When it comes to style icons, I have my share of favorites: Patsy Stone (her Chanel cardigan!), Pablo Picasso (his polo shirts!), Emma Watson (her YSL smoking suit!).
But like every woman over the age of 30, I have a particularly soft spot for Sarah Jessica Parker. SJP epitomizes the style pragmatist ethos: she’s fabulous, but functional. (I can not say the same thing about her alter-ego, Carrie, whose affinity for hot pants and uni-boob tube tops can never be erased.)
When I first saw this SJP outfit on the Harper’s Best Dressed List, I was thrilled that I already owned everything I needed to recreate it… Except for magenta shoes. (I’m a pragmatist! I don’t buy pink shoes without a good reason! And there’s no good reason!)
But this outfit needs pink shoes to survive. (Imagine it with black pumps. SNOOZE.) And thus, my passive, years-long search for pink shoes began.
The right pair (and the right price point) finally appeared at an Atlanta consignment store last month. These Aquazzura heels retail for more than $500, but I paid less than $100 — a fraction of what you’d pay for the eerily similar Tamber sandals that Jimmy Choo splashed across its latest Nicole Kidman ad campaign. (The Jimmy Choo sandals were originally $1,250 and are now marked down to a wallet-whomping $625.)
The fact that I was able to pair my bargain shoes with super-bargain H&M and Target purchases makes me reconsider my stance on pink suede: It is very practical, indeed.
From time to time, I’ll be recreating more celebrity looks I admire — with drastically lower prices. You’ll be able to find these by clicking the “Can I Pull This Off?” category on the right-hand menu.