Holiday Hype & Beyond. Let's Talk about Golden Goose Sneakers

Style

Dec 10

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Well, hello friends. I had intially anticipated having this post ready to go on Tuesday. But as I delved into writing it, I realized this was going to take much more than 45 minutes, as I wanted to create some true understanding around Golden Goose Sneakers. By now, we all know the name and have dubbed them the expensive sneakers that look dirty. It's pretty wild how things like a distressed sneaker becomes fashionable. Things I never thought I would be into, but I most definitely am.

It was last summer that I shared a post about the 5 Sneaker Staples that every gal needs in her wardrobe and the Golden Goose definitely made the round up. You can view that video here, as it is still very relevant! But more specifically than Golden Goose, is the sneaker style itself that made the round up and that is the athletic trainer concept. Think of Adidas Superstars, Stan Smiths, and yes, the Golden Goose. It's that overall style and aesthetic that is KEY. As a stylist, when it comes to layering a trend into your wardrobe, I am focused on relativity, cost per wear and versatility of the item.[row cols_nr="2"][col size="6"][/col][col size="6"] [/col][/row] I hopped onto the Golden Goose wagon in October 2019. My reason for making the leap was fueled by needing to make a shift after cycling throught 3 pairs of Adidas Superstars in about 9 to 12 months. I began wearing sneakers a lot in 2018 and the Superstars were my go-to's. They truly went with everything, but when they got dirty and smelly there were few things I could do to renew them. At $80 a pop, I had spent about $240 on the same sneaker in about a year. Keep in mind, that is about half the cost of Golden Goose. Knowing I needed to make a shift, I took some time to access the pros and cons of making the investment for myself and here's what I landed on:- European Made: Let's just be honest, no one does shoes like the Europeans. When it comes to quality and craftsmanship, you just cannot pass it up. Golden Goose Sneakers are made in Italy and as we know, the Italians do all the things right when it comes to craftsmanship. Every GG is handmade...every single one.- Leather Interior: This was a huge selling point for me. The interior of the sneakers are lined with delicious Italian leather, which helps with mitigating that stinky feet smell that can happen when we wear our sneakers. This is why I always had to toss my Adidas Superstars, because they started to smell soooo gross that I could not tolerate it. The leather lined interior allows you to easily wear this sneaker without socks and I am here to tell you...NO STINKY FEET SMELL.- Distressed Imperfections: I also spent a lot of time really trying to keep all of my Adidias Superstars super clean, which was near to impossible. So I was particularly fond of having a sneaker that came distressed. It's perfectly imperfect and gave me permission to not be fixated on the idea of always having to clean my sneakers.- Cost Per Wear: Cost Per Wear is something we should all examine regularly. I really like to utilize this math when I am considering investing in something that is more high end. This allows me to really understand my spend on a daily wear level. Golden Goose start at about $495 and can vary depending on the style you opt for.I found a cost per wear calucator tool via Memorandum, one of my favorite blogs of all times! If I were to wear a pair of Golden Goose for 150 days out of the year for 5 years and repairing them twice if needed, my cost per wear is .95 cents. Ahhh, that's not bad!- Styling Versatility: The value in having a fashionable designer sneaker is that you can make it a workhorse piece for you. You can wear Golden Goose in an endless number of ways...with your athleisure, your daily uniform, with a dress or skirt. You make the occasion and we can likely insert a Golden Goose sneaker somewhere in the mix!So that is the skinny on how I arrived at my decision and I must say, I have never been more pleased. They are indeed expensive sneakers, but indeed worth the investment if that is within your budget.A couple of things to bear in mind when shopping for Golden Goose:- Purchase from an authorized seller/distrubutor such as a local boutique that carries them, a major retailer, or directly from GGDB. Golden Goose are RARELY on sale. If you find a site that says they are $165 or $200, I encourage you to think twice! Again, we want to keep the fashion food chain going, which requires thoughtfulness when and where we are purchasing from. Thus far, I have purchased all of my sneakers from Truluck Boutique here in Columbus, OH!- Whole sizes only. One of the common things about European made shoes is whole sizes. I am a 8.5 in US and wear a 38 (euro 8) in my GGBD sneakers. For the first few wears, they were snug, but stretched out beautifully; so, bear that in mind when trying them on.- Think long lasting style. Considering the price point, I think it is very important to purchase a pair/style that will be reflective of your personal style for years to come. For example, I like red, but I don't love to wear it...so it would not be wise to purchase a pair of GGBD with a massive red star! Instead, I found one with brown, which is one of my singature colors that I wear.- Don't settle. If you aren't finding what you are looking for, don't settle for just anything. They refresh colors regularly! So it might be worth it to wait.- Make the purchase because you feel empowered and confident! When it comes to high end purchases, you need to feel confident in pulling the trigger. If you are wavering back and forth, I caution you to wait until you are feeling 100% about it.And whew. That's it. So to answer the question, "Are Golden Goose Sneakers worth the hype?" It is a resounding yes for ME. However, it has to be right for you too. These are just my insights and I hope it inspires you to think about your potential purchase in a holistic way! And because I adore you all, I rounded up a few of my fav Golden Goose styles that I am looking at, as well as a few other non Golden Goose sneaker options in the event you aren't ready just yet!