What do we want? Shoes! When do we want them? Now!
I know that my experiences are definitely not universal, but I am personally obsessed with shoes, a-la the iconic Carrie Bradshaw.
While I love clothing and fashion in general, shoes have a special place in my heart. I can be completely fine without buying anything, but once I see a pair of boots that I really like that’s it — I won’t calm down until I own them, or something incredibly similar to them.
Thankfully for the obsessive shoe-lovers like myself, there’s a lot of different shoes and shoe brands that currently cater to all kinds of styles, money allowances and comfort levels. Some of them are well-known, others are quite indie and undiscovered; some of them are really relatively cheap (and we all know shoes are quite an expensive hobby) while others are properly boujee.
I’m jere to recomment some brands whose Instagrams (and, for the less expensive ones) online stores I ransack regularly because hey — I’m always happy to indulge others’ shopoholic tendencies while also promoting something I believe deserves more exposure! Not sponsored, by the way. (But hey, I wouldn’t decline, so—)
Let us start with the less wallet-breaking ones.
Out of all the shoe brands, this one is amongst my favourites.
It has an extensive selection of chunky platformed shoes — be those boots or sandals, boots, cute heeled Mary-Janes — you name it.
With very, very gentle prices, student discounts on top of thereof, worldwide shipping and funky, memorable designs, KOI Footwear gets even more brownie points, for the absolutely fantastic aspect of all of their shoes being 100% vegan. That’s right — you will not find anything of animal origin, and I think that’s very neat.
It’s already getting decent exposure with its funky designs and Youtuber endorsements, but I was surprised to know that a lot of people still don’t know about it.
Buy these shoes:
This is one of the shoe brands where we get into stylistical preferences.
Lulu Hun specialises in vintage-inspired shoes; prices are at the same level as the abovementioned KOI (which is to say they’re incredible) but the models are less grunge and Harajuku-inspired.
Instead, this brand offers shoes that would go beautifully with vintage cocktail dressed that you could wear anywhere — from a simple, colourful brunch filled with mimosas (the drink, although feel free to add flowers, too — I’m all for it), to a hen party or, even, a wedding.
Buy these shoes:
Grungy, unique, loud.
If you’re an aficionado of the shoe brands that offer unique designs, Lamoda is a go-to for you. Extreme platform heels, creepers, chunky shoes with licks of fire printed all over, this brand wants to let you scream out about exactly how you want to look and be perceived.
On top of that it offers a very wide selection of accessories — just as unique and noticeable as their shoes, and incredibly varied too; you can find anything that your heart desires, from hats, to belts, to socks.
Buy these shoes:
Sourpuss is not exclusively amongst shoe brands per se, offering, instead, a wide selection of clothing, accessories, shoes and even homeware. Like, what?
A bit less “overwhelmingly affordable”, it is still definitely worth your time. Its designs are punk rock inspired, for all of us lovers of spikes, tattoos and loud prints; their latest collection, catering to the early fall excitement, is centred around Halloween designs. And that’s definitely something you don’t want to miss out on!
Nice, sweet prices are wonderful, but for those who can afford it, let us move on to the more expensive, shall we?
Melissa combines the comfy with the bright and beach-y, offering you the best of both worlds.
Summer-y, casual designs with a twist — rubber straps, rainbow soles, Hello Kitty collaborations and more — Melissa is there to make it fun for you, without leaving you cashless for weeks.
Buy these shoes:
Another UK-based company, Irregular Choice offers bright, colourful, sometimes over-the-top designs that would suit any clothing of your choice, from vintage, to Lolita, to the funky neon underground styles.
Amongst the shoe brands I have and will mention, Irregular Choice truly has the loudest and most memorable designs; this brand is for the brave and attention-seeking (which is a wonderful thing).
Offering a variety of bags, shoes and other accessories, Rogue Matilda presents the shoppers with the best of the weekend-brunch chique of comfort and looks combined.
Specialising exclusively on flats, Rogue Matilda is there for you to cater to your needs of luxurious comfort with its soft designs and prices on the middle grounds of mid-range ($150 and around that).
Buy these shoes:
Chique runway designs adorned with pretty flowers and bows, combining luxury with sweet spring aesthetics of love and lightness, Fabrizio Viti is a brand that is not just quite boujee, but also affiliated with Louis Vuitton (wow!).
Somehow, however, despite it being associated with such big names, and despite it offering such casual yet truly pretty designs, it isn’t as well known as you’d expect.
With prices hovering around €500, but extending anywhere below and beyond that, Fabrizio Viti (named after its founder and creative director) is, indeed, a hefty investment; but, if you can spare the cash, then it’s 100% worth it. I’ve been salivating over one particular design of theirs for a while now, so imagine how I feel.
Buy these shoes:
Even more boujee and expensive than Fabrizio Viti, Gianvito Rossi is all about the classic lines and models.
With its very business-elegant designs, this is the most universal of the shoe brands I’ve mentioned in this article (yet not by the price point, of course). Offering the quintessential stilettos and sandals, Gianvito Rossi is there to add that dapper, tasteful element to an otherwise strict, by-the-line dresscode situation.
Buy these shoes:
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