Some months I simply don't have an extra $500 - $1000 to spend on new shoes or a bag.  So in those months when I see a style I really, really have to have, I look around for a more affordable version with the same aesthetics.  I've had really good luck going to brands like Nine West, BCBG, and Sam Edelman to find what I'm looking for.

Based on this philosophy, I wanted to check out ShoeDazzle and Sole Society.  Both are monthly shoe "clubs" similar to the jewelry of Jewel Mint which I've mentioned here before.  Shoedazzle is $39.95 per month while Sole Society is $49.95.

ShoeDazzle is fronted by Kim Kardashian while Sole Society is part of HauteLook which is owned by Nordstrom where I've been making the majority of my shoe purchases for years, so I might be biased.

Sole Society is purely shoes while ShoeDazzle offers monthly suggestions of shoes, bags and jewelry.

This week I received this pair of navy flats from ShoeDazzle.

They are all man-made materials and are a little stiff because of it.  The detail on the toe is cute though,



but overall, the shoe is not well-made and is hard, brittle and uncomfortable.

This is the Sole Society pair.  Probably not a fair comparison since it's a pair of heels.



This is a really well-constructed, comfortable shoe with a leather upper.  For $10 more, this is the clear winner to me.

Since ShoeDazzle also offers jewelry, I thought I'd check out one of their pieces in comparison to JewelMint.

This is one of the JewelMint rings I've shown before.



It has a lovely, matte finish and for $29.95 for three rings, JewelMint is the clear bargain of the bunch.

This is a necklace and earring combo from ShoeDazzle.



No real complaints, but it's a pretty generic piece for $39.95.

I give the lead to JewelMint purely based on marketing.  JewelMint has some lovely packaging and each piece comes with a descriptive card.  Since they are focusing only on jewelry, they've done a good job establishing the brand.  The jewelry from ShoeDazzle seems like a last minute add-on: "Hey, let's do jewelry too."  This piece came in a cellophane bag inside of a cheap, plain white box.  I feel like I could have bought this piece with no frills from Forever 21 for about $7.99.

I do like the bag I received from ShoeDazzle though.



It's a really soft fabric with a good shape and construction.  Of course, I don't have anything to compare it to though...