Brand Name Shoes - Are They Worth It?

When Shoes.com boasts that they carry over two hundred plus brand name shoes, you have to wonder just how many brands are there of women's shoes today? And what exactly is not a brand name? Hardly ever does one go into a shopping mall or shoe store and see shoes without a box bearing some name or form of maker identification.

There are certain qualities that women associate with name brands of shoes. For example, Steve Madden is a shoe associated with the chic teen to mid twenties demographic. They make hip street shoes and classy evening shoes. They are known for being expensive, a lot like Doc Martens, but can be found in malls all over the country. Their direct competition includes Sketchers and Kenneth Cole, both names associated with quality in shoe production.

Brands like Birkenstock, Ecco, Mephisto, and Merrell go hand in hand with the styles of today's ladies comfort shoes. These companies provide sandals and athletic shoes for any sort of outdoor activity. Like all name brands, their prices range. We all know that Birkenstocks can be upwards of a hundred and thirty dollars but found at the right time in the right store, you can find them for as low as forty or fifty. This is quite reasonable when you take into account the superiority of this brand's materials, women don't mind paying high prices for these name brand shoes.

In terms of sneakers, or tennis shoes, there are a million brand names. Sometimes we associate certain names with time periods. When I was growing up and in the decade before, Keds were the big running shoe. They were rivaled by PF Flyers and Chuck tailors, which still hold their worth today; many women wear Converse as an every day quality walking shoe. Also big in the 1980's were the BK Knights and K Swiss tennis shoes. It is amusing to see that K Swiss are now coming back into style; their commercials hyping them as street credible name brand shoes.

Nine West and Capezio are brand name women's shoes that have been around for a good three decades now but still remain on the forefront of shoe sales. These companies make comfortable shoes that fit well with the executive woman, the school teacher, or the home maker. They range from basic flats to elegant heels. Whatever style you are looking for, they have. So does it matter what brand name shoe you buy? Sure. But even if it is a name brand, not all shoes are created alike and it is up to the buyer to determine which shoe is right for them.