Rachel Zoe Kayne Wedges, $375 via ShopBop

I remember back when I first heard that Rachel Zoe was getting her own contemporary line, the first thought I had was, “Well, the shoes are going to be positively stilt-like.” As it turns out, I was exactly right, although I probably don’t deserve much credit. Anyone familiar with Ms. Zoe’s personal style or her television show could have seen shoes like the Rachel Zoe Kayne Wedges coming a mile away.

ShopBop lists the height of these sandals at five and a half inches, which is tall but still within the realm of the shoes we normally talk about. For some reason, though, the heel looks prohibitively vertiginous, almost to the point where I doubt whether anyone but Zoe herself could walk in them without looking like an idiot. Wedges tend to have that effect, though; for some reason, they always look taller to me than their similarly enormous stiletto counterparts, even though wedges are generally easier to walk in at any height. These shoes don’t look easy, though, even in a relative sense.

If you’re daring, though, and you dig the purple suede as much as I do, Zoe does provide a very well-priced alternative to spending $900 on a pair of shoes that you’re only going to wear a few times. (Let’s be real here, you guys. You’re only going to wear them to, like, two parties.) Buy through ShopBop for $375.