People Keep Mistaking My Affordable Platform Loafers for $900 Shoes
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As much as I love high fashion, I cannot justify spending more than $200 on shoes. I am flat-footed, hard on my shoes, and live in New York City (read: grime, mystery fluids, rat carcasses). Feet are also weird and subjectively gross, so they really are not deserving of the same amount of money as my rent. So suddenly becoming obsessed with platform Gucci loafers was unfortunate. Things resolved themself, however, when I found a similar pair from Jeffrey Campbell.
Although you might be lucky enough to snag a pair of heeled Gucci loafers for under $400, more likely than not, you will be spending somewhere around $900-$1,1000 — a wild amount for a shoe, especially when you think about them touching NYC sidewalks. But I was instantly smitten and spent a couple of hours frantically searching for a cheaper sale or resale option. The Instagram algorithm picked up on my obsession (cue nervous laughter) and an ad for Jeffrey Campbell shoes appeared on my feed. The brand had a similar take on the platformed loafers that thankfully rang in at $170.
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Shop now: $170; nordstrom.com
When I began wearing them, a friend remarked "oh, you have the Gucci loafers, so cute!" In a high fashion boutique, a retail employer said something similar, "I looove those Gucci loafers." At dinner with a successful power couple, one of them remarked that my Gucci shoes were so chic. I didn't bother correcting any of them.
Besides a price point that doesn't make my head spin, the Jeffrey Campbell Student shoes have quite a few things going for them. If the heel of a shoe is anything but short and chunky, my feet turn into anvils and I lose all ability to walk. The silver horse bit catches the light and adds some extra glamor. Lastly, the black, white, and brown-yellow-tan colors scream '70s without looking like a costume.
The leather was pretty stiff and tight when I first started wearing the shoes, which made me nervous about blisters. But after a week of wearing a thick pair of socks and walking around my apartment in them, the leather became softer and more forgiving. They are the most adult shoes I own and one of a very few pairs of heels that don't make my feet scream and bleed. Head to Nordstrom to snap up your own pair of the Gucci-esque loafers.
