[iSlingback]

I am squarely in category two. I wish I could afford to be in category one but I just can't. I'm actually kind of depressed after going to the purse blog and reading about other's fabulous shoe collections and seeing them..(Kudos to them though if they have it like that). I like quality and I think designer/couture shoes have a level of quality but it does not mean they are the only game in town. I've actually read some disparaging things about major designers level of quality.

I recently read a good article about the perception luxury and how nowadays there is "mass" luxury not true luxury. It cited that some American designers were no longer considered luxury brands globally. I found it quite interesting. So to me..I asked myself what is true luxury. And who is to say that there are not unknown designers, lesser known designers that can provide that quality? I am hoping to find those designers and interview them for my own website. It's not always about paying a lot of money, but there is a whole school of thought or perception there is value in shelling out hundreds of dollars for shoes. I have a pair of boots I spent hundreds on and the first day I wore them, the heel broke. These are designer boots. I questioned quality right then as I lay in the front yard with a sprained ankle. I had neve paid so much for a pair of boots and they nearly killed me.