Tell me if this sounds familiar: you’re relaxing in bed on a Sunday with a cup of coffee, coaxing the knot out of your brain left after five margaritas at Cabo Cantina, and flipping through the latest issue of Vogue, Bazaar, or Elle. After two hundred pages of Zac Posen dresses, Louboutin heels, Marc Jacobs bags, and “Smart Splurges Under $500,” you begin to cry.

Even if you traded in that hard-earned internship for a paid job delivering pizzas; even if you dropped out of school and stopped paying tuition; even if you sold a kidney, maybe two, on the black market in Thailand you still wouldn’t be able to afford a pair of $14,000 knee high alligator boots from Manolo Blahnik, or a $20,000 Hermes “Birkin” bag.

If you’re a dedicated follower of fashion like me, but poor as hell (like me), you need to know about these discount shopping websites: (In alphabetical order.)

amazon.com This site isn’t just for discounted books anymore. Amazon’s apparel and accessories department offers equally amazing deals on clothing, bags, and shoes from all the top labels. There are deals for every price range from over-the-knee patent boots from Jimmy Choo for $379 ($620 off the original price) to Seven7 skinny jeans for $18, a 70% mark down.

asos.com As Seen on Screen is a British company that specializes in trendy fashion items that are based on (or the same as) items worn by your favorite celebrities. They’ve got ASOS brand leather knee-high gladiators in the style of Ashley Olsen for £55 (about $102), a studded belt identical to the one Carrie wore in the “Sex and the City” movie for £15 (about $28), and an amazing selection of items from independent designers like a sheer chiffon floral top by To Love Kuvaa for £30 (about $56). Read More »

I have an embarrassing secret. I am absolutely addicted to Gossip Girl. I know it’s completely tacky and implausible, not to mention cheesy and melodramatic. But I can’t help myself. I CAN’T HELP MYSELF. Plus, the clothes are fantastic. And so, for this inaugural post I’ve decided to reproduce an outfit from an upcoming episode.

Yes, I’m aware not everyone can rock the shiny, skin-tight leggings look with confidence, but in this color, with a longer tunic, it can actually be pretty slimming.

So first, let’s look at an approximation of how much this would have cost with the original designer pieces. Now I’m just guessing here, but the leggings are probably Matthew Williamson Metallic Leggings, original retail price $230. The cardigan looks like this Edun Mine Sleeveless Cardigan ($155), and the gold loafers look similar to these Gucci leather “Britt” loafers ($440). The Chanel logo necklace probably retails around $500, so let’s say this original look cost around $1,325.

One of my favorite things in the world is finding cheap versions of designer pieces. It makes me feel like I cheated the system, and as ridiculous as it sounds, makes me feel more confident in my clothing. So I scoured the internet and found some cheaper alternatives for y’all. Read More »