I used to swear by Wittner shoes but in the last few years they must have changed their quality standards because all five pairs that I've purchased since 2012 have been terrible quality while their prices have gone up. I bought a pair of patent leather shoes last year (2016) and after ONE wear the patent leather was cracked and damaged. Another pair of flat boots that I purchased in the same month had the plastic heel cap drop off after TWO wears (!!!) (luckily they replaced the heel caps for free but it's definitely an indication of very poor manufacturing standards). I've finally decided after being a 10+ year customer that I'm not buying their shoes anymore because the brand quality has gone from great sturdy shoes that you can wear every day to death, to absolutely cheap garbage. Disappointing.