Last week I fell in love. It started with a post from @thatpencilskirt … specifically this photo … and I fell hard. And then I saw the price tag. I’ll let you take a peek for yourself … Choo Shoes. #GoAheadAndLook
Yep! Now I’m not above splurging on shoes but … wow! Not to mention I am so hard on my heels. I would literally cry if the heel of one of those shoes was eaten by a sidewalk crack. #CRY #NoReallyCRY
The problem was I couldn’t stop thinking about them. They would be perfect with this dress (I’ve been non-stop shopping for my Vegas trip), and these pants, and this skirt … you get the idea. I looked high and low for a dupe. No luck. I did find a few with similar ideas. These that I already own. These that had the same ankle strap but 2 poms (how gorgeous is that color though). So, failing in my attempt to find a pair to purchase, I set out to create my own. #DIYDupe
Pom Poms
Thanks to Michael’s and Amazon (and Amanzon Prime) for pom poms (you can also find them on Ebay and Etsy). If you order poms online be aware of where they are shipping from. I still have dark green poms making their way on a slow boat from China #LessonLearned
The poms I purchased from Michael’s were actually key chains (similar) that I deconstructed. No matter where you purchase your poms – look for ones that have an elastic loop (versus a snap). They will be easier to attach. I broke the elastic on one of mine and I was still able to attach the pom using a safety pin so the elastic isn’t a deal breaker – but it does work better.
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Ankle Strap Heels
Now on to the shoes. I was obsessed with the Choo’s in the grey color and so I went on a mission to find a similar shoe. Enter these Schutz shoes that were perfect (sizing is limited though). I also purchased this pump from Ann Taylor in both Coffee and Flannel (they also have Black). #options
Attaching the Poms
The task of attaching the poms was actually VERY straight forward on the Ann Taylor shoes. Remove the strap. Slide the elastic of the pom over the back and re-feed the strap. Done! I left the elastic white so you could see it in the pictures, but I would use a sharpie to color the elastic to match the shoe.
Attaching the pom to the Schutz shoes was a little harder because there was no way to slide the elastic of the pom over the back. For these shoes, I attached the pom using a figure eight with the elastic and feeding the strap through this on both sides of the strap feed. I broke one of the elastic bands trying to do this and so one pom was attached with two safety pins on either side of the strap feed (shown below). This worked equally well – although this pom did have a little more movement.
My Jimmy Choo Dupes
Here are the beauties I was able to create. I love them! Love! I also love that they were a fraction of the price! Bonus: The pom pom is easily removable making them even more versatile. Heading into a board meeting – maybe remove the poms … off to meet the girls for cocktails … out come the poms! Want to change the color of the poms – that is possible too!! I bought several different colors of poms to try out. The original black Choo’s actually have a dark green pom. #MineGreenPomIsOnABoat #CheckBackInaMonth. I found the monochromatic look the most interesting, however.
I definetly created a winner here! I’ve also cured myself from needing to purchase the original inspiration! I wore my creation for date night on Saturday and I can confirm they are ever bit the head turner they should be. As we were walking past the very long taxi line after the performance, my husband says: “Everyone is noticing your shoes!” #Goals
My Dupe Choos for date night! Dress compliments of Rent the Runway (read more about that here)!