Where is the Leather???

[bambam]

I have been looking for a couple pairs of boots/shoes for the cold months here, and have been running into pair after pair of faux/fake/vegan/plastic materials, and poor craftsmanship in my options. I have some great Frye boots and Michael Kors pumps/sandals, all made of real leather, that I can trust to last a while if I take care of them, and at least not to break while out and about. Anybody having a similar issue finding well made shoes these days? I really don't want to spend another dime on a Chinese made 'option', it is like throwing money away...

 

 

Leather, Glorious Leather!!

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by bambam

[Shyheels]

And often the leather one does find these days is scarcely worthy of the name. I’m really pleased that I invested a few pair of custom boots that are made with gorgeous leather, with both boots and leather produced in France.

I totally get the idea of not wanting to buy cheap and nasty made-in-China junk. Good leather is possible to find, but you have to pay out for it.

[pebblesf]

5 hours ago, bambam said:

I have been looking for a couple pairs of boots/shoes for the cold months here, and have been running into pair after pair of faux/fake/vegan/plastic materials, and poor craftsmanship in my options. I have some great Frye boots and Michael Kors pumps/sandals, all made of real leather, that I can trust to last a while if I take care of them, and at least not to break while out and about. Anybody having a similar issue finding well made shoes these days? I really don't want to spend another dime on a Chinese made 'option', it is like throwing money away...

 

 

Leather, Glorious Leather!!

 

I hear ya for sure, you really have to go out of your way to avoid buying bombarded with chinese faux/man made stuff.  I don't buy anything that isn't leather anymore, but it is a pain sifting through on the online junkola in an effort to find decent heels.

[Shyheels]

THere seems to be a general cheapening of everythhing these days - not in cost, mind, just the qualty of manufacturing and materials. 

[mlroseplant]

I think that part of the problem is also that people just want more stuff now, and I cannot claim innocence in going along with this trend. It is difficult for me to imagine going back to having a couple of pairs of shoes that I wear every day. I must also admit to softening my standards about buying only leather shoes. I can get by with it for many of my shoes, like sandals, as long as the structure is sturdy. I wouldn't necessarily want to put my feet into plastic boots for several hours, but in certain cases, going with all man made material is acceptable.

When it comes to stuff actually falling apart and/or failing catastrophically, I've dealt with my fair share of that, and frankly, I have not tended to favor more expensive shoes in terms of durability. In general, it has been my experience that the designer shoes tend to fail suddenly, though they look wonderful when you have to throw them out, whereas the cheap shoes don't break on you, but eventually they get so worn and ratty looking in some way that you have to get rid of them.

[Shyheels]

This next year I am going to be paring down my possessions considerably, living off grid in a tiny, cute and comfortable space that will allow for little in the way of clutter. Already paring things down drastically and feeling all the better for it. No reason to get rid of any of my tall boots though - I’ve only a few pair, they’re all beautifully made and designed to last. 

[mlroseplant]

I will not deny the appeal of minimalism, both personally and for the planet. However, my musical instrument collection alone would prevent me from living in something the size of a conex. And I can't really feel bad about having all that, because between my son and me, all of the instruments get played fairly regularly. Ironically, the instruments that are never or rarely played also are very small, such as the flute. There is no one in this house that doesn't suck at the flute, and we don't care that we suck at the flute. We are low pitch instrument people in general.

Having blabbed on too far about that, I was once in a spot where I felt I could justify my shoe collection. I could justify it because I could say, "Yeah, 50 pair is a lot, but I actually wear all of them. Well, except for three." Now I'm hovering around 90 at last count, and I can't really say that anymore. There is a point at which it becomes excessive, and that point for me personally is somewhere between 50 and 90 pairs of shoes.

And now, for something completely different, I was attempting to choose a pair of shoes last night to attend church choir rehearsal. I knew I was going to have to move quite a bit of heavy equipment around, so I didn't want to wear something super tall. It was at that point I realized that I don't have any enclosed shoes that are not super tall, except for a couple of pairs of clogs that are mid heels. One of them is my original pair of Söfft clogs I bought as my first pair of real heels for myself. The other is a pair of Dansko wedge heeled clogs, which are probably almost the same height as the Söffft, but a wedge instead of a block heel.

My point is that both are leather shoes, and both have aged well, looks wise. The difference is, the Danskos are all leather, except for the sole, and the Söfft are leather uppers with a plastic sock liner. I was reminded last night why I don't wear the Söfft clogs much any more, despite them being a great looking and practical shoe. They make my feet sweat. Finding a leather pair of shoes that are actually all leather has definitely become harder, and has gotten considerably more expensive in the last 10 years. I would guess it's even worse for something that uses a lot of leather, like a knee high boot.

[Shyheels]

Yes, leather lined makes a huge difference in comfort - and cost, but the extra is totally worth it. Much better to have fewer pairs, in favour of comfort, quality and fit.

Finding space for me camera gear is going to be a challenge in my new off grid living quarters, but I’ll simply have to be creative and find the space. A fun challenge.

[mlroseplant]

Wore the Dansko clogs last night to another church meeting. They are FAR superior in every way except looks. 100% leather does make a big difference.

 

[bootsmike]

On 11/15/2022 at 8:02 PM, Shyheels said:

And often the leather one does find these days is scarcely worthy of the name. I’m really pleased that I invested a few pair of custom boots that are made with gorgeous leather, with both boots and leather produced in France.

I totally get the idea of not wanting to buy cheap and nasty made-in-China junk. Good leather is possible to find, but you have to pay out for it.

I hope you don't mind if I ask, but did you by any chance have these boots manufactured by Jean Gaborit?

[Shyheels]

1 hour ago, bootsmike said:

I hope you don't mind if I ask, but did you by any chance have these boots manufactured by Jean Gaborit?

Indeed I did!

[bootsmike]

On 6/5/2023 at 6:20 PM, Shyheels said:

Indeed I did!

Nice!! It's a great company. I have 2 pairs of Jean Gaborit boots and although they are already many years old they still look awesome.

[Shyheels]

I love their boots - the fit, the leather, the craftsmanship are all just superb and as you say they are made to last. And made in France too, not some Far East sweatshop