We all love to splurge on designer pieces that tend to empty out our savings accounts, but unfortunately it’s not something many of us can do very often. RESCU’s Money Maven has brought together some fashionable ways to buy and look high-end without having to pay the heart-breaking price tag.
Designers for Target: Target has recently brought us some great collaborations with designers such as Zac Posen, Stella McCartney and their most recent collaboration with Missoni. These collaborations are a great way of allowing us to get our hot little hands on beautifully designed pieces for bargain prices. It’s also a fantastic way for us to wear those designers we’ve always wanted but could never afford to splurge on. Get ready for Target’s next collaboration in February 2012, Jason Wu will be jumping on the Target bandwagon and bringing us his designs for under $200!
Versace for H&M: Whilst it’s hard to get our hands on H&M here in Australia, it’s a great idea to scour the Internet and keep a look out for the Versace for H&M collection if you’re going overseas. High-end meets affordable chic, this collection brings beautiful, Italian designs to us at affordable and unbelievable prices!
Saks Fifth Avenue: The Australian dollar is still going strong and whilst a visit to Saks online is still quite a splurge, you can still manage to save up to $300 or more on designer handbags, shoes and clothing. From Marc Jacobs to Burberry, you can find almost any international designer under the sun. The best thing about Saks is that it also ships to Australia and offers great sales!
One Wear Designs: This site brings together lovers of fashion who are looking to buy, swap and sell high-end pieces. There’s no auctioning, all you have to do is search for the perfect piece and click buy! You can even swap your own designer piece for someone else’s or set up your own mini boutique and sell your designer pieces to other fashion lovers. We love this site so much that we’ve even created our own Rescu. boutique, have a look out the great designer pieces that we’re selling!
Ebay: There should always be caution when searching for designer goods on Ebay as there are counterfeits galore flooding the site. If you’re not sure as to whether or not a designer piece is real, ask the seller more questions about the product and think realistically about how much the starting price of the auction is. If a Chanel handbag worth $5,000 is beginning at only $100 then you know something’s not quite right! You can however find some great Australian designers for amazing prices on Ebay and you can be assured that there aren’t too many counterfeits going around.
Penny Chic: If none of the above interest you or if you’re looking for more of a bargain for your dollar, then LA based frugal fashionista Shauna Miller from PennyChic.com has some great advice on finding high-end inspired pieces at affordable stores such as Kmart, Wallmart in the US and online. Rescu. asked Shauna to share with us her tips on budgeting when shopping and how to find the perfect replica of that designer piece we’re lusting over.
RESCU: How should we budget our finances when shopping for clothes?
Shauna Miller: Assess your finances and figure out how much money you have left over each month after you’ve paid your “real life” expenses. I’m no financial advisor, but in these tough times, it’s common sense that we should be saving most of our money, which means no more than 20% of that surplus money (depending on your situation) should be spent on the extras like clothes, shoes, and makeup.
The key is evaluating what your wardrobe lacks and using discount resources like Kmart, thrift stores, and even your mum’s closet to fulfill what’s needed!
RESCU: How do you go about finding affordable clothing that has been inspired by high-end designs?
Shauna Miller: There is a misconception that high design is only synonymous with high-end stores, and that’s just not true. Finding pieces that appear high-end is really not as hard as it seems.
If you see something expensive that you like but can’t afford, try to recreate it even if you don’t see the exact replica at a cheaper store. Use costume jewellery as one tool to spruce up things you already have in your closet. For instance, most discount stores sell faux single strand pearl necklaces in their accessories section. If you buy 7 and wear them all together, it will look like the iconic pearl statement necklace by Chanel. The trick is to think outside the box and be creative!
Happy shopping! Money Maven. x
Image Credit: Missoni for Target
