Leopard for Less

I'm going to admit right here and now that I truly believe that if you're wearing an understated outfit, leopard shoes are kind've fabulous. But you don't have to pay a lot of money to look like you have a little New Jersey mob daughter in you (call me crazy, but I associate that image more closely with the word "leopard" than I do a large cat dragging an antelope into a tree-- the second look, you wouldn't want to go for anyway).

Case in point.

pedro garcia at net-a-porter.com: $425

merona at target.com: $24.99

In my humble opinion, the Target flats are cuter, since I'm not a fan of flats with straps. The Pedro Garcias' straps don't give a faux-Mary Jane as you'd expect them too-- maybe they'd work if the straps were more toward the toe. In either case, whether you agree with me or not, the leopard-print flats from Target look very similar-- after all, leopard patterns really don't vary that much from one garment to another-- to their high-end cousins and are about four-hundred dollars cheaper. And, I mean, if you were really that motivated, you could take the cheaper shoes to your nearest shoe repair shop and see about getting a strap attached for a reasonable fee.