Why are women's shoes so expensive?

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Not all women's shoes, but rather the designer fashion stuff. I mean, other than for the mere fact just because they can?

I was flipping through a Nordstrom catalog today (wife's). Holy moly! $775 for a pair of Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals?! $850 for a pair of Jimmy Choos? What exactly makes these shoes so obscenely expensive, other than the label? Materials? Workmanship? Style/elan/flair factor? All-day wearing comfort?

What do I just not get?

crustychief · crustychief's Garage

They are expensive because there are people that pay for them. I don't get it either.

Kevin4053 · Kevin4053's Garage

Exactly what crustychief said.
Kevin

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

I see women wearing those sorts of shoes and it looks like money to me.

They charge more because they can.

My wife got some Prada shoes at a consignment store for $20, asked me if I could fix the heel. I fixed it and ask her what she would have done if they could not be fixed. She was willing to risk the twenty bucks, because they were $800 shoes.

sc_rufctr · 11-14-2010, 10:24 PM

Yes, they are expensive and you're paying for the label but to be fair your also paying for the country of origin.

The most expensive and nicest shoes are Italian. That is made in Italy 100%... Even the leather is tanned there.
Mind you not all Italian shoes are like this.
The most expensive and nicest handbags are French made.

Some women will pay just about anything they can afford and the manufacturers know this and design their products accordingly.
But the people in this industry are perfectionists and this shows in their work.

FYI:

Jimmy Choos (Malaysian)... Hand made in Italy. The guy is considered a design genius.
Manolo Blahnik (Spanish)... Again, hand made in Italy. Also considered a design genius.

IMHO A beautiful women in fine shoes is a thing to behold.

aigel · aigel's Garage

It is like Porsches. They are not worth the money people pay for them. They also are seriously marked up compared to say a Corvette and people will pay the jacked price.

No, I don't understand $800 shoes either. I do understand overpriced sports cars though.

G

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noah930

...

I was flipping through a Nordstrom catalog today ...

you have all missed the important question here...

sc_rufctr · 11-14-2010, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWebb

you have all missed the important question here...

And what is that?

widgeon13 · 11-15-2010, 02:54 AM

Why are you looking at women's shoes? That's the question I'd be asking.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Watch the TV show "How it's Made" and you'll see how many hours and manual steps are involved in making "high-end" shoes. It's truly amazing...

A930Rocket · 11-15-2010, 03:10 AM

My 16 y/o daughter got mad at mom because she wouldn't buy her a pair of $200 jeans Saturday. $200 jeans? WTF?

widgeon13 · 11-15-2010, 03:16 AM

it's a racket, women's clothes are always more expensive than men's. Thanks heaven, my wife is a bargain hunter.

sc_rufctr · 11-15-2010, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

it's a racket, women's clothes are always more expensive than men's. Thanks heaven, my wife is a bargain hunter.

It is but if you think about it most things are a "racket".

What do we realy need to live? ...

VINMAN · 11-15-2010, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Why are you looking at women's shoes? That's the question I'd be asking.

Funny how this comes up right after the doll thread.......

widgeon13 · 11-15-2010, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Funny how this comes up right after the doll thread.......

I'd prefer not to go back there.

sc_rufctr · 11-15-2010, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

I'd prefer not to go back there.

I though the thread about the dog and blond in the forest was worse.

widgeon13 · 11-15-2010, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I though the thread about the dog and blond in the forest was worse.

There are a few threads here where you just look once and never go back. And then there are those which you wish you never viewed in the first place. Should be a skull and crossbones symbol for some of them.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

What's worse than paying $800 for a pair of shoes is that my wife will only wear them once or twice a year. And she'll buy more and more of them. She's such a clothes hoarded that our closets are filled to the gills and she's keeping stuff in her car now. Drives me insane.

Scuba Steve · 11-15-2010, 04:56 AM

I feel that way about some posters on occasion...

javadog · 11-15-2010, 04:59 AM

These sorts of shoes are just status symbols. A Manolo Blahnik shoe isn't better than say, a Ferragamo shoe, nor is it more comfortable. In fact, the opposite is true. It's just that, for a time, the guy that designs them was the "it" guy in the shoe biz. Popular culture supported him, whether it was product placement in "Sex and the City" or a weekly mention of which vapid little starlett was wearing his shoes that week in the back pages of People magazine.

I once bought my wife a pair of the things while on a trip to San Francisco. She was so happy with her purchase that she encouraged me to buy a Lamborghini that I had looked at earlier on the trip. That turned out to be a very good investment.

She can't stand to wear the shoes for more than a few minutes but I'm glad I bought them...

JR