Kristina M.
Yelp
I took my $1000+ Manolo Blahnik wedding shoes to Maida's because I experienced severe discomfort wearing them during my wedding dress fittings. He suggested putting a little insert on the ball of the foot, inside. I asked if he could put them under the lining since wedding shoes often tend to be photographed on their own, and I didn't want granny-looking inserts showing in my MB's.
He said of course, no problem, leave them with him and he'll take care of them first thing in the morning when his hands are perfectly clean (reassuring, since the shoes are made of light pink satin).
I never received a call that they were ready. A week later I called and after hunting through tickets his wife finally found my shoes and said she assumed they were ready but didn't know what specifically was done to them.
I showed up and examined the lining of my shoes and was appalled, inwardly. What had once been the smooth, calf-colored insole of the perfect shoe was now wrinkly and detached around some edges. Granted, they felt a LOT better on, with the insert, but the smooth leather insole was now pruny, crinkled. It looked totally unprofessional. When I expressed my hesitation about the state of the insoles, his wife said, "Oh just wear them! If they're comfortable, the insole doesn't matter."
Spoken like a women who doesn't understand the craftsmanship of a thousand dollar pair of shoes.
At home, I took them out again to re-examine them, hoping they weren't as bad as they first appeared. It was worse. I found that the heel of the shoe's satin covering was scuffed black. I was horrified. After recovering from my state of shock, I called Maida's frantically. Same woman answered. She said to bring them in the next morning at 8:30am when Mr. Maida himself would be there.
Needless to say, I will NOT be bringing my shoes back to Maida's. I'm afraid that if I do they will return to me even worse than they were before.
Ladies, do NOT bring your fancy shoes to this place!!