Review: Secret Shop Shoes

After five months of patiently waiting, the two pairs of shoes I ordered from Secret Shop through taobaonow finally arrived.  The delay wasn't the shopping service's fault, but they kept me periodically updated. 

Both pairs were Innocent World replicas, as I had been needing more classical styled shoes which other cheap alternatives (bodyline) didn't really provide.  After fees and shipping, I paid about $50 per pair.  I don't think Secret Shop is allowing individual shoe orders anymore, however, and you have to go through some distributor for nearly $50 a pair before shipping. 

The bordeaux pair I was most anxious for, as I have a few pieces in my wardrobe I was hoping they would match.  Unfortunately the shoes are slightly redder than I had hoped, but they'll still look nice.  The little rose bouquets are adorable, though they're only one-faced so you can see the grey underside. 

I found it amusing that they used an Angelic Pretty logo for the inside of the shoe.

The scallops are nice, though the edges are not as clean as on the black pair or the pair from IW that I own.  It's also not one continuous piece, but at least they put the break to the inside.  You can also see the material is slightly wrinkled here, it's not as strongly enforced as the toe or the back.

These impressed me with the quality.  The straps on these are thicker and sturdier than the other pair.  Bows are luckily nondetachable (as I always manage to lose those).

The heels on both pairs are the same.  They seem secured well and nonwobbly, unlike a pair of bodyline heels that I've had.

They used their own logo for the inside of these, which I prefer.

Decent grip on the soles, so I don't have to worry about sliding around.

I've never had a pair of shoes that clasped quite like these before.  The closures are hooks that you slide the strap into, and the adjustable "buckle" part prevents the strap from sliding through.  It's faster than buckling, sure, but it doesn't seem as secure...

For comparison, my pair of Innocent World shoes have a normal buckle. 

The secret shop shoes next to my Innocent World shoes.  It's difficult to compare since I don't own the originals of the replicas, but overall I'd say the Innocent World ones are better quality in terms of little details and construction.  The material on the replica shoes is a bit rougher, but it doesn't detract from their appearance.

Here they are worn with the pair of Secret Shop socks that I threw in with the order as an impulse. 

I love that Secret Shop put out some classical shoes, but the waiting time was slightly irritating as it kept getting delayed.  I'm very satisfied with these and can't wait to incorporate them into my wardrobe.  It's just a shame ordering from Secret Shop is more difficult and expensive now.