Gucci Patchwork Leather Hightops, $565 via Net-a-Porter

Well, actually, that’s not true. Gucci has been making high end hightops for years, but mostly those designs were relegated to the men’s section or simply not featured as fashion items for women. They had to be sought out, but thanks to both Isabel Marant and hip hop’s increasingly close relationship with the fashion work, footwear like the Gucci Patchwork Leather Hightops is showing up front and center at the finest retailers in the world.

I’m of two minds about shoes like these. On the one hand, I’m glad designers sneakers have become trendy because they’re about a million times as comfortable as every other trendy shoe on the planet. A flat sole? Padding? Real laces? How did we get this lucky? On the other hand, though, this look is easily achievable from the type of shoes that originally inspired it for a fraction of the designer price. Nike Dunks will run you, what, $150 at this point? And they’re the originals that Gucci is aping. Unless you simply want everyone to know that you can afford $600 for a pair of sneakers, I’d go with the alternative. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $565.

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