First, I have to say, I love Franco Sarto shoes, and this is my 5th (yes 5th!) pair of this shoe.  I walk long distances to work, and they are very comfortable and stylish (compared to walking downtown in gym shoes!).

Over the years I noticed the leather getting a bit lower in quality.  This particular recent Franco Sarto shoe purchase is rather poor.  The leather nearly looks like pvc, the inside is now all fake leather, it smells bad, makes your feel smell and slip & slide.  The bottom insole is very cheap, glued in poorly.  The material is "pleather", smells bad, makes your feet sweat and smell bad, in addition to a slip & slide type of feel. The heel is seems to be painted a slightly different black compared to the leather.

Overall, Franco Sarto's cost cutting is very noticeable.  As much as I love this shoe, this will be my last pair.  I understand keeping prices constant, but I would have rather paid the $10-20 more and had a better quality, truely "all leather" shoe.