The department store diffusion lines, such as Bitten, some of the Target GO designers, Simply Vera et al… you find indvidual items which are real finds, are expressive of that designer and are practical/wearable/comfortable. But you have to sift thoroughly. I rarely find shoes in that category though.

Because she grew up hillbilly poor she wants to bring super-fantastic to the masses at cheap prices. Far better to have a smaller, better-quality line manufactured in those areas so the peoples have jobs. I think. But, I suppose she doesn’t have the capital for that kind of business.

It’s true that sometimes more expensive is not necessarily better made. And, Made in the USA (or Italy, for example) is not necessarily Made in USA (or Italy).

It’s boring of me, I know, but I tend to stick to a brand I find that has good quality and reasonable business practices (like Simple shoes, for instance.) Because I have to order clothes & shoes online, I’m reasonably sure of the fit!

“Soaring energy and raw material costs, a falling dollar and new business rules here are forcing Chinese factories to increase the prices of their exports….

“American consumers could see prices increase by as much as 10 percent this year on specific products — including toys, clothing, footwear and other consumer goods….

“In the longer term, higher costs in China could spell the end of an era of ultra-cheap goods….”

“Chinese imports … make up much bigger shares of several popular categories, including about 80 percent of toys, 85 percent of footwear, and 40 percent of clothing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/01/business/worldbusiness/01inflate.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&th&emc=th