Last year I took a trip to Atlanta and decided to do a little shopping in Lenox Mall.  I strolled into Bloomingdales  and immediately went to the clothing section.  I saw the Diane von Furstenberg section and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw that there was a huge sale on some of her items.  I ended up finding a DVF shirtdress that was regular price $365 marked down to $90! I couldve screamed and bowed down to the fashion gods when I tried it on and it fit me like DVF made that dress for me. That DVF dress, although it was under $100, was still somewhat of a splurge for me, an unemployed college student! LOL I couldve gone to find a much similar shirtdress somewhere else for much less than the regular or sale price of mine (pictured below are two that both cost less than $150). However, I had the extra funds during that trip and I decided to treat myself. [caption id="attachment_3262" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My DVF Shirtdress"][/caption]   [caption id="attachment_3263" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Other Shirtdresses For Less Than The Regular Price of Mine"][/caption] Do you ever have that urge? You just feel like treating yourself to something nice? What if you see something nice but can't quite afford it at the moment and there's isnt an amazing Bloomingdales (or any other fab store) sale going on? Well, nine times out of ten, there's a less expensive version of high end products. Not knockoffs. Just items that are "inspired" by the more costly pieces. If you see something in a magazine, I guarantee you can go to the mall or look online at your favorite boutiques/online retailers and find looks that are very similar to that but for a much more wallet friendly price. I did a little research (seriously, it wasnt hard!) and found a few high priced pieces and their lower priced "inspirations". [caption id="attachment_3259" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Herve Leger and BEBE"][/caption] The first dress is a $780 Herve Leger Basic Bondage Dress in bright lime. I found a similar bodycon dress at BEBE in lime punch for $59. BEBE has a ton of Herve and Gucci inspired dress for more than 75% less than the retail price of the higher brand. [caption id="attachment_3257" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Christian Louboutin and Jessica Simpson"][/caption] Both of the shoes featured are peep-toe colorblock slingbacks. However, one of the shoes costs $945 and the other costs $89. Can you guess which one? I'll give you a hint: look at the soles! If you guessed that the first shoe is the $945 one, then you are correct. That shoe is the Christian Louboutin Lady and the other is the Halie 2 by Jessica Simpson. [caption id="attachment_3258" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fendi and Michael Kors"][/caption] I love a good carryall or tote because I can carry my entire life in one bag. These two totes would be perfect for me. One is perfect for my budget. The other...not so much. The first tote is a Fendi Brown Zucca Spalmati "Roll" tote that retails for $772. The other tote is a Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Logo Tote and it retails for $248. I'll take the MK tote, please and thank you.  The first look is a $1990 *dabs sweat off forehead* Gucci layered colorblock dress. Don't quite have $2000 to drop on a sundress? Well, head on over to BCBG and get one of their colorblocked skirts (top pic) for $148 and pair it with one of their Kayleen silk tops (bottom pic) for $158. Get the similar look to the $2000 Gucci dress for a very much more reasonable $306.   So until you can splurge (or find a hard to pass up sale like the one I found at Bloomies), look for some just as fashionable steals at other stores! -Courtney For information about any of the looks/pieces featured or any other fashion related inquiries email me at cocosfashion@ymail.com.