I quite often are asked what distinguishes shoes in different price ranges, and I’ve also written a lot of posts on this topic. Here I highlight one thing I have come to think of more and more recently when I look at the shoes, and that’s how the heel so to speak flows together with the upper part. An area where you in general quite clearly see a difference between shoes in different price ranges.
If you take a look at the shoes you have in the lower price segments (and now we’re only talking about thise with a so-called 260 degrees sole stitch, those which goes all the way around the heel obviously always have a larger edge, and so it should be) they usually have a heel that is cut relatively far out from the upper heel area, it is likely two-three millimeters or so that goes out, and it gives the impression that the top so to speak is placed on the heel. Among the more expensive RTW shoes and especially on completely handmade shoes like these above from the Japanese Hiro Yanagimachi, the heel is often cut very tight on the upper providing an almost seamless transition between the parts. They flow together in my eyes in a more harmonious way. When the heel is also little tapered as it is above, it becomes an even smoother transition. This is of course a matter of taste whether you care about this or not, and it’s of course not the only thing that distinguishes different price ranges, but in addition to the more defined things like material, construction, finish, etc., it’s these kinds of details which comes with the higher price you pay.
