Differing Heel Heights in the Same Model Shoe

[mlroseplant]

I know this is a topic I have visited before, but I have some new examples of this somewhat strange phenomenon. My first example is almost not worth including because the difference is quite minimal, but it's measurable. I have two examples of the Steve Madden "Klory," which I consider to be the perfect all around pump, but for the fact that it isn't leather. I am willing to put up with this because they are otherwise quite comfortable, and I can't think of an occasion in the last several years where I would wear a pair of pumps for more than a few hours at a time. At any rate, the nude or beige Klorys (which is the pair I bought first) measure 4 5/8" up the back of the heel. The black ones, which are the same exact size, same exact model, measure 4 3/4". This is in some ways hardly worth noting, because you notice it neither from wearing them nor looking at them without benefit of a measuring device. Even side by side, you don't really notice it until you place them as I have them pictured here.

The next example is also from Steve Madden. This model is called "Daisie," and is pretty similar to the Klory, but has thinner stiletto heels, and perhaps slightly more pointed toes. However, there is a remarkable difference between the nude patent and the tan patent colors. The nude comes in at 4 5/8", just like the Klory, but the tan pair measures only 4 3/8". Again, same model, same size, different color. This difference is quite noticeable both visually and in actual use.

The last example I have for today are my True Religion open toe mules, model name unknown. I have had four pairs of these over the years, but the first two are long gone for reasons which I won't get into in this post. I have about 100 miles on the black pair, and they have the potential to become my most durable heels ever. Since this is a model that was offered more than 10 years ago, I saw the brown ones and figured I'd better snap them up--you don't see them around so often anymore. Imagine my surprise when I try on my new brown ones, and yeah, they're a little snug, but something else is off, too. It turns out that the brown pair's heels are 4 3/4", while my old black pair is 4 1/2". The difference is actually more than 1/4", but I'm not measuring to the 1/32". Even I am not quite that geeky.

[Jkrenzer]

I haven't really seen this too often, surprisingly. I do often line up my heels when I get multiple pairs of the same shoe.

Steve Madden has changed manufacturing locations on occasion,  wonder if that may have anything to do with that.

[Shyheels]

I think it is something that goes back to a lack of, or disregard for, quality control in the Asian sweatshops where shoes and clothes of all sorts are made, and to a broad disdain the global companies and their hedge-fund owners have for the “little people” who buy their products. My wife purchases clothes from Marks & Spencer and very often finds considerable size difference is what is meant to be the same marked size of an item - eg: she can pick up three size 10 shirts of the same style and colour and find an inch or more difference in length or width measurement. To say nothing of misalignments and crooked stitching. It’s the world we live in these days.

[mlroseplant]

I don't necessarily have a problem with the overall quality of any of the products I mentioned above, I just find it curious that they would differ in that one specific way. I have doubles of several other shoes, and these three are the only ones like this. I have experienced this twice in the past. Once was the same as the current situation, where I had three different colors of the same model shoe, and all three heel heights were different for no discernible reason. The other instance of this was a mystery at the time, but is now explained. I had bought several different pairs of Michael Kors sandals which were all based on the same basic platform (no pun intended). Some of the heels measured 5 1/8", some of them 5 1/2". I finally figured out that for this particular platform, the line of demarcation is between sizes 8 1/2 and 9. If I bought a 9, I'd get a 5 1/2" heel. If I bought an 8 1/2, I'd get a 5 1/8" heel. I'm guessing that they use the exact same heel for a certain range of sizes, and don't have a gradually increasing heel height for each discrete size.

[Jkrenzer]

I have seen the same thing. It seems like they may have 4 or 5 heels to cover the smallest to largest shoes. Saves inventory and as such money. Some really bad manufacturers use only one heel for all. You see a size 8 modeled and assume the look to be the same. You buy an 11, only to to be disappointed at the low height. I questioned manufacturers about this and they just say the height is as stated in the listing.

[Shyheels]

But if the height is inconsistent than that is surely a matter of quality control - even if the durability and materials are suitable.

To be sure the better manufacturers adjust the height of the heel with  the size of the shoe to keep the lines and proportions consistent. Italian Heels even provided a chart on their website giving the precise heel height for a given size based on the “standard” heel height for the model. 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Shyheels

[Jkrenzer]

Italian heels is a great manufacturer. In general all European products have this in common.  Most middle tier suppliers don't tell you specifically but do state the heel height based on a specific size and often state height is different according to size. The cheaper guys say a height and don't make any other statement. I never buy without reading the reviews and seeing pic's in the reviews. 

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

Italian heels is a great manufacturer. In general all European products have this in common.  Most middle tier suppliers don't tell you specifically but do state the heel height based on a specific size and often state height is different according to size. The cheaper guys say a height and don't make any other statement. I never buy without reading the reviews and seeing pic's in the reviews. 

FSJ shoes are the worst about this. I honestly don't know if their heels get gradually taller with larger sizes or not, but their photos are always misleading. Pretty consistently, the first photo, the one they will use as the main photo, will show a shoe that looks like it's in the 5+ inch range. What you actually get is something like 4-ish inches. The set of photos that shows when you click on the product does in fact show the actual, lower heels, but they look nothing like that first picture that made you click in the first place. In my limited experience, they're not horrible shoes, but they for whatever reason purposefully attempt to misrepresent their product in a subtle way.

[Jkrenzer]

Several of the knock offs like FSJ show images of the real shoe they are sort of copying. At least FSJ will show actual item photos later in the images, there are several that don't make an attempt. 

I buy many Chinese knock offs, occasionally get fooled, but only now buy once I see customer images of heels at or near my size. 

[Cali]

I have many duplicates (different colors) of heels bought about the same time.  If I like the shoes, I will sometimes buy a second pair in a different color before they are gone. I haven't check them all, but those I have check have been the same height.   

[Histiletto]

These types of reviews seem to be the reputation of many suppliers from the Asian market, where the product received has the type of heels ordered, but otherwise they have little to no quality and resemblance to the pictured advertisement. I ordered a pair of kitten heels by the presented pictures, but when I received and tried to put them on, the counters completely collapsed and folded around the heel support. Other pairs of heels from Asia had the pointed toe box significantly longer than the advertised pictures that sold me on the look. So I don't trust these markets as a whole. Many years ago I dealt with Peter of 6 Inch Heels Forever, which was fairly new on the Asian market and was able to get the shoes as ordered after many clarifying emails were communicated.