posted by: shoesense in Christian Louboutin Shoes, Designer Shoe Déja Vu, Flats on March 27th, 2007

One of my guilty pleasures was to watch "The Look for Less," the quasi-annoying show hosted by Elizabeth Hassleback in whcih she took one runway look that seemed appropriate/agreeable to the participant, and then had the poor woman run ragged in mall (quelle horreur!) with a ‘designer du jour and $175 to recreate the couture look. Although I was usually underwhelmed by the results (in what bizarro world would Payless shoes look remotely like Louboutins???), and had that nagging feeling that going cheapo on the clothes was going to result into an extremely high wardrobe turnover (no really, just how many uses would one get out of cardboard shoes, Id like to know)the idea stuck with me. But I also learned the hard way that trying to be cheap on shoes will come back to haunt me later in the form of blisters, cuts, discomfort, and premature aging and destruction of the shoe.

Which is not to say that I dont look for quality designer look-alike shoes instead of the ‘premier designer shoes. The difference is often in the hundreds of dollars, but the results are usually really, really good. And in this spirit, let me propose to you an affordable, quality substitute for (gasp!) a pair of Louboutins.

Here are the Louboutins ($510 at Neimans and Saks):

(There is also a black patent version which I spotted in a boutique downtown Philly, but cant find a picture of).

And heres a VERY similar flat from Isaac Mizrahi, half the price (full retail), but nowonly $99 at Endless.com:

Beautiful criss-cross peep-toe flat, in black patent or gold, at an irresistible price. My choice is made!