Your Favorite Brands

[Breeheels]

Im just curious what every ones favorite brands are. Why do you like them? any disappointments?

Luckily Im an 11/42 in womens . One of my long time favorites is Nine West. Love the quality and the feel. Cole Haan is another favorite nice quality heels and boots. Kork Ease a fun brand. Ive had some nice Kors wedges and some boots yet others dont fit. Rockport feels good, and lately ive bought some Giani Bini boots that fit and feel incredible. 

 

[Shyheels]

I wear boots, always have - hiking boots for most of my life - and take a large size and so if I were to go off-the-rack I'd be stuck for the most part with stripper boots in PVC which is not at all what I am after. And so I have a couple pair of custom made knee and otk boots by Jean Gaborit. THey are lovely. Beautiful fit and the materials and workmanship are first rate. They are not cheap, but well worth the money. THe ones I am wearing a lot these days are a pair of OTK boots in heavy grey suede with a 3.5" cuban heel. The sede is incredibly rich and thick and warm.

I've also a pair of ankle boots with 3.5" cuban heels made by the (now defunct) Shoes of Prey. They are very nice as well.  

[Cali]

I have my favorites. Lately I have been buying more real leather and real suede heels, both stiletto booties (JS) and knee high boots

Charles By Charles David - mostly sandals

Jessica Simpson - stiletto boots and booties

Nine West - knee high boots, suede and leather

Steven Madden including Freebird and Madden Girl - everything

Cheaper end but still very good heels, tall hells and comfortable all day.

Soda

Delicious

Impo

I stopped counting the number of heels I have at 60. I have just got rid of several pairs that I have worn out, but bought 3 new pairs

Edited December 14, 2020 by Cali

[pebblesf]

Jessica Simpson and Nine West boots are always a good choice for me as well.  Love Frye cowgirl boots, if only they were available in larger sizes.  Love Paul Bond high heel cowboy boots also...

[RonC]

I've had good luck with Bandolino as they seem to fit a bit wider than average.  I think they are a sub-brand of Nine West.  Clarks are also great for boots but hard to find decent heels in their shoes these days.  Same for Aerosoles, comfortable but the styles are headed way downhill.  I recently had a pair of Born wedge sandals that were probably the most comfortable heels I've ever had.

[Breeheels]

24 minutes ago, RonC said:

I've had good luck with Bandolino as they seem to fit a bit wider than average.  I think they are a sub-brand of Nine West.  Clarks are also great for boots but hard to find decent heels in their shoes these days.  Same for Aerosoles, comfortable but the styles are headed way downhill.  I recently had a pair of Born wedge sandals that were probably the most comfortable heels I've ever had.

Ive got a few pairs of Clarks Pumps I might be purging. Black patent Bryer I think they are called. 

 

[chesterx]

I love my Nine West Tatiana nude pumps. I have worn them more than any of my others & they fit like a glove. Its the only pair I have found in my size 13 other than black, but I already have a good pair of black pumps. I keep checking for more colors but so far no luck.

Those black pumps i mentioned are by Calvin Klein. They are my go to heels that match most any outfit. They are also well broken in.

Jessica Simpson Prizma D'Orsay Pumps - (2) pairs one black napa & one nude patent. These are soooo sexy. I wear them quite a bit. They are a bit tight until they warm up then fit well. The black ones are mostly broken in but the patent ones always take longer.

I have more INC brand heels than any other. They are the house brand of Macys. They are well made & comfortable, but are mostly in a mid heel range. They recently added several colors to their O'Dorsey design in a 4 1/4" heel. I bought a few pairs, but have yet to wear them out. Looking forward to wearing the leopard print 1st.

I have a handful of Sam Edelman heels that I do like, but they have taken a back seat to the above heels as of late.

[ljhh]

Nine West, Jessica Simpson, Steve Madden, i like Stuart Weitzman pointy booties but at the tome I only own a pair of that brand. Frye western boots, Corral and their counterpart in México (Cuadra boots, i strongly recomend all cowboy boot lovers to check them out)

[RonC]

10 hours ago, chesterx said:

I have more INC brand heels than any other. They are the house brand of Macys. They are well made & comfortable, but are mostly in a mid heel range.

I finally found a pair of the INC Zitahs in 11W.  They are on order.  Hoping they will be the answer for my tough to fit feet.  I'm really starting to think that buying two different sizes is what it will take to get a pair that truly fit properly.  I think my right foot might be a full size larger than my left.  Certainly a half size at least.  I happened to look at old images I posted in the past and came across a pic of these sandals which shoes the difference.  Note how much more of the sole of the shoe is visible past the end of my toes on the left shoe as opposed to the right.  Probably close to a half inch.

