These are the types of Shoe Deja Vu I like the most: the ones where the two pairs of shoes aren’t identical, but are just similar enough that you can see where the inspiration came from.

Looked at point by point, Topshop’s ‘Planet’ (on the left of the image) and Alexander Wang’s ‘Anais’ are completely different: the Topshop shoes have a platform, the Wang shoes have none; the Topshop shoes have a chunky heel, the Wangs a slim one; the Topshop shoes have a pointed toe and stitching around the vamp, the Wangs have a squared-off toe and no stitching; the high street shoes have flat tassels, the designer shoes have round ones; finally, the Alexander Wang shoe has that huge, exaggerated tongue, while the Topshop version is much smaller. In other words, they’re totally different but for the colour, and yet, as soon as I looked at the ‘Planet’ shoes, I was instantly reminded of ‘Anais’, and when you see them side-by-side, they’re certainly similar.

This is the best kind of “designer” inspiration, as far as I’m concerned, in that it’s ACTUAL “Inspiration”, as opposed to blatant copying. That doesn’t mean I’d buy them – neither of these are my style, although if I had to pick, I actually think I’d prefer the Topshop shoes – but if you’re a fan of the ‘Anais’ shoes, but don’t want to spend $650 on them, Topshop’s £95 version could be just what you’re looking for!

Which do you prefer?

P.S. Just after I finished this post, I came across this version, from ASOS, which share the outsized tongue of the designer shoes, but which use a totally different design other than that: another good way to get the same kind of look on a much smaller budget.