Sponsored: Gorgeous, Affordable, Quality Shoes from M.Gemi
This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This post is sponsored by M.Gemi, but is written by your local friendly blogger, Kat Griffin.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was super excited for the new luxury shoe brand, M.Gemi — not only do I have a friend on the inside, but their launch last week went swimmingly, with some styles already selling out. The basic premise: they sought out the most respected, family-owned specialty shoe factories all over Italy. There, they conceive, design, source, pattern, last, stitch, and finish all of their limited edition shoes. Then, they sell them directly to you. Because they cut out the middleman, they can price their shoes much less than other luxury brands, even though they're using the same quality leathers and materials. As an added bit of fun, they've pledged to come out with new styles each week. (You can read more about their process in their FAQs.)
Shipping and returns are free, but they do ask that you return shoes within 14 days of receiving them.
(Pictured at top, clockwise: Farfalla pump, Riveli pump, Fiero pump, Felize loafer.)
Just launched today: the Reggia pump, in glorious blue. I love the slightly squared toe line, the light padding on the insole, and the soft suede. It's available in blueberry and raspberry pink for $248.
Another favorite (Edition 1.1, launched last week): the Farfalla. At $248, it's extremely affordable, but the silhouette is timeless. I love the patent cross straps, the pointy toe, the 80mm heel — juuuuust over 3″. Gorgeous. I like the black, but I'll admit I'm kind of obsessed with both their blueberry and their black and white (pictured below — it feels more beige/nude-for-me than a super crisp black/white).
I'm a huge fan of any shoe with cutouts, so I'm torn whether I like the Riveli pump or the Viale flat better — they both feature the same mesh panel around the entire shoe, giving a nice little hint of toe cleavage. (Know your office, but I generally like a bit of toe cleavage.) The pumps are $278 and 80mm high; the flats are $228 (with a teensy tiny 10mm heel); they both come in both black and blush, with the pumps also coming in red. (If you're looking for a brighter pop of color in a flat, check out the Fortuna, which comes in a bright, happy blue. You may need to check out the waitlist on that one, though, as it's almost sold out.)
The Fiero is as close as the brand gets to a “basic” pump — and while it looks like a wardrobe workhorse, it's the little details that elevate it beyond the basic — the leather lining, the tapered heel, the contrast binding, and the saturated colors like turquoise or coral. (It also comes in black and beige, for $248.)
For the weekends and more casual workdays, I'm seriously drooling over the Felize. The product's description is amazing: “Only about ten can be made each day. In addition to being printed with this skin texture, the leather is tumbled traditionally, too – placed in a wooden barrel at the tannery and rolled with stones to create the lights and darks, the unique distressing.” Wonderful! I think the shoe would look great with ankle-length pants. It comes in black, beige, blue, salmon, and a black and white, all for $198. (If you want something a bit more polished, the Pastoso is the brand's patent leather penny loafer.)
Ladies, which is your favorite current style from M.Gemi? What style do you hope they tackle next?
Pretty! I’ve been to Italy and can’t imagine any shoes working there but the loafers. To me, Italy = walking, walking, walking (which is good b/c the food is so amazing).
What is the sort of foot that these fit? I have triangular feet, my heel is narrow but my toe box needs to be generous for a B width. Cole Haan and SW don’t work at all for my feet.
Bigfoot says boo that they only go up to size 42. Guess I still have to wait for Stuart Weitzmans to buy Size 12s. (42 is an 11 or 11.5).
Another Bigfoot here… I’ll still order their 42’s but I’m not too hopeful they’ll fit
Well – supposedly they go up to 42, but when I looked at a hand full of styles, there weren’t any actually available in that size (yet?)
Where do my fellow bigfooted readers find shoes? I’m an 11W/C/D or a 12 and always looking for other resources…
Nordstrom and Zappos are my go-tos (I’m an 11). Sometimes I’ll go to a DSW and just walk up and down the aisles, looking for boxes with an “11” sticker – and then check to see what the shoe actually looks like.
Same here from a size 5. No use in wasting time looking at the shoes first.
35.5 European actually converts to a size 5. A lot of my European shoes run smaller than American so I’ve taken 35.5 to 36 even though I’m a solid 5 in the US.
I’ve always had the opposite experience–I’m a solid Euro 35 (with room for insoles, even) but I fluctuate between size 5 and 5.5 in US sizing. To me a US 5 feels much narrower, especially in the toebox, and sandals are sometimes a little short.
+1 – or just go straight back to the sale section where everything is already arranged by size. I’ve found a few ridiculously cheap deals that way.
Cosign but also Marni (which has a so-so website but great catalogs and excellent sales), mostly of Van Eli shoes and other Euro brands with nice constructions.
Where do your men buy professional man-bags? I’m looking for something nicer than timbuk2, but it doesn’t have to be as big as a traditional briefcase. Thanks!
Tumi? Jack Spade? Brooks Brothers?
Excellent suggestions!
fossil or coach?
These shoes are lovely. I, too, am interested in how they fit on wide-toe-narrow-heel-type feet.
It looks like everything is over 3 inches. I’d be more impressed if they had any variety in the 2.5 inch range.
My first purchase directly influenced by Corporette – and I’m in love! I got the Viale flat today and the quality is really nice. I will wear the hell out of these this spring and summer, and it’ll be great to give my tired Tory flats a rest. Thanks, Kat!
These shoes are not 3″ or 80 MM; they are 4″ The farfella is beautiful but the leather is not soft. Very hard to find 3″ stylish criss-cross strap pump in a soft leather for a moderate price point.
I discovered M. Gemi about a month ago and have now ordered 4 pairs in two different sizes due to the fit of different styles. They’re absolutely incredible from start to finish, their customer service team is incredible and a lot of help. I received my shoes in 2 days and they’re perfect. As someone who has a closet full of thousand dollar high end designer shoes, I’m completely hooked and have no affiliation with this brand or company. They’re amazing, so comfortable, of the best quality and I hope this company is around forever! It makes me wonder how much of what I used to spend for other brands was just for the middle man or the designer name stamped on them. Sadly, I think I know.