 

[mlroseplant]

I'm not a big brand name guy, I usually just buy what catches my fancy, be it no-name Chinese or a designer brand. However, I just did a quick look over to see what I own the most of, and here's what I observed: Nine West, Aldo, Michael Kors, BCBG (Girls, Generation, and Max Azria), Steve Madden.

Nine West, at least the older models, are good, solid utilitarian shoes, but I don't love them. Aldos can be ok, if you have narrowish feet. I have a serious problem with the durability of Michael Kors products, especially for the price they want. I've had a lot of 'em break. I don't know why I've got Steve Madden in there, not really a big fan, but there is one model they made that I absolutely love, long out of production (of course). So that leaves BCBG (any of the three lines) as my favorite? That couldn't possibly be right, but the numbers don't lie. I do have several different models I'm enthusiastic about, particularly my BCBGirls Bonny mules. To be fair, I don't think I have any fully enclosed shoes by BCBG. They are all sandals or clogs of some sort. Don't quote me on that, I'd have to double check.

As a footnote, See the "new shoes" thread for my story about Miu Miu. Definitely not a brand I seek out, but somehow or other, I now own 4 pair.

[Chorlini]

My feet are too big to fit in any of the normal brands. Not size titanic, but just 1 size too big to fit into anything that's available in regular stores and webshops. Except maybe sandals and ballerinas. EU42 is the largest they tend to stock and for pumps EU43 is the smallest I can fit into. So Onlymaker, Pleaser and Leatherworks for me. Those brands work for, I know that when I order it will fit.

[hiddenheels]

Brand name, don't really distinguish, I look at the style first. So whatever opportunity there is to grab a good pair of shoes, I take it, regardless of brand name. Have BCBG which I really really like. I have a bunch of Le Chateau from their clearance stores a long while back, some of which are really awesome shoes. Some Aldo, again clearance, but one of which is my "goto" right now. Some stuff ordered online, so Chinese which also works fine. My other "goto" is from a small clothing store here. Never bought Steve Madden, nor Onlymaker or any other styles, I have way too many shoes as is so really tend to stick to the bargain hunting...

[RonC]

3 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Brand name, don't really distinguish, I look at the style first.

I tend to agree with this statement the most.  While I mentioned a few brands, it was mostly because they have a style I like that I buy them.  I will say that I have tried other brands such as Clarks and Aerosoles trying to find something that fits properly and that I can walk in comfortably, despite the fact that I might not really be thrilled with the way they look.  I am just really having struggles with finding shoes that fit due to the size difference between my feet.  I also think that the way I walk has something to do with the fact that for any pair that fits my right foot properly, I walk right out of the left.  I can remember buying men's slide type sandals a few years back and when I first got them I had a real hard time trying to keep them on my feet as I walked.  Once the soles softened and bent more I was ok, but even then if I tried to walk fast I would lose them on my forward stride.  Guess it's in the way my foot bends, or maybe doesn't bend enough, when I walk.

[Cali]

@RonC my right foot is about 1/2 size smaller than my left and thicker. I was rare to find a men's sandals that would fit. It's very easy to find women's that fit. At this point my orthopedic doctors suggest a 2- 2.5 inch heel all the time (but 4 is good too). I have large toe box so there are some brands and styles that just don't fit. 

[pebblesf]

5 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Brand name, don't really distinguish, I look at the style first. So whatever opportunity there is to grab a good pair of shoes, I take it, regardless of brand name. Have BCBG which I really really like. I have a bunch of Le Chateau from their clearance stores a long while back, some of which are really awesome shoes. Some Aldo, again clearance, but one of which is my "goto" right now. Some stuff ordered online, so Chinese which also works fine. My other "goto" is from a small clothing store here. Never bought Steve Madden, nor Onlymaker or any other styles, I have way too many shoes as is so really tend to stick to the bargain hunting...

You are so right, always look at the style first...  I love many different styles of boots, but am extremely particular at the same time.  I try to buy only leather boots, and do my best not to buy from China, but that seems near impossible these days...

[Breeheels]

4 hours ago, pebblesf said:

You are so right, always look at the style first...  I love many different styles of boots, but am extremely particular at the same time.  I try to buy only leather boots, and do my best not to buy from China, but that seems near impossible these days...

its hard not to buy made in China as even good brands are made in China these days. I certainly wont buy from China, havnt had one good experience out of three purchases. 

 

[hiddenheels]

4 hours ago, pebblesf said:

You are so right, always look at the style first...  I love many different styles of boots, but am extremely particular at the same time.  I try to buy only leather boots, and do my best not to buy from China, but that seems near impossible these days...

You're right in that leather ones are the best. They're just much nicer in quality...

