As I was rushing to the train a few weeks ago, I noticed that one of my sandals felt unusually loose and glanced down to discover that one of the straps was about to snap off. Considering that I wore these babies almost everyday for two Summers straight, I guess this was bound to happen eventually, but I was going to mourn the loss of them since they were a very pricey gift. When I got back to my apartment, I realised that these beat-up sandals were my only pair and that unless I could find some soon, I would be walking around Manhattan barefoot.

I headed to Amazon to get a few pairs ASAP and found a pretty comfortable pair of brown gladiators [1], as well as the Carlos by Carlos Santana Women's Gia Sandal [2] ($33). They look remarkably similar to the much more expensive pair that I couldn't afford to replace (I don't spend $200 on any one item very often), and for less than $50, I decided to give them a shot. Hoping these would fill the pom-pom sandal void in my life, I clicked "Buy Now" and hoped for the best.

Thankfully, these shoes are doing the job. The sandals are comfortable and cute, and the neutral light-brown hue is easy to match with many of my warm-weather outfits. I'm a little surprised that Carlos Santana makes such stylish women's shoes, but I'm even considering buying the same ones in the black version, complete with brown and powder blue pom-poms.