Figuring out what makes a good shoe isn’t always straightforward. It’s a highly personal question with subjective answers. But from years of experience in the shoe industry—on both the sales floor and behind the scenes—I’ve come to believe there’s one quality above all that defines a truly good shoe: fit. And not just whether the shoe fits you personally, but whether the last (the mold the pair is built on) has real shape, contour, and intention.

The average shopper—especially those unfamiliar with the finer points of shoemaking—often gets misled by surface-level details. Department stores are filled with dress footwear that might look decent but is poorly constructed or completely flat in shape. Fake stitching, glued soles, and smooth-talking salespeople (trust me, I was one of them once) make it tough to judge quality at a glance.

So, what really sets a good shoe apart?

It’s all about the last—the sculpted form that gives the shoe its structure. A generic last is designed to fit as many people as possible, sacrificing fit and comfort in the name of mass production. A quality last, on the other hand, follows the natural curves of the foot. When you step into well-made footwear, it feels like it belongs. It hugs your foot in the right places. You feel supported, even if the shoe is made from stiff leather.