Being a Rockstudoholic on a budget..

The Valentino Rockstuds launched in 2010, and now, 10 years after, they're still as popular as ever. They are often spotted on various red carpet events around the world, and here in Denmark, our very own Crown Princess Mary is known to occasionally rock a pair too. The Rockstuds are everywhere, and if you follow along on my Instagram, you know that I too have a weakness for the studded shoe. That being said, being a student I don't exactly adore the price (starting at around €700), even if they have proved again and again, that they don't plan to go out of style any time soon. I somehow seem to have gotten quite the collection anyhow, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on being a Rockstudoholic, while also being on a budget.

Buying pre-loved

The first pair I ever bought were in black. I wanted a classic pair that would go with anything, so black seemed the natural choice. To save money I bought them pre-loved (such a cute word, much better than used!) on Vestiaire Collective. Luckily they ran true to size, because I hadn't even tried them on in a store at that point. When they arrived it was love at first sight, and I was hooked. My next pair was also in black, but with a shorter heel. I again found them pre-loved, but on a site where you bought directly from a private seller. I went for it, but in the end they turned out to be very good fake ones. I learned a lesson there, so today I prefer not to buy directly from private sellers, but to have someone like Vestiaire authenticate the product beforehand. I've since bought two other Valentino pairs this way, and as long as you know your size, I think this is a really good option. You save money (I got mine for less than half of the original price) and you're being environmentally friendly at the same time.

Buying them brand new

It took four pairs of Valentinos before I got my first brand new pair. It was a gift from my husband for our wedding anniversary, and though I love my other pairs too, it was a special experience getting my very own pair. Apart from that special new shoe feeling, the good thing about buying brand new is, you don't have to spend weeks (or months) searching for the specific pair you want. Especially if you, like me, don't have the most common sized feet, it can really add some extra time to the search. In general I would say the more popular colors like nude and black are easier to find, but if you've got your heart set on something a bit more unusual, you might be better off investing in a brand new pair. €700 is a lot of money, but as I mentioned earlier, they never seem to go out of style, so it really does make them a pretty good fashion investment. Later on, if you then grow tired of them, most likely someone else will take them off your hands for you for a reasonable prize.

Buying a dupe

At some point I began thinking of getting some flats too. I normally don't spend that much money on flats though, and my size didn't show up much when looking for pre-owned pairs either. I therefore began looking into dupe alternatives, and stumbled upon the Kaitlyn Pan ones, which had gotten really good reviews online. I gave it a go, and 3 or 4 weeks later the flats arrived. They were really good quality and I couldn't even distinguish them from the Valentino ones, so for $110 it was definitely worth the wait. Admittedly I did feel a bit weird knowing that it was a dupe, but I decided, as long as it says "Kaitlyn Pan" and not "Valentino" inside the shoes, I'm okay with it. It's not a fake, it's just a dupe. By now I've got 3 Kaitlyn Pan pairs, and I would recommend going the dupe way when you're experimenting with crazy colors, or if you like me, just don't want to spend that much money on a pair of flats. For the classics, I would definitely invest in the real deal (pre-loved if possible), but that's just my personal opinion.

So in short my advice for being a Rockstudoholic on a budget means knowing when to go for which of the 3 above mentioned options.

1. Look into buying a pair pre-loved, but beware of private sellers. Know your size beforehand and check your chosen sites on a regular basis so you don't miss it when your dream pair shows up.

2. Consider investing in a brand new pair if you've fallen in love with an uncommon color, or if your size is just impossible to get your hands on second hand. Remember you can probably get some money back by selling them when you don't need them anymore.

3. Go with the dupe version when you want to scratch the itch without breaking the bank. Especially if you're trying out crazy colors you wouldn't otherwise buy (like my highlighter yellow ones).