All Hail The Loafer: Gucci Dupes

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months (in which case, get out of that rock honey), then you'll know that this Autumn/Winter shoe game has been all about the loafer....yup, all hail the loafer! Bringing those androgynous styling vibes back into the limelight after a Summer of hiding, this season the masculine shoe is back with a vengeance and judging by my Instagram feed, it ain't going anywhere anytime soon, that's for sure.

But it's not just any loafer we're talking about, we're talking about 'The Gucci Loafer'. Splashed across Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter and gracing the pages of pretty much every print magazine on the shelves at the moment, it seems that the iconic masculine shoe is making a major resurgence in the fashion world. This month, the pavements of Paris, Milan, London and New York saw an explosion of Gucci during Fashion Week, as pretty much every pair of feet to grace them were donning the Italian creations. Whether they be the iconic Gucci Horsebit Loafer, the Gucci Mules, or the Gucci Slipper, there's absolutely no denying that the Gucci shoe is a serious contender for the biggest street style trend of 2016. Seriously, these things are everywhere...

And predictably, the high street has twigged on faster than you can say Gucci. With the likes of Topshop, ASOS, River Island and Zara all offering us normal folk who sadly cannot justify spending £600 on a pair of loafers (no matter how many Starbucks coffees we skip in the morning's) a more affordable alternative, which won't require the selling of an organ to attain. Hallelujah!

So after examining every way humanly possible for me to acquire a pair of these Gucci Loafers without having to take out a credit card (believe me I strongly considered this), or having to sell my soul to Gucci themselves, I have finally admitted defeat and have been accepted that I will have to turn to the trusty ol' high street for adequate alternatives. One day you will be mine my little babies, but unfortunately today is not that day (or year...or probably even decade), so I've done all the hard work for you guys and have perused the high street to find the best Gucci dupes that are currently on the market. You can all thank me later...

GUCCI JORDAAN LOAFER VS. TOPSHOP KENDALL LOAFER 

£540     VS.     £52

GUCCI PRINCETOWN MULE VS. TOPSHOP GRADE LOAFER MULE

£485     VS.     £30

GUCCI METALLIC MID-HEEL PUMP VS. CARVELA MID-HEEL LOAFERS

£545     VS.      £99

GUCCI PRINCETOWN METALLIC SLIPPER VS. RIVER ISLAND GOLD LOAFER 

£430   VS.      £25

GUCCI PRINCETOWN SLIPPER VS. OFFICE FUR MULE 

£715     VS.      £62

GUCCI ANKLE BOOT VS. TOPSHOP FRINGE LOAFER BOOT

£710     VS.      £82

GUCCI FLORAL JACQUARD SLIPPER VS. TOPSHOP BACKLESS BUCKLE LOAFER  

£450     VS.     £49

And there we have it...those are the best Gucci dupes the high street has to offer us ladies to get on board this huge, huge trend for AW16 and the best part of it is, you can treat yourself to all the coffees in the world because none of these shoes will leave you bankrupt, hurrah! There is absolutely nothing I love more in this world (apart from pizza) than finding a designer-inspired bargain for a fraction of the price, which will leave people in the street guessing if it's real or not, so if you like me sadly cannot afford to jump on board this Gucci bandwagon, then you know what they say...if you can't beat 'em, join 'em....but just bend those rules a tad and join 'em in Topshop instead!