My Addiction

I, like most girls, have an unhealthy addiction to shoes. Pumps, boots, sandals, platforms, wedges, flats; I'm an equal opportunity buyer. My shoes take up 1 1/2 closets in our little 1 bedroom apartment, and upon walking into any department store my first stop is the shoe department.  Hopefully you have a better idea of my obsession. 

So naturally, shopping for my wedding shoes is of the utmost importance. I would love to say that the sky is the limit on wedding shoes, but I don't want to take advantage of the fact that my parents are so graciously paying for the entire wedding. With that said, it doesn't mean that I have to settle for a marked down pair of shoes from 3 seasons ago at TJ Maxx. (No offense to all you Maxxinistas out there. Trust me, I love a bargain just as much as you!)

I began my search by looking up the All-Stars: Manolo, Louboutin, and Choo. I found a beautiful pair of Loubs that would be perfect for my big day, until I looked at the price. I nearly spit out my coffee when I realized I would be paying almost $5000 for them! Then I thought that maybe I could find a similar pair for less, and voila, I did. I suddenly came to find that almost any pair of high end designer shoes has a more affordable counterpart. Here are a few examples that I found.

On the left: Jimmy Choo rhinestone sandals for $1500 

On the right: Vince Camuto for $140

On the left: Manolo Blahnik embellished pumps for $1300

On the right: Badgley Mischka for $245

On the left: Christian Louboutin Crystal Pigalle pump for $3400

On the right: Salvatore Ferragamo for $950 

  

On the left: Miu Miu crystal heel sandals for $990

On the right: Badgley Mischka for $255

And if you're looking for a little something blue...

On the left: Manolo Blahnik blue satin pump (made famous by Carrie Bradshaw) $965

On the right: RSVP for $79

The lesson to be learned here is that if you find a pair of shoes that you like, and they seem a little too far out of your price range, don't give up right away. There may just be a look-alike that won't hurt your bank account as much. They won't be the exact same pair (unless you go into knockoff territory, and that's just not me) but you can find a pair that's pretty damn close. As for me, the search continues for the right pair.