Varda Shoes

My one star review of Varda shoes reflects my experience with not only the shoes but also with the customer service staff as they showed a complete unwillingness to try and resolve the problem I had with one of their shoes.
Varda advertises themselves as offering men and womens shoes made of the highest quality Italian leathers, but my experience showed otherwise. I paid around $ 500 for a pair of mens Varda shoes about one year ago, and wore them regularly while treating them with the utmost care. Unfortunately, after a short time these shoes started developing very unattractive creasing — reflecting a very low quality leather was used to make these shoes. When I took them to my local cobbler to try and fix the problem, he told me «these are garbage» and explained to me that the shoes were made of very low quality leather or were defective.
I sent the shoes back to Varda with tracking and delivery confirmation along with a nice letter explaining that I was only seeking a replacement pair of shoes or a credit towards a new pair since the pair I had purchased was defective. After waiting two weeks since the time they received the shoes and getting no response, I sent a 2^nd certified letter giving them another three weeks to 1) send me a replacement pair, 2) offer me some type of credit towards a different pair, or 3) send me back the original defective pair of shoes so I could try to get a few dollars for them on eBay. But after waiting three more weeks, I did not get any reply from Varda. So Varda decided to just keep the shoes I sent them, and ignore my two letters since that was the easiest way for them to deal with my issue.
I highly recommend that you search elsewhere for shoes if you want to avoid problems. I will certainly never shop at Varda again.

Varda sells the holy grail of shoes for a stylish professional woman: classic black pumps that make you look amazing and that are so comfortable, you could jog in them. No kidding, I’ve literally raced to meetings or run through airport terminals in them without my feet hurting. I’ve worn them through consecutive 16 hour work days. And they are gorgeous and sharp. Exceptional quality beautiful Italian handiwork.
Thought they were pricey but I’ve worn them for 5 years almost every work day, with the occasional heel tip repairs, and they’ve been champs. Still have not found another pair of pumps that do the same, even though I have a closet full of beauties — all useless for anything other than a night out that ends in sore feet. Getting another pair soon.

I can’t believe there are so few reviews for this fantastic store. I am a shoeaholic, but also an avid walker. I have been searching for years for beautiful, classic, durable shoes which will let me pound the pavements of Manhattan in style and free of pain. I’ve tried dozens of high-​end brands, but till now haven’t been able to find that perfect blend of classic beauty and comfort.
Varda has an immense selection of the highest quality Italian shoes, sandals and boots… I went in looking for a standard pair of black pumps, and platform boots. They offer pretty much any toe shape, heel shape and height, and style you could wish for, if you are looking for something classic that you can wear for years. Although they are not trendy per se, the selection is so vast that you are sure to find a style that will match the latest fashions (e.g. I bought a pair of platform ankle boots which could be off of the pages of Vogue, but which the store has carried for 12 years). The leather is soft as butter, and the shoes comfortable straight out of the box.
The best thing is that this is a local, family run business. Customer service was accordingly excellent; I guarantee that I will be recognized with a smile the next time I shop there. Prices are not cheap but not outlandish considering the fact that I expect to be wearing these for the next 5+ years minimum. I’ll be headed back in the spring for some mules and wedge heeled sandals!

The prettiest shoes in New York! I love their shoes and boots. Classic styling that is beautifully made and detailed. The staff is helpful and a pleasure to deal with.

I stumbled upon Varda several years ago during a visit to NYC and have been a fan ever since. Their men’s shoes include a mix of classic and more hip offerings with an Italian flair. I’m pleased to see Varda still offers the MV787, a classic ‘bulky’ men’s blucher lace up. I’ve had mine for five years and it looks better than ever. It’s my go-​to black shoe that works with everything from jeans to suit. I remember the sales person being very helpful, up to and including the suggestion that she could mail the shoes to my home on the west coast, thus (for the price of delivery) avoiding the sales tax AND the hassle of trying to fit them into my carry on bag. Love this Soho shop for product style and service.

I suggest going to the location in Soho as it has a much larger selection and better staff.

I spent years searching for an Edwardian-​replica boot that would fit my size 9 feet. I had purchased a pair of Stuart Weitzman boots that were sort of what I wanted but found that they were not particularly comfortable.
One day, while shopping on Madison Ave., there they were in the window of the Varda shoe store. Beautiful and truly vintage looking lace up boots with a Louis XVI heel and brass fittings.
The leather on these boots is so unbelievably soft that it’s almost hard to believe how well structured they are. Form the moment I first wore them through today (5 years later), they are so comfortable that they feel as though they were custom made for me.
The selection at Varda is not huge and wide ranging and some of their styles, frankly, are a bit old looking to me. But they always have a couple of pairs of shoes to interest me and the quality is just amazing. I got a male friend addicted to them as well.
I swear by the comfort and quality of the shoes at Varda. The only negative is that the staff can be a bit aloof.