[jeremy1986]

18 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Brand name, don't really distinguish, I look at the style first. So whatever opportunity there is to grab a good pair of shoes, I take it, regardless of brand name. Have BCBG which I really really like. I have a bunch of Le Chateau from their clearance stores a long while back, some of which are really awesome shoes. Some Aldo, again clearance, but one of which is my "goto" right now. Some stuff ordered online, so Chinese which also works fine. My other "goto" is from a small clothing store here. Never bought Steve Madden, nor Onlymaker or any other styles, I have way too many shoes as is so really tend to stick to the bargain hunting...

Same!

[mlroseplant]

All of these replies got me curious about my own collection, so I decided to make a more exact count. I say more exact, because things aren't as organized around here as they used to be, so this is not a 100% complete inventory. A couple of things surprised me a little bit, and one thing did not. The thing that did not surprise me is that, in response to those of you who mentioned being bargain hunters to the extreme, that is no longer me. I used to be loathe to shell out more than about 25 bucks for a pair of shoes, but no longer. It's not that I care what the name on it says, it's just that so often, the designer brands make the really cool shoes! As my financial situation has improved markedly in the last 7 or 8 years, I'm now willing to shell out more cash on a whim.

Anyway, the biggest surprise for me is how few Nine West shoes I own. 6. I thought it was a lot more. Perhaps it is because some of the first shoes in my collection were Nine West, and therefore burned into my mind more fundamentally, that I think I am a bigger fan than I actually am. So here's a rundown of the 76 pairs I counted, where I have 3 or more of one brand:

BCBG     14   (all of which are either sandals or clogs)

Nine West     6

Aldo     6

Michael Kors     6

Vera Wang     5

Steve Madden     4

Miu Miu     4

Sbicca     3

Balance (two pairs or fewer of the same brand) 28

 

[RonC]

Wow.  76 pairs?  That's a lot of shoes.  You would only need to wear each pair just under five times and you'd have the year covered!

[mlroseplant]

18 hours ago, RonC said:

Wow.  76 pairs?  That's a lot of shoes.  You would only need to wear each pair just under five times and you'd have the year covered!

That's probably not a full count, either. Back when 50 pairs of shoes seemed excessive, I used to say, "Yeah, but I actually wear them all!" Which was mostly true. Nowadays, I can tell you that I wear a much smaller percentage of my purchases. Most of the reason is because I went on a pump-buying splurge not quite a year ago. Then the pandemic hit. We quit going anywhere, and our church has been online for a long time. This pretty much guarantees that the dressier, more formal shoes aren't being worn. That would be an interesting statistic. How many shoes do I actually and accurately have, and what percentage have I worn outside the house, we'll say more than once just to make it a little more relevant. One year ago, I bet the percentage would have been over 90%. Now? Could be as low as 75%.

Edited December 18, 2020 by mlroseplant

[RonC]

Not that I have any real idea on how many you've worn, but 75% is still 57 different pairs of shoes.  Do you think you've actually worn 57 different pairs of shoes outside the house this year?  That's still an awfully big number.

[mlroseplant]

2 hours ago, RonC said:

Not that I have any real idea on how many you've worn, but 75% is still 57 different pairs of shoes.  Do you think you've actually worn 57 different pairs of shoes outside the house this year?  That's still an awfully big number.

Since I have gotten an unexpected vacation until Jan. 4, I have had time to do some more accurate statistics, since you asked.

I actually have 77 pairs of high heels, plus oh, maybe 10 pairs of non-high heels, but I'm not counting work boots, flat sandals, and athletic shoes anywhere in the 77. So, counting back from approximately a year ago, I come up with the following:

Worn at least once:  75.3% (pretty good guess, eh?)

Worn at least twice:  49.3%

Worn more than twice:  36.4% (in most cases, way more than twice, I guess you would consider this my core group of shoes)

Keep in mind that this includes 5 pairs of shoes which I acquired very recently, and haven't had a chance to wear outside, save for one new pair, which I have already worn more than twice. Three times, to be exact. I own two pairs which I can't walk in, or won't be seen trying to walk in if I have anything to say about it. I can pick out at least 5 pair that I really ought to divest myself of, for varying reasons. If I wanted to be very hard-nosed about it, I could probably get rid of 10 without too much trouble. Well, two for sure, haha. One of them doesn't fit right, and the other has either a bent or broken shank.

I hope this answers all of your questions! Yes, even during this pandemic (and this timeline includes the three months before any action was taken in this country due to the pandemic), I still manage to go out in heels a few times a week, even if it's just to get gas or to get groceries, or to walk around the neighborhood.

Edited December 18, 2020 by mlroseplant

[Chorlini]

On 12/16/2020 at 3:42 PM, hiddenheels said:

Brand name, don't really distinguish, I look at the style first. So whatever opportunity there is to grab a good pair of shoes, I take it, regardless of brand name. Have BCBG which I really really like. I have a bunch of Le Chateau from their clearance stores a long while back, some of which are really awesome shoes. Some Aldo, again clearance, but one of which is my "goto" right now. Some stuff ordered online, so Chinese which also works fine. My other "goto" is from a small clothing store here. Never bought Steve Madden, nor Onlymaker or any other styles, I have way too many shoes as is so really tend to stick to the bargain hunting...

