Trend Alert: Return of the Birk

You read that right, don't worry. Breathe. Birkenstocks can actually be quite fashionable, they're like the awkward nerdy kid who got picked on in high school then 10 years later shows up to the reunion and people are like "Dayummmmmmmm!" Ok, that may be a bit much, but seriously they're everywhere! Don't believe me? Just type 'Birkenstock fashion' into Pinterest and feast your eyes.

These super comfortable sandals are taking the street fashion scene by storm and all of us fashionistas couldn't be happier, and neither could our feet. Something chic, and flat? I'll take it, and one in every color please. There's just one teeny tiny issue, sandals aren't exactly a lot of foot coverage so they're usually the most budget friendly shoes out there, Birkenstocks however....not so much. On average, these shoes run anywhere from $80-$120 bucks a pop. Obviously that's a little out of the price range of a working college kid like me. Fear not, Payless has released a couple great Birk dupes for less than $30 and I am here to share them with you of course!

Buy the Birks here / Buy the Payless version

Buy the Birks here / Buy the Payless Version

Whoa whoa whoa, that's not the end of the article! There's more to see, now that you know where to get the look and save tons of money, what do you wear them with? Below, I've put together a couple outfit options to show you how I like to style mine.

For this first casual spring outfit I wanted to transition one of my favorite fall and winter shirts into a season appropriate outfit. With a basic chambray and a pair of printed shorts, you can easily pair it with some black Birkenstocks (or great looks for less like mine).

Shorts: Joe Fresh / Shirt: Target / Sandals: Payless / Bracelet: J.Crew

A different outfit I've been loving lately has been any combinations of a vest and a long sleeve blouse underneath, paired with my go-to denim cut off shorts. For this specific look, I went with a striped blouse underneath an olive colored, open back vest. Once again, these patent black leather Birkenstock dupes are the perfect icing to the look.