The Breakdown: Designer Heels

Labor Lower-end brands typically cut costs by manufacturing in South America or Asia, or by relying only on computer-controlled machines. Many Ferragamo shoes, though, are made by hand—and exclusively in Italy.

Selection With the average woman’s shoe size hovering around 7, brands like Guess save money by making a range of 5 1/2 to 11 in medium width only, leaving slim pickings for those with smaller- or larger-than-average feet. By following founder Salvatore Ferragamo’s goal to fit all his fans, the label offers its shoes in sizes 4 to 12 and in as many as five different widths, which yields more than 50 size combinations, as opposed to just a dozen.

Material While less expensive designers like Steve Madden often use cheaper, weaker polyurethane blends in their shoes’ uppers—the portion that covers the top of the foot—Ferragamo employs resilient full-grain leather, much of it colored with transparent aniline dyes that prevent fading without chemically altering the material.

Time The Rendez platform shown here required a total of 10 days to craft: five spent on the last (the technical name for a foot mold) to give the leather the proper shape, and five spent in the hands of a skilled Italian cobbler.

Durability A tough backbone of steel shank lends heavy-duty support to even the most delicate-looking designs. Ferragamo added the metal piece to his heels in 1952 to ensure they’d be the most secure spikes on the market.

Longevity Rather than ending in plastic nubs that tend to fall off after a few wears, these heels have taps made of strong, durable rubber—perfect for standing up to Boston’s cobblestone streets.

Comfort Unlike their mass-produced counterparts, which often have plastic or hard rubber soles, well-crafted shoes usually consist of hand-stacked leather, which provides extra cushioning by absorbing the impact between foot and pavement.

Wearability When worn without tights, synthetic-lined versions from chains like Aldo are almost guaranteed to leave your feet clammy before your midmorning coffee break. However, the best-made shoes use the finest and softest Italian kidskin, which is naturally porous enough to allow your feet to breathe all day long.

History The new Copley outpost is not Ferragamo’s only brush with the Hub. Before making his name in 1920s Hollywood—where his star-studded repertoire later included Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and Marilyn Monroe’s on-the-grate pumps—young Salvatore worked briefly as a cobbler in Boston. Straight off the boat from Italy, he made the city his first stateside home.