Brand name does serve one important function though, you know what their sizing will be. You never really know if size X that fits with brand Y will fit with unknown brand Z. Especially with shoes bought from eBay or Aliexpress you're really playing a guess game. Same with shoes bought in stores. Not everyone dares to go in and sit down to fit. And many of us don't even have to bother as our feet are just too big to fit into anything that's available in retail.

[mlroseplant]

3 hours ago, Chorlini said:

Brand name does serve one important function though, you know what their sizing will be. You never really know if size X that fits with brand Y will fit with unknown brand Z. Especially with shoes bought from eBay or Aliexpress you're really playing a guess game. Same with shoes bought in stores. Not everyone dares to go in and sit down to fit. And many of us don't even have to bother as our feet are just too big to fit into anything that's available in retail.

Except when you don't. I'm looking at YOU Nine West, and sometimes BCBG. I will admit to being lucky having small, relatively symmetrical feet.

[hiddenheels]

7 hours ago, Chorlini said:

Brand name does serve one important function though, you know what their sizing will be. You never really know if size X that fits with brand Y will fit with unknown brand Z. Especially with shoes bought from eBay or Aliexpress you're really playing a guess game. Same with shoes bought in stores. Not everyone dares to go in and sit down to fit. And many of us don't even have to bother as our feet are just too big to fit into anything that's available in retail.

As @mlroseplant said, except when you don't. Aldo, at least for me, seems to be this way. Same with Le Chateau. Have a really comfortable size 10 4" ankle boot that fits perfectly with socks, and another size 10 that I can barely put on without socks or with hose. So I gave up on predicting sizes.

[RonC]

I don't think there is a brand out there where every "size 10" will fit the same.  I haven't found any for sure.  I think the style of the shoe has more to do with fit than any other factor.  Closed, pointy toe pumps are almost always a snug fit as compared to a more rounded toe shoe, but I've tried some rounded toe shoes and not been able to get my foot into them in my typical size. But in general, I would say more tapered toe box styles will fit more snugly.

[Chorlini]

On 12/19/2020 at 1:51 PM, mlroseplant said:

Except when you don't. I'm looking at YOU Nine West, and sometimes BCBG. I will admit to being lucky having small, relatively symmetrical feet.

 

On 12/19/2020 at 5:42 PM, hiddenheels said:

As @mlroseplant said, except when you don't. Aldo, at least for me, seems to be this way. Same with Le Chateau. Have a really comfortable size 10 4" ankle boot that fits perfectly with socks, and another size 10 that I can barely put on without socks or with hose. So I gave up on predicting sizes.

Okay, not everything might fit, depending on the style of shoe, but generally you know that when you're buying a Pleaser size EU43 you're not going to get something that will fit on only a baby's feet. Whereas with stuff from Ali there is neither rhyme nor reason to their many sizings.

[mlroseplant]

On 12/19/2020 at 10:42 AM, hiddenheels said:

As @mlroseplant said, except when you don't. Aldo, at least for me, seems to be this way. Same with Le Chateau. Have a really comfortable size 10 4" ankle boot that fits perfectly with socks, and another size 10 that I can barely put on without socks or with hose. So I gave up on predicting sizes.

I have noticed over the years that boots in general, even Aldos, tend to be a bit more generous compared to a shoe in the same nominal size. As if they expect you to wear heavy socks with boots, which totally makes sense. Except when it doesn't. I have a pair of BCBGeneration boots, in my normal size 9, which are definitely on the smallish side. Which is a bit odd, because with their sandals, I really almost need a size 8, as they tend to run a little large. Go figure.

8 hours ago, Chorlini said:

 

Okay, not everything might fit, depending on the style of shoe, but generally you know that when you're buying a Pleaser size EU43 you're not going to get something that will fit on only a baby's feet. Whereas with stuff from Ali there is neither rhyme nor reason to their many sizings.

Hey, I resemble that remark! 🤣

But yeah, I get it. Some of these Chinese no-name shoes are not only wildly inaccurate in sizing numbers, they're often shaped and proportioned really strangely. Like, NOBODY has toes that long or that short. I have only had one 100% positive experience with a "no-name" pair of shoes, but I've definitely had some very negative ones.

[MMM]

If anyone ever get a chance do travel do Brazil 🇧🇷, this are shoes brands that produce fairy nice shoes with sizes normally up to 12W. 
 

- Constance

- AuBottier

- Dominio da Moda

- Cacielli

Any other suggestions from Brazilian Heelers?