Duchess Style for Less

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I did quite a bit of oohhh and ahhhing over Duchess Catherine's style choices when she and Prince William made the rounds on their Canadian and American tour.  I particularly loved this outfit that she wore upon landing at LAX, minus the nylons that is.

Source

This past weekend, I was at Macy's looking to see if I could find any good pieces for work.  I found a dress and tried it on and realized- this looks familiar.  And it was!  Because it was very similar in shape and color to this one on Duchess Catherine.  The store didn't have my right size, but I ordered it and I cannot wait for it to arrive! It is so flattering on me, and let's just say iI am not exactly close in size to the Duchess.  So, that excursion inspired me to come up with a look for less for this style including that dress.  Here's what I came up with.

Polyvore set here.

This whole look is only $236.  And that's including jewelry that you probably already own (at least something similar) and wouldn't have to purchase!  Thats a pretty great deal considering the original Duchess dress alone was listed online for just over $918 (on sale!!). 

This set is a great office-appropriate look and there are plenty of ways to personalize it with different accessories.  Does anyone else out there have a favorite Duchess look?

Frugal Finds Friday: Kate Spade Essex Scout

Who doesn't love Kate Spade? I've been a fan since middle school, literally. I vividly remember begging my dad for a Kate Spade bag in the seventh or eighth grade. What can I say, I've always loved purses.  Want to score the Essex Bike Scout for less?

Kate Spade Essex Bike Scout, $425.00

Asos Cambridge Satchel, $193.88

Housewife Style for Less: Kyle Richards

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of most of the Real Housewives franchises.  Beverly Hills is my new all-time favorite.  Truth be told, the BH housewives have kind of ruined the other franchises for me because theirs is SO GOOD and full of drama! 

Of all the housewives, I think Kyle Richards has the best sense of personal style. It is modern but still classic, trendy without being overdone. I thought I would start trying to come up with looks for less for the housewives style, so here is my first attempt.

Believe or not, Ms. Richards went to Whole Foods with this look. 

Here's my look for less.

Here's a link to the set.  You could get the entire look for $213.  Not bad at all! 

Have a look you love but want to see for less? Email me and let me know!

Frugal Finds Friday: Nautical Tote

I've always loved the look of these tote bags from j.crew.  They are made out of sails. How perfect is that, right?

Angela Adams and Sea Bags dipped Sail Bags  From j.crew, $198.00

My only issue with this bag is the $198 price tag. That's just a bit unreasonable in my opinion.

So, recently I found a similar look in the Lands' End Canvas collection. 

Nautical Tote  Lands' End Canvas, $69.50

The color is a bit different, but it's basically the same look. It would be perfect for the beach this summer! 

Frugal Finds Friday: Espadrille Wedges

I absolutely love the look of espadrilles in the summer, whether they are flats or wedges.  They are comfortable and stylish and go great with ankle pants, shorts, skirts, and dresses.

J.crew Sardinia Wedge Espadrilles, $118

Land's End Women's Cara Wedge Closed Toe Espadrilles, $39.50

(sorry for the picture quality) 

Frugal Finds Friday: Tassel Earrings

Tassel earrings are all over the place right now.  I have been noticing them on so many different sites, so there are many options out there if you want to get the look for less.  I thought these two pairs were pretty good matches, although the Ann Taylor earrings are definitely not as fancy as the KS version.

Kate Spade Crystal Cascade Lever-Back Earrings

$101, marked down from $145
UPDATE: I just noticed that these are now down to $72!

Ann Taylor Tassel Earrings

$38

Frugal Finds Friday: SPF 50 Moisturizer

I've blogged before about how much I love Bobbi Brown products, and I really do.  When this moisturizer first came out, I was so excited. I am very fair skinned and there is a history of skin cancer in my family, so wearing SPF on a daily basis is highly important to me. 

Bobbi Brown Brightening SPF 50 UV Protective Face Base

This moisturizer is great, but it is also $38 a bottle.  Now, the bottle lasts quite a while, but it is still pricey, and I don't see much of a "brightening" difference.

This is a great drug store alternative.  

Cetaphil UVA/UVB Defense SPF 50

This is only $13.99 and you can get it at any drug store.  I'm sure you could also find it at Target or Walmart.  I feel like this provides just as much moisture to my skin as the more expensive version, and it is much more affordable.

Frugal Finds Friday: Party Dress

My friend Kathryn is currently on the hunt for a long party dress, so today I am posting some frugal options that I've found that may work for her.

From Asos for $32.36!!

This one, also from Asos for $49.13, is reminiscent of Anne Hathaway's recent Golden Globes choice. 

This option from Macy's is marked down to $119 from $188.

Good luck in your dress hunt, Kathryn! 

Deal Alert!

Living Social is offering a $20 amazon gift card today, and it can be purchased for $10!

That's like free money, people!  

I thought I would share this since so many of my blog readers are students, and I know a lot of us purchase textbooks through amazon.

Click here for details and to purchase the deal! 

(Just FYI- This deal is only good through 8:00 AM tomorrow.)

Frugal Finds Friday: Get Your Sale On

Today for Frugal Finds Friday, I thought I would feature some of the great post-Holiday sales that are happening right now.  

Do you ever shop at Talbot's?  They are having a great sale right now where they are taking an additional 40% off of already reduced merchandise- and you don't even need a coupon code!

This skirt is marked down to $53.99 from the original $119 price tag.

This coat is on sale for $161.99 from $359.

Check out the rest of their great sales merchandise!

Piperlime also has some great jewelry on sale, in addition to some good handbags and shoes.

This necklace is on sale for $24.97, marked down from $58.00.

Sale on, people! 

