I'd love to be able to tromp around in these Fendi raffia wedges. I love the braided leather details and the almost handcrafted feel; they remind me of the handmade sandals you can buy out of street stalls in Greece and Rome, but they also have a cool early '70s bohemian feel. A shoe like this would be killer under wide-legged denim for spring and paired with ethnic-printed minidresses in the summer -- the beauty of a neutral color like this light brown is that it goes with pretty much everything, and you can wear a wedge places a regular heel might look too fancy, making this the perfect warm-weather shoe.
The problem, of course, is that these Fendi works of art cost $610 a pair. That's a month's rent, three months' car payments, enough money to keep you in Forever 21 dresses for a year!
Someday, we'll be able to drop half a grand on a pair of shoes, but spring/summer '08 isn't going to wait for someday, so here are some similar options, with prices ranging from a leetle bit costly to practically free, for right now.
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1.) At $149.95, Steve Madden's "Candyce" wedges aren't exactly cheap, but if you're the kind of girl who likes the idea of a neutral wear-anywhere summer heel, you can get a lot of mileage out of these. The gladiator straps have the same Roman Empire-inspired feel as the Fendi pair, and the raffia-covered wedge is spot-on.
2.) So the heel is wood, not raffia, but the Steve Madden "Vaneta" sandal, $89.95, has a similar styling to the Fendi pair. The braided peeptoe gives off an artisan touch that would go equally well with denim or bare legs, and the warm cognac-colored leather looks fantastic with a tan.
3.) These "Blossom" wedges from Make Me Chic are more bare than the Fendi pair, but at only $15.00, they're a fortieth of the cost! The wedge is raffia-covered and the leather t-strap has just the right amount of Grecian styling without looking costumey.
You might also find similar styles by trawling Ebay or scouring the racks at your local vintage stores -- the styling on these wedges have a lot in common with 1970s styles. If you live somewhere that has a Mexican district (like Olvera Street in Los Angeles or Old Town in San Diego), you also might want to check out the stands there -- I've seen great handmade leather sandals that look very similar for under $30 at places like that.
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