2668 Are expensive shoes worth it?

You probably don't think $90 is expensive for a pair of shoes, but it's about $80 more than my favorite pair that has held up for three years. Perhaps I shouldn't be depending on a librarian for fashion advice, but Blonde Librarian who is living in Germany says that white athletic shoes really give you away as an American. I don't know why that should be bad, but I remember we used to chuckle at the German exchange students who even in high school wore hose and sandals for every day wear when everyone with a plug of sense knew you should be wearing white, roll down anklets and suede tie oxfords.

But I digress. About three months ago I went to the New Balance store in the Tuttle Mall for some hoity-toity, colored athletic shoes. Well, I didn't want them to glow in the dark or enable me to leap tall buildings with a single bound or be wrapped in velcro, so I chose a very handsome sleek black leather loafer style by the Dunham label. I was even able to get them in 8.5AA, my size. But they were $90, with a 90 day wear guarantee.

I broke them in gradually so they would be comfortable on our trip to Finland and Russia, beginning with about an hour a day. I even wore them a few times on short one mile walks to make sure they wouldn't be a disaster for a day outing. They are extremely comfortable and I don't feel like I've dressed from the missionary barrel when I wear them. This week I noticed that the inside lining is starting to disintegrate and I can feel the impression of my foot and toes on the inside--like I might expect if these were a year old or more. All shoes these days are made in China, but not all Chinese shoes are equally durable. You can keep your snooty name brands and expensive advertising; it's back to K-Mart for me.