Today, we’re going to be comparing the P448 vs Golden Goose.
Because of the fact that Golden Goose shoes are really expensive, I was really looking for a sneaker that was a little bit less expensive and a little bit easier to purchase.
However, I didn’t really want to skimp on the luxury, the fashion, or the comfort level.
I found the brand P448 which is also another Italian brand and so I decided to give them a try.
These two sneaker brands are pretty controversial. You either absolutely love them or you absolutely hate them.
So, are P448 and Golden Goose sneakers worth it?
Let’s find out…
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P448 vs Golden Goose
I’m going to talk about price, quality, comfort, wedge, sizing, and fit.
Here’s a quick comparison first…
- Both sneakers are very comfortable but P448s are a bit more comfy.
- P448s are more squishy than Golden Goose.
- Both are hand-made in Italy and both are well-made.
- Golden Goose are sturdier and offer better quality and durability.
- Both are expensive but P448s are about half the price cheaper.
- Golden Goose have a better resale value.
- Golden Goose is a more recognizable designer brand than P448.
- Both are very versatile.
- Both feature a hidden wedge in the sole.
Now, let’s talk about these bullet points in detail starting with the main reason why I like Golden Goose better than P448s…
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Why I think Golden Goose are better than P448
Specifically, the main reason is the ankle are.
The ankle part feels puffier on the P448 than the ankle on Golden Goose and that is something that I really didn’t like about the P448s. Whenever I was wearing the P448 shoes, they felt just a little bit wider around my ankle.
My Golden Goose Superstar looks like a slimmer shoe and just a more feminine classic tennis shoe.
P448s look like a typical skater-boy shoe and that was honestly the main reason why I lean towards Golden Goose over P448 even though the latter are more affordable.
Talking about the price…
Price
The biggest reason a lot of people don’t love Golden Goose is because they are over $400.
That is a really high price point, especially for sneakers and $500 is kind of their classic Golden Goose no bells and whistles.
For someone who really doesn’t like to spend a lot of money where I don’t need to, this was a big splurge for me.
P448 are just really unique too and are about half the price of Golden Goose. I got these beauties, P448 Thea at a really good price.
If you’re in a half size and you don’t really know if you need a size up or size down, I would highly recommend finding a retailer that does free designer returns.
So, in terms of the price, the P448s are cheaper and so they win this round.
But, are P448 good quality sneakers even though they’re about half the price?
That’s next…
Which sneaker is better quality?
Golden Goose and P448 sneakers are really beautiful and made in Italy and so they are legitimately crafted beautifully.
They use real leather that is soft and I have found that my pairs don’t need any break-in period and so they are very high-quality sneakers.
Plus, they put some fun details in there like nice glittery laces, glittery uppers, or patterns if you’re really into these.
So, the quality on the P448s is almost the same but not quite as high as Golden Goose after having them both on.
However…
There’s a couple of things that Amy (find her experience below) has noticed with wearing P448 sneakers and we want to be transparent in this review.
“When I wanted to pull up the tongue, I ripped the glittery patch on the tongue that says P448.
I know I was not that aggressive and I was a little disappointed that this just popped off. I just sewed this back on, but for a $325 sneaker, I really shouldn’t be able to just rip this off.
Overall, I was kind of disappointed about that.
The other thing I want to mention about the P448 sneakers is the faux fur on the inside sheds. So, when I take my foot off, there is fuzzy stuff all over my socks.
You don’t always necessarily get more when you spend more, but I think when you spend less, you might notice some issues with your product.
It could be just me and your pairs might end up holding up better than mine, but that’s just my experience with my pair of P448s.
Overall, I feel the Golden Goose are better quality than P448, and I kind of like their sturdier feel.”
So, in terms of quality, Golden Gooses win this round.
Which sneaker is more comfortable?
I said that Golden Goose sneakers are high quality and have a sturdier feel. But quite frankly, I find P448 sneakers way more comfortable than Golden Goose.
Yes, Golden Goose are very comfortable, especially the Pure Stars, but the P448 Thea actually has a super-thick squishy sole and the tongue is super soft.
