A spendy shoe and its cheaper counterpart.
I had the sandals in the shopping basket and my credit card in my hand when I came to and realized, You nut, you can’t afford $397 (plus tax and shipping) sandals! They were beautiful sandals, to be sure: black suede slingback mules with a simple metal strap, made by an Australian company called By Far. I desired them greatly.
But we mourn; we move on. We look for sandals that capture some of the original sandals’ understated elegance. We fail. We buy a pair of cherry-red Urban Outfitters sandals that we like fine, but don’t fall head over heels for. They look good with our cropped jeans, and we’re doing okay! Less happy than we might be had we purchased the Perfect Sandals. But less anxious, too, as we narrowly dodged spending several hundreds of dollars on shoes we’ll wear for two months.
Below, please find ten too expensive summer sandals that will break your heart, along with their closest cheaper counterparts, to help you try to move on. Let’s not think of it as settling. Let’s think of it as financial self-care.
Black strappy sandals
By Far Scandi Strap Sandal
$397
at Garmentory
Let’s get this the hell out of the way: These are the sandals I wanted.
The Noelle Slingback Sandal in Suede
$98
at Madewell
And a much-cheaper — and really, quite similar — alternative.
Steve Madden Cactus Sandal
$80
at Nordstrom
Bright-blue mules
Maryam Nassir Zadeh Sophie Leather Slides
$360
at Moda Operandi
Patti Suede Mule Heel
$39
at Urban Outfitters
And perfectly nice Urban Outfitter copycats.
Earthy-green slingbacks
By Far Scandi Strap Sandals in Green
$397
at Garmentory
The prettiest green suede sandals that I lusted over for all of summer 2017, and frankly have yet to get over.
The Noelle Slingback Sandal in Velvet
$98
at Madewell
And these are, y’know, nice and green, too.
Sunny mid-heel mules
Mansur Gavriel 40MM Heeled Mule in Sun
$475
at Need Supply Co.
Beautiful, elegant Mansur Gavriel mules.
The Day Heel Mule
$155
at Everlane
But really, don’t be ridiculous: Buy this Everlane pair instead.
Marta Mule Heel
$59
at Urban Outfitters
Or these, they’re even cheaper!
Neutral-colored glove shoes
Martiniano Glove Shoe in Tostado
$437
at Need Supply Co.
Did you say you wanted the Martiniano glove slipper?
The Day Glove
$110
at Everlane
These almost-flats will do.
Fancy mary janes
Rachel Comey Bali Closed Toe Mary Jane in Fuschia Velvet
$395
at Need Supply Co.
You want these Rachel Comey high-heeled mary janes for your summer weddings, don’t you?
The Claudia Sandal in Velvet
$96
at Madewell
Don’t do it, my friend! Go for these.
Walking sandals
James Rowland Shop Dual Strapped Sandals
$130
at Garmentory
The comfiest stylish shoe you’ll ever wear. I own them in this natural color and in black.
Monterey
$100
at Charleston Shoe Co.
And their practically identical, Strat-favorite counterparts for $30 less.
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