Most of us consider shoes made or styled in Italy as the ultimate in fashion. When we say Italian shoes it conjures a picture of good craftsmanship, style and quality. Italian designers are the most acclaimed footwear designers in the world. The Italian designers perfectly understand the anatomy of the leg and foot so they make shoes look their best.

Many people think of Italian designers first when they think of high quality men's shoes but British made men's shoes are famous all over the globe for being very durable as well as stylish and comfortable. The "Queen's Award for Enterprise" is a motivating factor for many shoe makers moving their operations from all over the planet to the U.K.

The funny thing is I never realized that the "designer shoes" I once wore were so inferior. For years I lived in the UK and USA and thought I knew about shoes... Then I moved to Italy. What a surprise - I discovered some marvelous shoes made by small artisans in tucked away corners of Italy. These are people who make handcrafted leather shoes of such an exquisite quality that it literally takes your breath away.

In my first article "How to Dress Italian and Look Good", I wrote about what gives the Italian woman the edge on class, elegance and style. While the formula for looking good includes copying and then personalizing it, a crucial factor is being body conscious. An Italian woman for instance is very much in tune with her body weight, shape and height. She will follow fashion trends but not at the expense of looking worse.

There is no comparison. Womens' Italian dress shoes are far more superior to any other footwear. Not only have I been studying the Italian women's style of dress for the past ten years, but I live within the Italian footwear industry. My husband and his family have been making Italian womens' footwear for the past 35 years in Italy. Through them, I have been continuously exposed to everything that goes into making this fabulous product. There is an attention to every detail within every phase of production. The outcome of this work is obvious when you pick up an Italian made shoe and wear it. But even the best Italian shoe will not look good if you don't know how to wear it.