Sourcing out good, affordable shoes is no easy feat. It's an endless game of pick two of three: comfortable, trendy, or well-made. But every so often we stumble upon a gem that hits every point on the pyramid. Introducing your new favorite spring shoe: Gap's leather and suede block mule heels. (Yes, your shoe of the season is one you can grab at your next mall visit.)

I wish I could say this was #sponcon, but believe it friends: these puppies are actually tried and true. During a recent attempt to find a simple flat for an upcoming vacation, I scrolled past these while scouring Gap's new arrivals section and was immediately drawn to how chic, how minimal, and how slightly out of place they appeared. Made up of a clean leather look, the shoes glowed like a beacon of expensive light amidst a selection of bright pink d'orsay flats. Looking more luxe than their price tag, the block mules are like a mash up of my dream Mansur Gavriel and Céline leather heel all in one, and for a cost I can afford, guilt-free.

After a full day of wearing the mules, I made a note of them on my Instagram stories and the response was immediate. No less than 22 messages were thrown my way with fellow thrifty friends asking how they could get their hands on a pair. Half the joy was watching the shocked emoji faces roll in after I let them know they were from Gap and cheaper than a monthly subway card. I felt so renewed by the affirmation others thought they were a good find that I actually went and bought them in two more colors.

Although Gap’s never ever quite topped the list of being one of my go-to shoe spots, I'm not going to say I'm surprised. While the store's earnings have reportedly been sliding backwards, its trend-driven product has been on the up and up. A cursory peek at its spring arrivals show a mix of patchwork print midi dresses, slingback kitten heels, and one-shoulder bikinis, so I'll be on the lookout for more cheap thrills from the brand from here on out.

Before I send you forward to shop the shoe, dropping a quick reminder that anyone who knows how to shop the Gap knows there's a new discount just about every other day. (There's even a 20% off sale running as we speak.) So if that $79.95 price tag still feels a little lofty, we recommend doing a daily check on the site, 'cause you're bound to stumble across something that makes these mules even less expensive. And who can argue with that?