Picture this: It’s a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky and you are currently window-shopping along 5th Avenue in New York City. Everything around you is calling your name… from Chanel to Gucci, from Barneys to Bergdorf’s, you’re in shopoholic heaven. It seems to be the perfect day until you see it; the daunting and all together cruel piece of paper every broke college student hates to read, the price tag. That amazing cream leather bag with the tassels that even smells as good
as it looks is not only out of your price range, but could even make the residents of the upper east side with seemingly infinite bank accounts wince. That warm fuzzy feeling you just had from gawking at this beautiful piece of fashionable bliss washes away almost instantly and changes to utter despair as you turn your back defeated.
Fortunately for all you fashionistas out there with limited funds, there is hope. With the right amount of research, searching, and a good eye for style, designer loveliness can be yours for half the price. You just have to know what to look for.
The first step: to do those window-shopping 5th Avenue days. This may be a task that, yes, can be painful, but it can also give you insight in what to search for later. And trust me, designer look-a-likes are not as hard to find as you think. I find it best to start with the staples because they tend to be easier to find and fit with a lot of things in your closet.
The next step is discovering where to look for these deals and steals. Some of my personal favorites:
Target, or as I like to call it for that classier feel Targèt, and DSW for shoe fetishes you simply can’t ignore. Designers like The Frye Company and UGG Australia may have better quality and durability but they also cost up to $100 more and they’re fake
look a likes at these retail stores could fool almost anyone. For clothes, Forever21 is a great place to find those staples, but the
durability at places like this is definitely more noticeable. For trends that tend to fall in and out of style however, this place has some great finds. At only $28.75 it’s perfect for a once in a while wear and looks almost identical to the Rory tailored blazer from Theory, which you could purchase for a whopping $395. For special occasions, like for instance a spring formal, websites like Lulu’s are a great place to find cheaper dresses with awesome back cuts and other great styles. There’s also Rent the Runway, a website that allows you to rent designer dresses or various accessories for much less then the retail price. Great for that special weekend you’ll only wear that perfect dress once.
So, next time you’re window-shopping on 5th Avenue and get that warm fuzzy feeling, hold onto it, remember it, and use everything at your disposal. Prove that even as broke college students on a budget, we can all look and feel fabulous in things we buy for less. And don’t forget to shop on!