The JCrew Crystal Capris

A couple of weeks ago I bought a pair of sandals in one of my favorite JCrew Manhattan stores. They must be retail only because I haven't seen them on the website, that's why I don't have a Jcrew picture to post. The style tag on the box says "Crystal capris", the color is sterling silver (it's a silver with a hint of gold if this makes any sense) and they have leather sole (they are not the much cheaper "metallic mesh flip-flop", style 11700). This was really an impulsive purchase, especially if you consider the price: $98!

And here they are on my feet (I know, I need a pedi):


I know what you are thinking: why would you put $98 in a pair of cheap-looking thongs when you could have bought an outstanding piece for more or less the same price? Well I have a little story to tell you if you have the time.
Last summer I coveted a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti crystal thongs that were sold at the prohibitive price of $400. I found a picture on the web, even if I'm not 100% sure that it's the exact same pair:




I don't say that I would NEVER spend that much in a pair of shoes (even if I never did) but I would certainly never spend that amount for a pair of thongs. However, since I really, really hearted them and I needed a pair of embellished flat sandals, I kept telling myself that I would keep an eye on them and would try to buy them at the lowest possible price when they went on sale. So, they finally went on sale and I didn't follow my shopping rule number 3. I DIDN'T buy them, even after two markdowns (they were still expensive and I was hoping for an even better bargain). Silly me. Of course I almost immediately regretted and after looking for them everywhere and out of frustration I ended up buying 3 pairs of not-coveted shoes on sale for almost the same amount of the Zanotti. This is what I call a life lesson.

So when I saw the crystal capris at Jcrew I couldn't repress a feeling of "here you are my love, I thought you were dead but you don't look bad at all" and I bought them on the spot (I then had a price adjustement with the 25% off shoes promo). In their defense I will say that they are much more sparkling in real life, especially under an artificial light. But they keep looking at me from their box, almost screaming "your lover is dead, we are just a simulacre, you will never love us like you loved the Zanotti". Plus, the jeweled look is out this year ;-).

What do you think I should do? Try to keep the old love alive? Or move on with my life and return them? The thing is, I couldn't outlive a second mistake on these shoes. Have you seen them in store? Worth it the price or not worth it? Have you an alternative to suggest, maybe cheaper (btw: did you know that Havaianas carries all sort of "rhinestone" flip-flops that retail for $88 and more?)