Well hello there,
I know it's been freaking ages since I last posted. I went to Vienna to see my best friend, then I came back and then there was the (Orthodox) Easter holidays and after that I just felt uninspired. There's literally no excuse other than the latter. I just wasn't feeling piped or excited enough for something in order to write about it.
However as summer approaches day by day (not today though - it's gloomy and gray and gross), I'm starting to regain my enthusiasm and inspiration for all things fashion and beauty so brace yourselves for what's to come!
For today's post I came up with what I deem to be a pretty original idea: I present you the high-street dupes (as in Zara, Mango, H&M) of the season's hottest items. Because let's be honest, trends are fleeting and if money isn't exactly oozing out of your pockets, there's no reason why you should spend 500 on the shoe du moment (unless you just want to - which is an entirely different deal). However I'd never encourage someone to purchase a cheap imitation from an illegal source. We're not talking about knock-offs here, just affordable items that make for great alternatives to their net-a-porter counterparts.
If you have entered any store this season, you might have noticed the abundance of stripes everywhere. Nautical, blue and white, colorful, horizontal, vertical - you name it. Mules on the other hand, are the summer's most eligible piece of footwear. Dress those up in citrusy shades of lemon and orange and you've got yourself a killer, bright, fun summer look. The real deal would cost you roughly 800 euros but my version will deprive you of less than 70 euros, which is less than 1/10 of the original price!
Black and white truly never goes out of style - in fact it's more in than ever. If you've lusted after Victoria Beckham's ginghams or Aquazzura's fringed lace-ups, you're in for a bargain. Zara proves once again, it's the mecca for all of us fashion devotees who can't afford the real deal. The high-end total would be around 5 months' rent while the Zara equivalent will cost you exactly 150 euros.
Self-portrait is a brand specializing mostly in lace and crochet dresses that we see everywhere these days. Their clothes while not outrageously priced and -let's be honest- probably better crafted than the H&M version, still might be a bit out of reach for some. H&M have their own -not crazy cheap- alternative that's still pretty darn similar and significantly less painful for your wallet. As for the shoes, I dare say I prefer the Zara ones over Chloé's original design. There, I said it.
Denim button-up minis (and midis) and off the shoulder tops: if you can name one mass store that hasn't its own version of both of these trends, kudos to you. Because everytime I've gone shopping lately, it's been challenging to find a shirt that ISN'T off-the-shoulder. The Chloé shoes are once again massively copied by the likes of Zara and Mango, so you can buy into the trend without any guilt. The H&M/Mango assortment would be less than 100 (!) euros while the net-a-porter total sum would be over 1,000. You're welcome.
MDS Stripes is yet another brand with its own niche market, doing -what else- stripes. Like I already mentioned this year stripes are the one print you absolutely need. Zara has basically ripped-off the entire MDS line and reconctructed it at much more reasonable prices. I figured a gypsy-esque skirt would pair very well with espadrilles, another it-shoe right now. Moda Operandi/Net-A-Porter total would cost you almost 1,000 euros while Zara/H&M would only make you 100 euros poorer.
And yes, more denim and more mules because you can never get enough. The twist lies in the patches which render this trend fun and playful, while the crossover Zara mules, although not identical to the already-iconic Gucci ones, still come pretty close. There was actually a closer "dupe" at Zara in red, but sadly it's sold-out. Still the difference in price is quite stark: it's 1,805 vs 90 euros!
Concluding, I'd like to point out that in no way do I think that the original ones compare to their more affordable versions in terms of quality and longevity (although I've had some Zara items for years and they're still in an excellent state). Real, high quality leather could never fully be substituted by pleather and other synthetics, however considering these trends could very well be out of season next year, splurging on them could be a bit of an overkill for some. If I had the budget, I'd probably opt for the Victoria Beckham dress and the Gucci mules but for now I'll settle. In any case, you know how you wanna spend your own money, I'm simply here to make a few suggestions that might be helpful!
Hope I helped and see you soon!
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