Super-expensive high heels like the Manolo Blahniks worn by Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City" are all the rage, but the pricey designer heels don't always stack up to their much cheaper counterparts.
Consumer Reports tested a pair of $570 black Manolos against a $69 pair from Nine West and a $30 pair of Mossimos from Target.
More than a dozen eager magazine employees volunteered to walk in the heels over a defined course twice a day for a week in each pair of shoes -- and fill out a ballot each time.
The labels were covered so the women couldn't tell which ones were the less expensive brand and which were the expensive ones.
Most of the women thought two pairs looked and felt pretty good. But the $30 pair from Target didn't fare as well during testing.
"I was holding onto the wall when I was walking around the building testing them," said tester Cathy Cotters.
"These shoes were the most uncomfortable of the ones that we tested," said Lisa Gill.
To test the shoe construction, Consumer Reports took the heels and sawed them in half.
Mandy Walker said overall the Manolos were a better-made shoe.
"The materials they were made of were superior, and many of the women liked the styling, too," she said.
But you don't have to break the bank to have comfortable and stylish heels.
In the blind test, the women thought the $69 Nine West heels were the easiest on the feet.
Walker says no matter what the cost, comfort should remain the biggest concern.
"Determine the style you want, what your budget is, and if they feel good when you walk around in them, buy them."
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Shannon Paterson