Overall, the P448s do have a squishier feel, but some people kind of like the sturdier feel for Golden Goose more. But it’s just personal preference whether you like a squishy or a harder underfoot feel.
But for me personally, I really like to feel like I’m walking on clouds, and the P448 Thea is just a fashion sneaker you could walk forever in.
I stand all day for 9 hours a day at least and these P448 are really comfortable. I do not think about my feet at all and that is how I want it to be when I’m working.
Again, I think the P448 Theas are some of the most comfortable sneakers on the market.
So, in terms of comfort, the P448s win this round.
Hidden Wedge?
The thing that makes Golden Goose sneakers so darn special is the fact that they have a hidden one-inch wedge in the sole.
And if this interior wedge of the Golden Goose really appeals to you, the P448s feature the exact same wedge.
But it’s not enough of a wedge to make these sneakers uncomfortable.
So, whenever you put your foot inside these sneakers, your heels are kind of sitting up a little bit.
The wedge really elongates the leg and puts your foot into a really flattering position, which is supposed to make your feet look a little bit smaller.
Obviously, you can wear Golden Goose and P448 with literally every single outfit.
So, if you’re struggling to style sneakers with certain pairs of jeans, bare legs, athleisure, nicer dresses, casual dresses, or even jean shorts, that little tiny hint of an interior platform completely solves that issue.
I have yet to find other shoes that you can wear with all the above and still look really cute.
Not only that, these are sneakers you can truly wear for hours and hours and put some serious walking miles in them.
Overall, Golden Goose and P448 sneakers are some of the most flattering sneakers on the market and that is why they have developed such a crazy following.
Sizing & Fit
I am a true 6.5 shoe and so it’s hard for me to buy European sizes because they don’t come in half sizes.
In the P448, I tried on a 36 and a 37. 36 is like a 6 and a 37 is like a 7 in US sizes.
The 36s were way too small and so I had to go to 37. I did notice a lot of heel slippage whenever I would walk around in the shoes, but they didn’t feel too big.
So, if you’re going to go with the P448, size up.
As far as Golden Goose sizing, I know that sizing probably depends on the style you’re getting, but for a Golden Goose Superstar sneaker, I sized down to a 36 and it fits perfect.
It is not too tight and the 37 was way too big.
The Golden Goose Pure Stars are a great option if you like a more sporty-looking shoe and if you want a clean look with absolutely no scuffing.
In terms of sizing, the Pure Stars fit tighter than the Superstars.
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Which brand is more recognizable
Whenever I had my P448s on, multiple people asked me if those were Golden Gooses. I kind of felt sad saying no but I didn’t really understand why.
P448 is definitely a good brand and I do love to put on their sneakers but only if it makes sense to me.
Because I was wearing these P448 sneakers so often, I knew that I wanted another pair of sneakers and I wanted them to just be Golden Goose.
My P448 shoes are not pre-scuffed and they don’t look super dirty, but what I did notice is that after just normal wear and tear just like a regular pair of tennis shoes, they were getting pretty scuffed up and dirty.
It felt like too much maintenance for a shoe that I was wearing almost every single day through every single season.
Distressing
I would say the distressed look is what really draws a lot of people in.
The majority of Golden Goose and P448 shoes have this cool sort of distressing, which gives them that casual nonchalant vibe that is sometimes hard to find.
Obviously, the pre-scuffing and the dirtier look really doesn’t look bad, but some people, actually, do not like to wear a brand-new pair of sneakers that looks dirty.
Some people just really want to stay true to themself and only go for styles that have minimal scuffing on the side and around the shoe.
Some styles are all-white including the laces, which makes them look not as dirty.
Looks aside, I think the real benefit of the distressed midsole is you can walk freely like you would in a $10 tennis shoe since you won’t have to worry about the soles getting dirty.
How to lace P448 and Golden Goose
The last question that I had that I wanted to answer is how I tied the laces.
I went for the knotted look and this was the most popular look that I’ve seen on Instagram and Pinterest.
