Frugalista Series: From the runway to the clearance bin

Hey everyone, this is the second entry in our FRUGALISTA SERIES. If you missed the first one, see it HERE. Today, we focus on 'inspired' clothing. Do you remember that scene from the movie The Devil wears Prada where Andy comments that the belts look exactly the same?

Miranda retorts, "[clothes are] filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin." Ouch! What can we learn from this? 

For one, high end runway designs 'inspire' mid and lower end designs. But is that a bad thing? For frugalistas, no it is not! We can find lower cost versions of high priced items and still rock them! To illustrate, let's take the sleeveless longline jackets. Prices range from in the thousands to under NZD$100.

1. Mango longline vest NZD $87 2. Portmans sharp longline vest  NZD $95 3. Paul Frank sleeveless blazer NZD$ 215  4. Chloé sleeveless coat NZD $2, 265 5. LOVE longline sleeveless jacket NZD $78 6. Stella McCartney Norma crepe jacket NZD $2,140 7. Gestuz waistcoat vest NZD $235 8. Dotti Chantel sleeveless vest  NZD $63

Using a longline vest from Mirrou which cost NZD$30.00 (not pictured above), we show how dressing well does not equate to splurging. Guess what else? Those pants cost NZD$20.00 (clearance); and the necklace NZD$5.00 (clearance). Cheers to the clearance bin. BOOM!

Here are some other possibilities, get inspired!

Images courtesy Google images 

Remember, you can stay stylish while on a budget! Keep an eye out for the next entry in our FRUGALISTA SERIES.