Shoe Deja Vu: Carvela ‘Assemble’ Vs Steve Madden ‘Ravesh’

Steve Madden Vs Carvela

If you loved Carvela’s ‘Assemble’ pumps from earlier this year, I’m going to take a wild guess that you’ll also love these ‘Ravesh’ pumps from the Steve by Steve Madden line. Because, well, colour aside, they’re pretty much identical, aren’t they?

When brands from roughly the same price-point release similar (or identical) styles, it tends to be a case both brands buying the same shoe from the original manufacturer, rather than one copying the other, although, I have to be honest, when Steve Madden is involved, I tend to always suspect the latter. Whatever the case here, though (And lest we forget, they’re both based on a Valentino design, so the argument is probably academic), the fact remains that the Assemble pumps are getting harder and harder to track down these days, so if you’re still looking for them, these could be the answer. So far they only seem to be available in the cream version shown above, and a coral leather, but Steve Madden does tend to release shoes in multiple colours, so it could be worth keeping an eye out to see if any others are released.

These are available at Bloomingdales, where they’re £118.36.

3 Comments

  • I was going to say that Steve Madden really has no shame, but as you point out, they’re both “inspired” by Valentino so I guess they’re as guilty as each other.

  • I absolutely loved Carvela’s “Assemble” and went to the store to try them out the moment I discovered them. However, I found that the high sides and heel made it look like the shoe was almost swallowing my foot, and so didn’t look as lovely as I hoped they would. This was a shame as I still really really really like them. I mean it doesn’t get sexier than a perfectly pointed toe and a 4-inch heel with no platform; that coupled with the gorgeous bows… how could I resist?!

    These Steve Maddens seem to have lower sides, and while I really liked them in blue I think it’s a shoe that looks lovely in many colours. Also, they appear to at least have uppers made of real leather, whereas the Carvela pair are made entirely from synthetic materials. AND they come in half sizes which is great for my size 37.5 feet. So all-in-all, I’ll be willing to look at them as an alternative to “Assemble” (if I can find them, that is, as they don’t seem available at Bloomingdale at the moment…..)

  • You can find the Carvela Assembles at DSW at this time for under $100. Personally, I prefer that blue to anything Steve Madden is offering in his version. That said, I do prefer leather, and I do wish the Carvela Assemble came in half sizes. But my heart still gave in to the blue.

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