I love designer pieces, but my budget currently does not. So this means that while I work on building my savings (for life, grad school, etc) and add things to my designer wishlist, I keep an eye out for bougie on a budget items that give me that designer look without breaking the bank.
Not to brag, but I think I’m pretty good at finding designer dupes.
I want to quickly point out the difference between a designer dupe, and a replica. A designer dupe is an item that gives you a similar look to the actual designer piece but doesn’t have the designer logo, branding, etc. A designer replica is an item made to look exactly like the designer’s item, including their branding/logo.
Where To Look For Designer Dupes
A lot of the times, I come across designer dupes while doing my regular shopping and browsing online. It’s all about knowing which fast fashion store to shop with (for example, stores like Zara, Public Desire, and Ego Official are great places to find these dupes. Cheap fast fashion stores severely compromise the quality, and won’t last that long). Sometimes I find them by doing my googles, as well (I literally just google a good description of the item). Sometimes Instagram boutiques and Etsy will have great dupes too, but the quality is going to be more along the lines of cheap fast fashion.
Those two strategies are how I’ve found everything from dupes to the Versace Antheia heels that I styled with my green tweed short suit, the Mach & Mach Crystal Bow Pumps, the Gucci booties with the rhinestone belt, the Tom Ford Padlock Heels, and the Louis Multi Pochette Accessories Bag.
I’m not new to this, I’m true to this.
How To Style Them
The key to styling designer dupes is to make sure you’re balancing everything with good quality pieces so that you don’t look cheap. When your clothing isn’t made of good quality material, it cheapens your overall look. Good quality doesn’t mean they have to be expensive (I buy my basic t-shirts at Target sis for $10), it just means that they have to be well made. This is why having good quality basics in your wardrobe is essential.
For my outfit with the black leather blazer and shorts from Zara, I was able to style a few of my favorite designer dupes together in one look. When I saw this black double-breasted blazer with gold buttons online at Zara (Retail: $119.00), I fell in love.
It’s giving me Balmain, but make it budget-friendly.
I knew that I wanted to style it with some black leather shorts, and it just so happened that Zara got some in as well. They’ve been killing it with the faux leather pieces this fall, and they’re affordable. I will say that the shorts run a little big, so I wound up in a medium (the app suggested a large). I’ve got a few outfit ideas for these shorts, so they’ll be coming to an Instagram flex near you soon.
Outfit Details: Blazer – Zara // Shorts – Zara // Bag – Zara // Shoes – Public Desire
In styling this outfit, I wanted to make it a little sexy. I opted for a v-neck bodysuit in a slinky material from Zara, that I featured in a previous haul video (currently sold out, but here is a plunging v-neck halter bodysuit from SheIn that’s cute as well). I also was able to bring out a couple more of my bougie on a budget designer dupes to play, like my black purse from Zara which is giving YSL Lou Lou Vibes.
For my heels, I went with Triumph heels from Public Desire, which are a budget-friendly option for the Tom Ford Black Padlock Leather Sandals. The Tom Ford heels are $1,100, you do the math. I will say that they are a bit tight on the side toe area, so it might be wise to get the wide fit version (and I have a narrow foot, so they must be really tight).
So there you have it, my formula for finding designer dupes so that I can get the look for less.
Do you have a designer item you’ve been trying to find a dupe for? Let me know in the comments!
Shop my black leather blazer and shorts look below!
Stylishly Yours,
Theresa Seyi
12Shop the Look
