Are Golden Goose Sneakers Worth It? Honest Review...
LAUGHING OUT LOUD that I’m writing this post… I used to DESPISE the sneaker trend in general. I hated sneakers with shorts and especially hated them with dresses. The trend first showed up in Europe around 2017-18, and gained popularity with the sneaker brand Golden Goose.
Call me a sheep because after seeing everyone and their moms (literally) wearing sneakers with dresses, it grew on me. What really happened is I traveled to London and wore my Keds everywhere we went until the rubber soles literally separated from the shoe itself, and a few years later in 2021 I still didn’t own a pair of casual sneakers. I decided it would be really nice to wear sneakers with everything and not just my athleisure outfits, and I really hated the look of athletic shoes with dresses and jeans, so I started looking at the ever popular Golden Goose shoe that was clogging up my Instagram feed.
And then I saw the price and I decided I would never spend over $300 on a pair of scuffed up, already dirty looking sneakers. A few months later, I was shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and came across a brand called P448. Their sneakers looked similar to the Golden Goose sneaker, but didn’t come already scuffed up. These sneakers are over $250 but they were on sale for $190 and I decided to buy a pair because I liked the sneaker style but liked that these weren’t scuffed up.
I ended up LOVING them and wore them with legit every outfit. All of my other sandals and shoes and booties were forgotten, and the thing I loved most about them is they went with EVERY outfit. I could wear them with athleisure while exploring a new city, I could wear them walking the dog around, I could wear them to a nicer dinner with a dress, and I could wear them casually with shorts and jeans and not feel like a soccer mom from the 90s (IYKYK).
However, the more I wore them and the more photos I got taken in the shoes, the more I didn’t really love the way they looked on my slender ankles. P448 shoes have a wider ankle with more “puff” to the show, which looks more like the older SK8ER boi trend from my high school days. I started looking at people’s Golden Goose photos, and noticed their shoes looked girlier almost and not as skater boy as the P448 did on me.
I saved up my commission payments from my YouTube channel and Instagram and sold my P448 sneakers. I told myself if I sold the sneakers for $100 I would let myself take the plunge on a pair of GG.
I looked for no joke 2 weeks straight. I’m not exaggerating when I say I researched these dang shoes for over 16 hours total. I ordered different styles like the Pure Star and the Super Stars from Nordstrom and tried on two different sizes so I would know what size I am, and returned them since I just wanted to see what size I was.
Here’s the video I made showing you the difference in how the shoes fit, how to tie the laces like I did, and more details as to why I ultimately decided Golden Goose are worth it!
Here’s my unboxing ASMR video I made:
How P448 Compared:
P448 sneakers are extremely comfortable and are more squishy than the Golden Goose are. They have a flat sole, and they are great quality. Also, they smell really good. I know that’s a weird fact, but it’s the first thing I noticed about them. They smelled good after wearing them all around multiple cities and on airplanes with and without socks.
As I mentioned, the ankle of the shoe is definitely wider and more puffy, so it gives the appearance that the foot is bigger than it is. They are great quality and also made in italy. P448 have more designs and are usually in stock for longer periods of time.
Obviously the biggest pro to P448 is the price. They are still expensive, don’t get me wrong. Anything over $70 in my opinion falls into the “expensive” category, and even when I bought these on sale for 40% off I still thought they were an investment.
The re-sale value is pretty good considering I sold mine for $115 and they went FAST after I put them up for sale on Poshmark and Mercari.
Why I liked Golden Goose Better:
Obviously, it’s a brand thing for me. When I wore my P448, I had multiple strangers ask me “Are those Gooses?” and I realized I wanted to say yes lol. I’m not ashamed to say I literally just wanted to be able to say “yes” because it’s a more recognizable designer and just like a Chanel bag, it’s a status thing! I usually don’t give AF about this, but after explaining to people that the P448 weren’t GG, I realized I was sad that they weren’t what they looked like and it just made me want to wear the GG brand! Nothing wrong with that… why do you think everyone else wears them?
They are SO COMFORTABLE. They aren’t as squishy as the P448, which I actually like better. They are not running shoes obvi, but they are lightweight and feel really sturdy and well made. I have worn them multiple times already for long periods and didn’t need any time at all to break them in. Also, my p448 started squeaking after a few wears. It wasn’t too noticeable, but something I the GG haven’t done yet.
