002: Shop Small With Ilio Smeraldo
<$175 Italian shoemaker of my dreams with a Chanel SS25 alternative
Highlighted in a recent What Chic Girls Wear, Chanel’s Cruise ‘25 patent leather moccasins have quietly captured all our hearts.
Still sold out (and $1,400), I found them on The RealReal in my size and stared at them lovingly in my cart for 20 minutes before letting them go. It looks like they didn’t actually sell, but rather the consigner requested them back because there’s no longer a product page… but I have the evidence!
The shoe is beautiful, but not unique enough to justify the price (also, when did shoes get so expensive? It’s bleak). I decided to hold out for an alternative—the design is pretty straightforward, and I had a feeling I could find something similar… I was correct! In a stroke of luck and some light internet stalking, I noticed that vintage legend and expert
shared a similar pair in a recent fit pic.
They’re by Ilio Smeraldo, a hand-crafted Florentine shoemaker I’ve recently become obsessed with. The brand currently offers seven styles for their SS25 collection, and I’d wear any of them. They’re chic, easily styled, and look genuinely comfortable. Sadly, the Chanel-adjacent pair is sold out in black in my size (fellow 40s and 41s, I’ll see you on the notify list), but the full catalog is genuinely strong. Beautiful colors, considered shapes—I’d wear any of them.
MARIA DE LA ORDEN 2, $152.16
MARIA DE LA ORDEN 1, $163.87
MARIA DE LA ORDEN 3, $152.16
GERALDINE BOUBLIL, $152.16
MELANIE HUYNH, $175.57
BENEDICTE BURGET, $152.16
CHIARA TOTIRE, $175.57
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All soo good
omg can’t even believe it!! love all the other shoes too!! seriously bleak how expensive shoes are. it’s always wild to me carrie talking about her $400 manolos