Jeffrey Campbell 'Lita' Comparison

As you know when it comes to shoes or shopping in general, nothing comes easy! I've had my eye on these leopard print and black leather Lita's by Jeffrey Campbell at Office for some time now. At £120 it was both more than I was prepared to pay and too much to justify spending on yet another pair of Lita's and another pair of shoes (because we all know I'm not light in that department).

They got slashed in price to £60 though, a bargain-deal, but I was still somewhat reluctant to dive in and buy them. They had tonnes of stock though, so I watched each day as it got less and less (stalking is one of my love-hate hobbies in life). I also checked if my nearest Office store had them as I detest paying postage for anything I order, no matter what it is or where it's coming from, but Office only seem to offer free delivery on full price items.  No luck, they had the grey version, but I wanted the brighter leopard (fussy to a fault). However, I decided to bite the bullet and just get the damn things, because the 4 pairs left in stock had decreased to 1 while I checked out the real Office. So I move the money from my Paypal (given that Office don't yet accept Paypal) and actually for once in my life remembered to sign into Treat Street too, got to checkout and some bastard not very nice person, stole the buggers out of my basket!! Gah! I decided my level of grief at this point was a good gauge to how much I wanted the shoes (I was reasonably pissed, but not off the scale). Should I forget about them or continue to stalk and hope they get another pair? I did and they did! I bought them without hesitation this time and they arrived in my greedy hands a couple of days later. I always forget how much I love Lita until I see them again in person...they are rather glorious. Now what immediately struck me was the platform looked a lot larger than my others and indeed a slightly different shape even. Actually I've always believed the suede, leather and some of the printed Lita's on the Office site looked a little different, but couldn't tell if it was just the angle the photos were taken. So I grabbed my other boots and did a wee comparison for you.

My first pair were the black patent with wooden heel and actually remain my favourite despite the cool colours and prints they come in nowadays. There's just something about the shiny-ness that I adore. I also have the cat tapestry with wooden heel and floral tapestry with black heel. Those three pairs appear to look relatively similar, so I just compared the leopard with the black patent.

While normal Lita heels measure just under 5", I felt the leopard were just over 5". A pretty small difference and perhaps not even one you can notice from my images.  Even the heel tip is thicker on the new ones (actually what probably changes the measurement).  I also noted the laces are shorter and thicker.

The most significant difference is the size of platform. From memory I think normal Lita's are around 1 3/4" with my new boots measuring 2 1/2"! You can definitely see the difference from the side and front views.

The toe also seems more upturned and this is what I'd picked up on online. Given that the platform is bigger, it's difficult to tell as the whole boot is 'higher' than the regular one, but I'm certain the toe is slightly different shaped.  I haven't worn the new pair yet, so can't comment on whether or not they are just as comfortable.  it worries me slightly that they might sit higher up the leg which could be worse or better for rubbing at the ankle.

I can't say I dislike the newer shape or prefer it, I love them all to be honest, but just thought it was something you might like to note, if you prefer the lower platform or like the upturned toe.  Actually Office now have a huge selection of JC's, over 120 styles making them the biggest UK stockist.  Personally I'm hankering after the Big Lita, which for me are the perfect high-street version of the Charles Anastase Dungeon boot that inspired the Lita and Lita lookalikes.  It's got a much more grungy, worn-in feel to it and I'm just desperate for them! I'm hoping and patiently waiting for a UK stockist to get them because I've banned myself from buying shoes Stateside, as I can't afford the ridiculous £30+ customs fee on one pair of shoes each time. What about you, a Lita fan or hater?  Not understand what the fuss is about? Think they've had their 15 minutes? Or do you think they've become a classic?

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