Frugal Finds Friday: Sequin Boyfriend Cardigans

The inspiration #1:

Sequin Boyfriend Cardigan from Talbot's for $149.00.

The inspiration #2: 

MICHAEL by Michael Kors Sequin Front Cardigan, from Nordstrom for $120.

Frugal Find #1:

T Tahari "Helen" Sequin Cardigan (Petite) from Nordstrom, on sale for $48.90.

Frugal Find #2:

Sequin Cardigan from NY & Co., on sale for $35.97.

It also comes in a more subtle white.

Frugal Find #3:

Apostrophe Women's Plus Sequin Cardigan from Sears for $36.90.

Frugal Finds Friday: Tortoise Watch

Do you like the watch I featured in my post yesterday?

Well, Michael Kors also features several versions of this watch.

This version is cool with the gold links in the middle.  It is also a cool $250 from suntimeonline.

If that price point is too steep for you, you could go with the Fossil version.

From Macy's for $105.

If you are looking for something even less expensive to get in on the trend, you could go with this frugal find:

From Shock Boutique for $68.

Happy Friday! 

Frugal Finds Friday: Purple Party Dress

The Original:

From Nordstrom for $178.

The Frugal Find:

From asos on sale for $55.17.

Familiar

I was shopping on urbanoutfitters.com last night (I know, what an exciting life I lead) and I started to notice that a few things looked really familiar.

Remember this post that I did on beautiful Kendra Scott Jewelry?  Well I have been visiting her site a lot contemplating buying a pair of earrings, so I have become relatively familiar with her collection.

So, I started to notice that I was seeing some familiar things from Urban.  I'm just going to post the pictures.  You can draw your own conclusions.

Urban Outfitters, $20

Kendra Scott, $70

Urban Outfitters, $16

Kendra Scott, $50

Urban Outfitters, on sale for $9.99

Kendra Scott, $75

Urban Outfitters, on sale for $19.99

Kendra Scott, $100

There's no doubt that the Kendra Scott jewelry is more beautiful and one would assume that for the price, the craftsmanship is on an entirely different level.  But if you are after the look and on a tight budget, you can definitely get very close with the knockoffs from Urban.  Hmmm... 

Happy Saturday everyone! And happy homecoming to my fellow alumni & sorority sisters in Louisiana! 

Frugal Finds Friday: Glitter Flats

In the spirit of yesterday's post about shoes, here's a frugal and chic find for you.

Jcrew Glitterati Ballet Flats, $125

Steve Madden Kinnetic Flat, $59.95

Frugal Finds Friday: Low Heel Suede Pumps

You may have noticed that I'm calling this post "Frugal Finds Friday."  I decided that I like the alliteration of this much better than the "Look for Less Friday" that I originally started with wayyyy back almost a month ago.

I'm normally a quality over quantity type of girl.  While I love a frugal find just as much as the next girl, I think there is something to be said for investing in certain things: pieces of clothing, shoes and jewelry, for example. 

But a summer of being an unpaid intern followed by the first semester of graduate school can teach you a lot about yourself. Yes, in an ideal world, I would go for quality, but these days, my criteria for clothing is something like... a) if it fits, and b) its flattering, and c) I need it because I don't already have something similar, and d) I can actually afford it (without feeling like I might have a panic attack) then I buy it.  I understand that when I sacrifice quality for price, the piece may not last past one season, but you know what?  I'm okay with that for right now.

Now, moving on to the latest Frugal Find:

Duo Rebecca Pump, $140

If you've never heard of Duo before, you are in for a treat.  It is a UK-based company that offers beautiful shoes and boots in custom sizes.  Shoes are typically offered in narrow, medium and wide sizes, while there are 21 different calf fittings for boots.  And all the boots are real, beautiful leather.  What a breath of fresh air.  

When I first saw these shoes, I thought they were pretty and would be practical for work, but the $140 price tag just wasn't practical at all.

Target's Mossimo Black Veralis Ruffle Demi Heel, $24.99

These aren't an exact match, but they are pretty darn close if you ask me.  They come in a few different colors- I like the purple too.  Like I said before, I wouldn't anticipate these lasting past one good 6-month period of frequent wearing, but I beat my shoes up anyway, so my shoes rarely last very long.

I noticed that Target is also currently offering a free pair of fleece liners with the purchase of any pair of rain boots.  [My hunt for rain boots that can be worn with liners in the winter is a whole other story for a whole other day.]  I'm not sure how long the offer will last, but you should check it out if you are in the market. 

 

Friday's Look for Less: Seagrass File Boxes

I will be attempting to find a "Look For Less" item to highlight each Friday.  This week, I was inspired by my quest to find affordable storage solutions for my home office.  

I'm an organized person, and to me, having organized files for all my papers just makes sense- but I don't love the look or the price tag of large file storage units (nor does my studio apartment offer much room for such units). 

When looking for home office storage, I fell in love with these file boxes from Ballard Designs.

Woven File Box from Ballard Designs, $59.00

As much as I dig this storage solution, I do not dig the $59.00 price tag.  Remember people, grad student here.  I'm don't exactly have a money tree growing in my backyard.  Oh wait, I don't have a backyard... 

Anyhow, I found this very similar product from Shop Get Organized:

Seagrass File Box from ShopGetOrganized, $19.98

I ordered this file box a couple of weeks ago, and I just love it.  Now, just a side note, when I received this file box, it was missing a metal piece that allows you to hang the files... kind of an issue, right?  Well, I called the company and they sent me a new file box at no additional charge.  The customer service was fantastic!  The cool thing about this box is, it folds up completely flat, so if you don't need it you can store it very easily.  And at less than $20, you can't beat the price.

Thanks for stopping by to see this week's look for less!  If you come across any great look for less items, please send them my way!