[galligator]

I love some of the designer shoes, but with the large number of shoes I own already, I can rotate & they will last a long time - even if they are synthetics or glued styles. I hate spending more than $150 on a pair of shoes or $200 on boots. That said, I did buckle & buy a Prada pump on sale that would never get down to the bargain price I would have wished for - but most items that I am interested in are available in similar styles by lower end labels ($90-200) at retail prices that allow them to be purchased off season at a true bargain price. I am balancing value per dollar, & most high-end designers don't quite give me that for the wear I will get from a shoe. I have been quite lucky that styles from Betsey Johnson, Seychelles, Kenzie, & Steve Madden, among others, are a good fit for a medium width Higher arch foot. So many higher end labels only make narrow widths & aren't sized for enough arch variations, that I will prefer those that make my feet happy in extended wear.

For those of us who aren't made of money, we have to find a balance in these things, and mid-range is a good place to play & get both style & value.