They are hand-made in Italy, and scuffed by hand, so they are each completely one-of-a-kind and unique.
They go with EVERYTHING. This is why I chose the pair I chose. I paid more than I thought I would but knew it would be better in the long run to go ahead and pay a premium for a pair that I can wear with every single outfit I could ever dream up, and get more wears out of them. I suggest a neutral pair like mine unless you have an extra grand sitting around to be spend on 2 pair of sneakers with more trendy designs. Also, I know I’ll be saving money in the long run because I don’t need as many shoes in general.
“Why would you pay that much money for shoes that looks like they were pulled out of a landfill?” is the question my husband asked me. Honestly it’s so freeing wearing these sneakers out of the box and not being scared of wearing them like usual. I know myself and since I am usually pretty frugal, if I spent $500 on a pair of white sneakers, I would wear them only occasionally and I would be so careful that I wouldn’t really enjoy wearing them. With these, I can live my life just as I would in a pair of $10 shoes, except these will last way longer and they are way comfier.
They have a hidden 1” wedge in the sole. This elongates the leg and gives your legs a more feminine appearance. They also make your foot look smaller and an extra inch is not something I’m complaining about. Closer to my husband so I can repeatedly tell him how much I love the shoes when we are out ;)
The quality is second to none. I’ve never put on a sturdier pair of shoes before and I have zero doubt they will last me as long as I choose to wear them.
Sizing
These are European sizes, so they don’t come in half sizes. BIG BUMMER for someone like me who is a very true 6.5 US. Almost all of the reviews I read say to size up, but I ordered multiple sizes to try on and return for this purpose. I tried on 36 (equivilent to a US6) and 37 (equivalent to US7) and walked around my carpeted hallway with and without different no-show socks I would wear with them if I chose to. I even went up and down my carpeted stairs a few times in each size to really test it out.
The 37 shoe slipped off my foot without socks every step I took. With socks, they only slipped off my heel every few steps or when I stood on my tip-toes. They felt pretty comfortable and not too roomy around my toes.
The 36 shoes felt tighter around my toes, which at first was a little too tight. When I walked around, though, my foot felt way more secure and I actually preferred the 36 because they didn’t slip off my heel at all until I was on my tip-toes for a few seconds or really pushed my toes up towards the top of the shoe.
I went with the 36 and I’m so glad I did. If you need to break them in and they are too tight, you can put on a pair of thicker socks and wear the shoes while heating the toes up with a blow dryer until warm. Then wear them around the house with your thicker socks for a few hours, heating them up a few more times if necessary. This will slightly stretch out the toe area since they are genuine leather.
I didn’t need to do this at all, and I expect the toes will stretch out normally with normal wear and tear, but my toes aren’t uncomfortable at all.
How to wear:
I plan to update this post soon with photos I take in the shoes, but you can literally wear them with everything. Wear them with athleisure, jeans, casual dresses, and shorts.
They can be used in all seasons, but the brand recommends not getting them wet. I’ll definitely wear mine in all conditions but will be sure not to wear them in pouring rain so they don’t get too wet.
Where to Buy Golden Goose:
You can buy them from the Golden Goose website, but they are sold many other places as well. The thing about Golden Goose is they come out with new color combinations every season, and they usually only make that exact combination once, so there are very limited quantity of each combination.
I got mine from Net-a-Porter, and I highly recommend buying them from them! They have free returns, and next day free UPS shipping. It could have been because I purchased both sizes 36 and 37, racking up an over $1,000 order, but I got free UPS next day shipping. I ordered them on Tuesday, they were shipped Wednesday morning, and delivered to my house on Thursday.
After I tried on each pair and decided on the 36, I went to my account page on Net-A-Porter’s website and created a return. It was super simple to select the pair I wanted to return, and they sent me an email with further instructions. The box came with a return paper to fill out with a “reason” and to sign for the return, and the email gave me a phone number to call UPS. When I called the number and gave them the account number Net-A-Porter emailed to me, the lady from UPS said the driver would be at my house between 5-9pm THE SAME DAY to pick up my return, free of charge. The driver arrived at 8pm and took my return and it was sent back to Net-A-Porter for return!
I’ve never experienced an easier process to return anything in my life, and certainly not free of charge so I wanted to give them an extra shout-out!
Other places to buy that I considered: Mytheresa, Nordstrom, Cettire, Shopbop, Farfetch, Ssense. Shop my P448 and my Golden Goose shoes below:
