The first time I saw Golden Goose sneakers, I didn’t understand the appeal. For one thing, these Instagram-famous sneakers are designed to look distressed and dirty, which seemed wild to me considering the nearly $600 price tag. These Italian-made, leather shoes with their unmistakable star emblem weren’t like anything I’ve ever owned, which only made them more intriguing and desirable—which ultimately lead me to hunt for the best Golden Goose dupes—but more on that later.
Over time, these glittery, youthful, delightfully-absurd shoes completely took over my social media feed and made me realize just what I was missing in my closet: a fashion-forward, statement-making, contemporary sneaker that all the influencers and cool moms were wearing. And they’re anything but conventional: they come in a sea of funky-but-fantastic designs, including leopard print, lavender glitter, and even a fluorescent yellow.
The original Golden Goose sneakers are undeniably worth the price if you're willing to drop $500+ on sneakers.
Even though I’ve saved up off and on for these trendy European shoes, I simply can’t pull the trigger on spending that many Benjamins on casual footwear. And while the day may come when I finally do invest in them, in the meantime, I decided to test the waters with a great pair of Golden Goose dupes. Sure, there are a number of designs similar to Golden Goose out there, but the dupes don’t get any better than Vintage Havana.
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Like Golden Goose, Vintage Havana features a variety of eye-catching, curiosity-provoking designs, including tie-dye calf hair, camo with golden glitter, and rainbow glitter, all of which bear a striking resemblance to Golden Goose’s star-branded sneakers.
With Vintage Havana’s affordable price tag—most of the sneakers range around $100—I was concerned that the shoes’ quality, comfort, design, and durability simply wouldn’t hold up against the competition, but my suspicions were wrong; these shoes are well-designed, comfortable, and garner loads of compliments and questions on where to find them. I’ve already had several admirers stop to ask me if I’m wearing Golden Goose, and though I’ve been tempted to fib and say that I am, in the end, I can’t help but brag about the bargain I found with my Vintage Havana pair.
Vintage Havana's Golden Goose lookalikes offer a similar look and quality as the Italian-made originals.
I think what I like most about the Vintage Havana sneakers is that you get a great luxurious shoe that looks expensive like Golden Goose without the overly distressed, dirty design. Try as I may, I still can’t quite understand the appeal of new sneakers that look decades old, and perhaps that’s why I’ve decided to stick with my fresh-looking dupes for the time being.
The classic Italian look minus the distressing.
These low-top sneakers feature a similar star design that resembles the original Golden Goose style.
The subtle chain detail gives this pair of Vintage Havanas an extra-luxe appeal.
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