leather conditioner and shoe polish every now and then.  And that shoe polish smell...

Whereas plastic, the less you do to it the better, and even then it's just a ticking time bomb.  And you just never know which bombs are going to go off taking their neighbors with them.

@Cali

I can't throw out shoes that still look good, and by the time they're not looking good, they're either sticking to their neighbors or showering plastic powder and flakes all over my closet.

In any case, it feels like money, time and passion flushed down the toilet and I am not putting up with that anymore.

[Steve63130]

And then there is the disappointment from a pair of Naturalizer "Vitality" pumps I've had for quite a while. I hadn't worn them since last winter, as they are too warm for summer wear. I put them on the other day and discovered to my horror that even though the uppers are genuine leather and in very good shape, the interior is vinyl coated fabric and the vinyl is flaking off in hundreds of tiny pieces, sticking to my feet and everything. What a mess! I bought those shoes new and paid $80 for them. So even though they were leather and well cared for, the interior was not leather and it has disintegrated. And in a lot of leather shoes it is the same way, so beware! A leather upper doesn't guarantee long-term bliss.

Steve

[Cali]

I keep mine in book cases, so they don't touch each other, I have been lucky so far with no shoes deteriorating like you have described. I have blown out the side in one and I have also worn a pair into the ground.  I also keep the anti-mildew  patches with them.

[Tacchi Alti]

I know what you mean by synthetic materials degrading. I found a pair of boots that are ideal for everyday wear, and as I've seen the same model on Ebay etc I've bought more pairs. I now have five pairs! However, although the first pair lasted ages the subsequent ones are splitting across the toe. The actual material is intact but the outer coating is just splitting and crumbling. Really annoying! The latest pair (No 3 - two to go) split within hours of starting to wear them.

My other daily boots have concealed heels (discussed elsewhere) and these are also synthetic. I'm still on my first pair, and they are really good - no real signs of wear and I've walked a loooong way in them. I've bought two more pairs for when these finally wear out, but I wonder whether the outer coating will have degraded by then.

[alphax]

On 11/6/2017 at 10:59 PM, Cali said:

I keep mine in book cases, so they don't touch each other, I have been lucky so far with no shoes deteriorating like you have described. I have blown out the side in one and I have also worn a pair into the ground.  I also keep the anti-mildew  patches with them.

Sometimes I wonder if what I need is better storage for my synthetic shoes:  In boxes with tissue paper separators and moisture absorbent packets.

Oils also destroy plastics, so anywhere you've touched vinyls and maybe patent with your skin or otherwise left oily smears should be cleaned with detergent and water.