Knock off of a knock off

I've been infatuated with these Gucci ankle boots for as long as I can remember. The gold studs, gorgeous black leather, cute little zipper. Perfection. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever possess the $995 needed to purchase them, so I tried to push them out of my mind and find a fulfilling replacement.

Luckily, Steve Madden has been ripping off high end designers for his entire career. So imagine my excitement when I saw the Marrvel studded bootie months ago.

My only issue? These came out in the winter and they're still not on sale. Anywhere. And I'm not coughing up $130 for them anytime soon.

But I really want these shoes and I'm not giving up that easy. So today I finally ended my strenuous search. Who came to my heroic rescue? Brace yourself: Alloy. Yeah, that catalog that somehow tracked down your contact information in middle school and still floods your mailbox a few times each season.

I snagged these for less than $50. They're clearly no where near as fabulous as the Gucci ones and I'm a little disappointed the studs aren't gold like the Steve Madden ones. And I'm feeling a little guilty about committing two fashion sins: buying a knockoff and buying cheap heels. But I already have outfits planned so I kind of don't care.