These photos were taken a while back (September 15, 2009 to be exact), but how can anyone resist not ogling at the amazing Balmain cage roman sandals that Heidi Klum was wearing that day?

Heidi Klum taking her kids to Karate class

Close up of Balmain studded cage roman sandals

Simply gorgeous.

What makes these sandals fit so perfectly are the elastic straps. Yep, you read that right, the straps that appear to be leather are not made of cowhide but of elasticized rubber bands. The heel, the sole, and the rest of the sandals are made out of leather, but the straps are all stretchy fabric.

These Balmains are also available in a high-heeled version, which makes them look even fiercer:

The real Balmains go for nearly $900. Of course, we went hunting for some similar styles at (much) lower prices. These are arranged according to how similar they look to the Balmains:

GUESS Designa, $109.95

Baby Phat Marianela, now only $86.13

Type Z Hennelly, now only $77.60

Kinda cool how the shoes that look most similar to the Balmains are also the cheapest.

The cage footwear style is one 2009 trend that we wouldn’t mind seeing more of this year in 2010.

Buy these cage roman sandals on Zappos.com.