Back again for the summer are espadrilles, a type of shoe that has long confused me due to a syndrome commonly known as 'Blinded By The Label'. As I entered the shoe department of Harrods not long ago, the vermillion red ponyskin Celine espadrilles immediately caught my attention; as I ran over to pick them up, and consequently began convincing my boyfriend (and myself) that I needed them in my life, he immediately responded 'nice.. but they really are only espadrilles, as in rope and rubber.'
His completely factual response brought me back to reality; It's extremely low-cost production material - Exhibit A: Primark Basic Canvas Espadrilles at approx. £5, proves to us truly how inexpensive it's wholesale value must be, vs. Exhibit B: Celine Ponyskin Espadrilles at approx £490, which makes my savings account and general conscience die inside. But people seem to love them regardless of the production cost vs. actual cost dilemma; Valentino's covetable style in lace seem to sell out consistently and are already in their second season of production, along with Chanel's logo stamped canvas style that have proven to be similarly as popular amongst bloggers (and i'm sure the Celine ponyskin style will be equally as popular as the weather improves).
Above are some of the most covetable espadrilles I have found so far for SS13, from Celine to Stella McCartney to Valentino. The best bank account friendly equivalent I have found thus far is the Zara Camouflage pair in the left column, also in ponyskin and under £40. What do you think? Are luxury espadrilles by a designer something you would invest in? Or are we really only blinded by the label in this instance?
Left Column: Chanel Navy Canvas Espadrilles (in store only), Celine Leopard Ponyskin Espadrilles (in store only), Valentino Black Lace Espadrilles, Zara Ponyskin Camouflage Espadrilles, Celine Vermillion Red Ponskin Espadrilles (in store only)
A really thought provoking read and a good point you raise about being blind sighted by labels. I have had moments when I have bought things because of a label and paid more for it without there being a significance difference to an alternate lesser labelled/known item. I try to do it less these days. Your boyfriend makes a realistic observation on cost of production versus the retail pricing point. I wish I could adapt some more of his realistic views to purchasing. I wouldn't fork out big bucks for the espadrilles but maybe that's just because I haven't spotted a pair that I just have to have (yet).
ReplyDelete- Mandi
www.findmeamuse.com
Thank you for your feedback Mandi! It's great to know what other people think. It's a hard decision to make when it comes to covetable pieces and especially coveted brands that we end up buying into simply for the love of the brand as opposed to the quality and longevity of the item! Then again, the same could be said for the IM sneakers and I am definitely taking them to my grave haha!
ReplyDelete- Erica
Fantastic blog and brilliant post! You're amazing!!! You're got such fantastic taste! Loving the way you write too. :-) Absolutely brilliant!
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