I know you’ve seen these shoes everywhere over the past few years. Gucci’s Princetown mules became an instant classic and for good reason! They’re beautifully made with high quality materials and the design makes them an ultra versatile shoe. The brass horse bit detail and the cut of the shoe makes them comfortable, easy to wear and help you look casually polished.
I’ve been loving this shoe style on others and have wanted to incorporate them into my wardrobe (I’m a fan of any fashionable flat shoe option!), but I am not about to pay $800 for a pair of shoes — sorry, Gucci. I just can’t justify that kind of purchase, especially with my hyperhidrosis. If the Gucci version is within your budget and you don’t suffer from excessively sweaty feet, I’d absolutely buy them in a heartbeat!
Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to get a similar look without the crazy price tag! Since this style has become so popular, many other shoe brands are doing their best to replicate it. Some options are closer to the original style than others, but one thing’s fore sure: you will definitely be able to find a dupe that fits your style and budget.
Many of this type of post have been shared over the past few years, but I thought I’d offer an updated list of which dupes are available in 2021 and some details for older styles in case you wanted to try hunting the internet for them! I personally love a good digital product search; it can be SO rewarding!
My dupe pair is the Backless Loafer by Target’s Merona brand from a few years ago (the brand has since been discontinued), but you can often find people selling their pairs on Poshmark OR you can try searching for the almost identical replacement option from Target: the Remmy Backless Loafer by their “A New Day” brand.
The Merona dupes are incredibly comfortable and didn’t require any break-in time. They’re great for life in general, but I appreciate them even more as a woman approaching her third trimester of pregnancy because bending over to tie shoelaces is seeming like a bigger and bigger task every day. 😅 If you can find a pair in your size on Poshmark, I highly recommend this brand / style — as you can see in the image above they look really similar to the original design at only a fraction of the price.
Tory Burch Jessa
The statement “horse bit” detail and pebbled leather are beautiful twists on this loafer (and very Tory).
Sam Edelman Laurna // Sam Edelman Linnie
From what I can tell these shoes are almost identical except for their hardware.
Steve Madden Dazling // Steve Madden Kandi
The Dazling style looks closer to the Gucci version (but with silver-y hardware) and the Kandi looks especially comfortable.
Steve Madden Kiki
This is a rather dramatic design, but I love this obnoxiously chunky chain as if to be beyond obvious that they’re trying to mimic the Gucci style, but very clearly not the real thing (aka very “Steve Madden” haha).
Saks 5th Ave Livia
The combination of the minimalist hardware with the smooth leather on this pair lends a more chic, sophisticated look.
Saks 5th Ave Redford
Okay, so technically these are from the men’s dept (so take that into consideration when choosing your size!), but I feel like this style is generally pretty unisex so you could totally get away with borrowing from the boys if you wanted to. 😉
ASOS
The snakeskin leather offers a bit of added panache to an otherwise classic silhouette. They also make a pair with a tassel detail, a pair with faux croc leather, as well as a pair with faux fur around the heel (like this Gucci option!).
Amazon 1 // Amazon 2
These are both pretty believable designer dupes; one has a deeper gold bit detail and the other leans more silvery.
I found these amazing sock-lets? (half socks?) for wearing with my mules and I ADORE them! They stay put on your foot, prevent any unwanted rubbing (no blisters!), and they even have little grippy dots on the bottom that help to keep your slip-on shoes on your feet! I’m so thrilled that I randomly found them — and they’re so affordable! If you ever wear any style of backless shoes, you need a pack!
I hope this post was helpful for those of you also wanting the look for less!
You can find more of my dupes here.
Happy shopping, friends!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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