shoe material - Page 2

Dr. Shoe · 2nd May 2008, 20:52

Actually, if they say "all man made materials" then you will not find anything in the shoe that has been anywhere near an animal. Leather is perceived by the consumer to be a better quality material so they will tend to say that it has some leather in it if it has.

In point of fact, leather isn't always the best quality material. Even very high quality shoes have resin soles because it is hard wearing, leather has to be treated and waterproofed and once this layer has worn through then the shoes need to be resoled. With a resin sole, it is waterproof all the way through.

PU is a fantastic material for shoemaking. It has no flaws so therefore you get fewer failures and a pair of properly made PU shoes will have all the qualities of leather shoes and more. Some manufacturers use PU for durability and waterproofing and line in leather or fabric so that it will wick sweat away from the foot,

roniheels · 3rd May 2008, 02:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Shoe

If a shoe is advertsied as leather then it should be made from leather. Be careful though because some will say "leather like material" this will almost certainly be PU.

Some will list shoes as patent, this will almost certainly not be leather unless they are listed as patent leather.

The shiny coating is plastic and usually applied to the poorer grade leathers as it was invented as a way to use up leather that would otherwise have been thrown away...

Dr. Shoe ...

You have a very good point. Most of my high heels are patent leather, not just patent. They seem to wear better and hold up better that some calfskin pumps that I have. You pay for what you get, and you get what you pay for.

gwl1 · 3rd May 2008, 02:42

Durability issues aside, one of the main advantages to leather is that it will conform to the shape of your foot better and faster than plastic materials which are stiffer and therefore less conforming. That means a lot greater comfort.

With real leather, a trick I use is to take a morning shower or bath with the new heels (fun in itself, but careful not to slip in the shower and bust your butt), and then wear them the rest of the day until they dry. I always do this with nylon stockings so the shoes can dry and perspiration will wick away. By the end of the day the shoes have conformed to my foot very well, and the next time I wear them, they fit like they were molded for me (which in fact they were!). Try it yourself for a good fit.

The technique can work with vinyl and other materials, but not as well, and it may take several tries.

GWL