You just basically slightly knot the laces on the edge. It does take a little bit of practice to get them to look really nice, especially whenever they’re on your foot.
You can also tuck them into your shoe if you wanted to and not have any laces hanging out.
I have seen occasionally some people just tie it in a regular bow and that looks nice too, but this is my absolute favorite way to tie them.
Actually, P448 recommend 3 different methods to lace your sneakers:
- Kansas City (Take it Easy) method.
- Classic (Old School) method.
- Ghost (Phantom) method.
Here’s the original video that better explains this.
And these are some new cool ways to lace your Golden Goose:
Amy’s Experience with P448
I was looking for a black sneaker for Winter and I found these beauties that retail for $325. The midsole comes distressed just like Golden Goose sneakers.
This is a girly girl shoe from their skate line. I like it but I also like that it’s a high top, which is kind of mixing feminine and girly with kind of cool and trendy.
My Golden Gooses are white, tan, or leopard with pink, and then I do have a winter pair that are silver with shearling.
I wear a lot of black at work and I really wanted just a black sneaker. Once I came back to work, I just can’t wear heels all day long behind the chair. I just can’t do it anymore.
I want to be comfortable and I still want to look cute and have a great fashion sense.
So, I decided to look into these black and Brown P448 sneakers.
They have glittery laces and I also love the shiny black leather heel.
There’s a firmer heel counter which gives the heel area a lot of structure and stability.
I also like that it has the side zipper so that it’s really super easy for you to get your foot in.
I mentioned in the quality section above that I ripped the glittery tag on the tongue pretty easily.
There’s actually another issue with the tongue…
The tongue on my P448s does not stay centered and it kind of slides sideways. When it does that, the upper side of the tongue rubs against my foot, especially if I’m wearing ankle socks.
So, I had to be strategic and tie my laces over to the side so that the tongue would stay in place.
Overall, those are a couple of things that I noticed and it’s fine. P448s are super cute to get a ton of compliments and they’re comfortable, but $325 for sneakers is still a lot of money.
Styling
I think my P448 are worth it because they’re cheaper than Golden Goose, they are as cute, and they are super comfortable.
I wear them with black leather-coated jeans or black leather pants and I wear them a lot at work and I get a ton of compliments.
They are definitely super cute and something different. I like that not everybody has these because I’ve only seen one other person with these specific shoes and they look so cute on her.
I also like that they’re handmade in Italy.
This is how you can style your P448 sneakers:
Cons
We did discuss three negatives that our reviewers found with their P448s:
- Amy ripped the glittery tag on the tongue easily.
- The tongue on her pair never stays centered.
- The faux fur on the inside sheds
According to some people, the other downside to P448s is that they are kind of going in that same trend as Golden Goose where it’s difficult to find some clean sneakers.
I mean nine times out of ten when you’re trying to find Golden Goose and P448 sneakers, there’s glitter all over, there’s faux fur, there’s animal print, and it’s just too much.
So, if you’re someone who likes to wear kind of clean styles, you’re going to struggle a little bit.
The last negative about P448 sneakers is they didn’t come with a dust bag. Some other designer brands have some styles that only cost $200 and they actually ship their shoes with dust bags.
To compensate for that, P448 did give me additional laces, which I appreciated.
Wrap Up
P448 and Golden Goose are luxury sneakers that I’ve really enjoyed. You can wear these sneakers with an athletic dress or athleisure and you can wear them with jeans or with jean shorts.
I got my P448 just because they were similar to Golden Goose, especially because I didn’t like that Golden Goose were so expensive. So, If you are being tempted by Golden Goose, I would encourage you to try the P448s.
If you’re on the fence to get Golden Goose shoes, I hope you know that they are worth it. I absolutely love them and I don’t regret it at all.
These were actually some of the smartest purchases I’ve made because I will 100% be buying less shoes in the fall and winter knowing that I have these pairs that go with every single outfit all season no matter what the occasion is.
You can buy:
Well, that pretty much wraps up this P448 vs Golden Goose comparison.
If we’ve been helpful, please let us know your experience wearing these luxury Italian-made shoes.
