While every woman has at least a couple of spendy dress shoes in her closet, it's also true that cheap dress shoes can be the way to go on many occasions. The more expensive dress shoes are well-constructed, soft as butter and allow you to walk comfortably for significant distances, or at least stand in for hours, as you mingle at a party.
On the other side, perhaps the poster child of cheap dress shoes are the one-occasion wear shoes. For example, a pair of shoes dyed-to-match a bridesmaid's dress probably won't get an encore at another event. Another example might be a pair of espadrilles, perfect for a particular sun dress, but nothing else. Sometimes we buy a cute pair of cheap dress shoes, just because they're on sale and will work with lots of outfits. Most of us have more shoes than we could possibly use, so cheap dress shoes fulfill a woman's desire for a wide range of foot wear from which to choose, while keeping the budget in line.
My personal definition of dress shoes is any shoe that isn't a sneaker or utilitarian sandal. Any other shoe in the closet should be able to be worn with dresses or slacks and be able to dress up a pair of shorts or jeans. However, when it comes to price, I'll only go for that eloquently sculpted pair of Italian shoes when I know I'll get considerable wear out of it. Otherwise, I look on the low end side of the shoe racks for cheap dress shoes that I'll use only occasionally. If the shoe you're looking at is cute, inexpensive, will look great with your office wear and your job does not entail a lot of walking, why spend more?
When shopping for cheap dress shoes, you do need to check a few things before you buy: if the heel of the shoe is 3 inches high, or more, check how well that heel is attached to the shoe. This is the most common flaw in the cheap shoe offerings. It's embarrassing and can even be dangerous to lose that heel suddenly, going down a flight of stairs or sitting down to a business meeting.
If that oh-so-cute and inexpensive pair of shoes has thin, criss-cross straps, examine the method by which those straps are attached. Chances are that they are glued, not stitched. If your foot eventually stretches one or two straps, they're apt to come unglued at inconvenient moments. If the heel of the shoe doesn't have a good tip on it, get one put on at the shoemaker's ASAP. Once the tip wears down, there's no bringing back that shoe!
Other than these few caveats, a good stock of cheap dress shoes is a good thing! Having a large 'wardrobe' of shoes creates the impression that you're well-heeled indeed, giving a new flavor to your clothing and accessories. Think of it this way. If the shoes cost $20 and you wear them just eight times, that comes to $2.50 per wearing. Bet you spend more on coffee!
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