You might think that these shoes were old as dirt, from the looks of them. Wrong. I bought them new last year from Steve Madden (the Troopa boot) and I am utterly and completely irked that they are so low-quality. The backs of the heels, which looked like wood or leather, appear to be made from packing materials, and the soles split clean down the middle.
They cost about $100. Where I come from, that’s a decent amount of money to spend on shoes! $100 should buy shoes that last longer than 6 months. So, I won’t be making my very occasional new shoe purchase at Steve Madden. I’m not even sure they’re worth repairing.
I think Orson says it better than I could:
On the positive side, I thought I’d share some pics of my newly restored thrifted cowboy boots! I wore the crap out of them, walking everywhere in them for a few years straight. I finally took them in to get repaired, et voila!
New leather soles with Vibram rubber over top to make them last longer, plus a new heel. I’m smitten! They’re broken in perfectly but still feel new somehow.
Ooh, I'm not sure where you live, but here in NYC you can get boots re-soled for about $12. I do it all the time since my boots get beaten up from so much walking, and it sure beats throwing away boots you love!
That's amazing! I'm in Seattle and it seems to vary between $10 – $40 depending on how trashed the boots are!