Giuseppe Zanotti Snake Print Sneakers, $650 and Alexander Wang Dillon Sneakers, $385. Both via ShopBop

With brands as luxurious and varied as Christian Louboutin, Lanvin and Miu Miu already jumping on the high-end sneakers bandwagon, the number of designers that would like to dress our feet during our down time as well as our workdays and evenings is only going to continue to increase. This season, we have two notable new entrants to the field of women’s tennis shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti and Alexander Wang.

Wang is perhaps a more obvious fit for this product category; his aesthetic has always been casual and contemporary, and the athletic inspiration in his recent collections virtually assured his fans that sneakers would be on the way. The Alexander Wang Dillon Lace-Up Sneakers (right) are no surprise, but the Giuseppe Zanotti Print Snake Sneakers are a little less predictable.

I find the price tags of designer sneakers to be the most tiring thing about them. Because these are casual designs that don’t require the careful structure of a high-end heel and use many of the same materials that $100 Nikes are made from, there’s no reason that almost any of them should be expensive as they are. The Alexander Wang shoes look like a particularly spiffy pair of New Balances and the Zanottis, although cool-looking, aren’t real snake. Before diving into the high-end sneaker waters, I’d suggest a full vetting of all the awesome, fashion-forward things that you can get from real sneaker brands. Nike and Adidas are not to be ignored, particularly since Nike offers services that allow you to totally customize your shoes for under $200. Alternately, you can buy the Alexander Wangs for $385 or the Zanottis for $650 via ShopBop.

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