Dupli-CAUGHT: Zara vs Alexander Mcqueen

Monk strap shoes have been making a splash the past few seasons in men's footwear.  It's a dapper look that I personally can't pull off - until now...enter the monk strap book with three buckles à la McQueen.  I love this boot - it's classy and has just enough rugged appeal to move it out of the traditional dapper realm and into street wear.

The above boot comes in burgundy, brown, and black and will set you back $795 (you can purchase them at Mr. Porter or Bergdorf's). 

Meet the copycat - Zara's monk strap version. The shape and structure of the boot are almost identical to its McQueen counterpart except for a few minor details. The stitching patterns differ, there's a double buckle on this version and best of all (and most practical) - there's a zipper running down the back of the boot for ease.  This version will set you back $129 and although the quality of the leather isn't the same, it's not bad - I checked these out at the Bryant park location earlier this week. The zipper function is amazing - I hate fumbling to put boots on or take them off - so this was definitely a smart addition on Zara's part.

Just to prove a point, McQueen did this boot last winter with some metal plating (which was ditched along with the patent leather for this season).  Since it got reissued, I'm thinking the style did pretty well - and apparently, so did Zara.