No Pliner love?

2 years ago my wife and I made our first trip to Vegas. For those of you that have been you already know that it is a virtual Mecca of means fashion, for those who haven't.....trust me, they have all the goodies from all the top designers. Amid the endless shops and boutiques handling every high end shoe imaginable, I happened upon a brand I had previously been unaware of. Having owned "many a fine shoe" I feel I can spot quality and know, for the most part, what to look for. They were in a shop window in one of the casinos, I forget which one, and they caught my eye from seemingly a mile away.
Double monk strap with a European toe. The color was called tomato, a swirl of reds, burgundy, and black ....truly spectacular. My wife noticed that "all to familiar look" and tried to avert my attention but it was to late...she knew it.
Upon Closer inspection I noticed the attention to detail, the stitching, the tooling, all reeked of quality. The leather seemed as, if not more top grade than any pair of Edmonds or Gucci's I have ever owned. The brand was called Donald J. Pliner and signature collection was embossed on the sole, as well as a the "made in Italy" label we have all learned to look for. Of course I couldn't leave without them and thought they were a real bargain at $650, only to later find out that there is no such thing as a bargain in Vegas and I could have had them for at least $100 less practically anywhere on earth. Still, I was happy with my purchase and felt them worth it. Two years later I am even happier with them. Truly my favorite, most comfortable, shoes. Compliments ensue every time I take the for a spin.
It makes me ponder the question,why doesn't Pliner get more cred? Is his signature collection, quality wise, head and shoulders above his other lines.
How do some of you more expierienced shoe aficionados feel they stack up?

From a quick glance at their website, it seems like most if not all of the offerings are glued construction fashion shoes. It's hard to even tell if the "signature" line has Goodyear or Blake welting to make them resolable. From the photos it looks like the "faux" welting that some brands put on, and they're not advertising welting anywhere on the site. If they're resolable, fine. If it's Blake construction, then they're overpriced. If they're not, you're getting ripped off.

I'd be wary of buying stuff simply because it was stamped "Made in Italy". Better than "Made in Timbuktu" but there's a lot of overpriced fashion stuff that's made in Europe as well.

Pics?

You can find them often at Nordstrom's rack, I have seen some of them for $100 or so.
Not in the same league as a good American made shoe like AE or Alden.

I think you might have gotten something special made for the Vegas boutique. In my experience Pliner is trendy, overpriced, cheap construction. Glad you found a quality pair that you like.

I don't have any particular knowledge of the brand, but like Rudy said, they are available at Nordstrom Rack. And just JohnYaddy said, they have a mainline or signature collection because the ones I see at Nordstrom Rack are fairly mundane in their Euro/trendy styling and chisel toe. I also don't think that a "Made in..." label necessarily indicates its quality. Reading Gomorrah really opened my eyes toward the shady/mob practices in making garments and shoes in Naples. And even in the USA, there are lots of recent Kickstarter-type "Made in the USA" projects that have gotten mixed-to-poor reviews.

great experience, thanks

Here are the the pic's: maybe it was something special made for the Vegas boutique but they don't feel like $99 shoes to me.

Pic's below

It looks like a Blake stitch, good news there. They're pretty fashion forward (double monk, chisel toe, very aggressive burnishing) and in ways that aren't really my style. Bad news is that $650 is probably way overpriced for them but you already knew that. Is that a foam or leather insole?

It's leather

Those definitely don't look like the ones I've seen at DSW or Nordstrom Rack.

Nice looking shoes. Thanks for sharing the pictures. These must be fantastic with Navy slacks.