3 Ways to Get a Taste of Designer Style… on a College Budget
Let’s be honest: for many college students, it just isn’t realistic to drop hundreds of dollars on a Marc by Marc dress or a pair of Miu Miu shoes. So what’s a label-loving girl to do? Sacrifice lattes and groceries in the name of style? …Maybe. But you don’t have to!
Believe it or not, there are a few sneaky ways to get a taste of designer style on a college budget — i.e. less than $100. Intrigued? Read on!
1. Jewelry & Small Accessories
If you love Marc Jacobs’ high-end designs, check out the accessories in his Marc by Marc line! Cute and quirky, his jewelry collection includes watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. While some styles can be on the expensive side, the rings are pretty reasonably priced and totally adorable. Not into jewelry? Pick up a headband or umbrella! The best prices and pieces are available at his Marc by Marc Jacobs stores, so if you live near one, I highly recommend you pay it a visit!
Product Information: Pretty Nylon Mini Cosmetics Bag, Nordstrom. Heart Studs, Piperlime. Logo Band Ring, Zappos. Studded Pony Tail Holder, Bloomingdales.
2. Makeup and Perfume
Today, it seems as though it isn’t enough for a designer to have a successful clothing line–they need to branch out into beauty products, too! Lucky for us, these products come at a fraction of the price of their usual wares, for example: Missoni Dress: $645. Missoni Acqua Perfume: $60. Designer fragrances are everywhere, made by everyone from Michael Kors to Dior. Just keep telling yourself that smelling like Chanel is as good as wearing it!
Product Information: Vera Wang Princess Perfume, Sephora. Diorshow Mascara, Amazon. Nouvelle Vague Nail Varnish, Chanel. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick, Neiman Marcus.
3. Designer Collaborations
In the current economic climate, designer collaboration collections have become increasingly prevalent. H&M and Target should be your go-to stores for awesome parings. In the past, H&M has featured designs from Stella McCartney and Matthew Williamson, while Target has snagged Proenza Schouler, Alexander McQueen and current favorite, Zac Posen. Target and H&M aren’t the only stores in on this action, though! Payless and Topshop have been known to carry designer diffusion lines from time to time. Because supply can be limited and demand is great, many pieces from collaboration lines are available in-store only. Want to keep up with the latest in collaborations? Bookmark Refinery 29′s list.
Product Information: Safety Pin Print Bikini, Zac Posen for Target. Jazz Oxfords, Alice + Olivia for Payless. Bra, Sonia Rykiel for H&M. Poppy Print Rainboots, Liberty of London for Target.
What do you think?
How do you save money while still indulging in a little designer merchandise? What are your favorite designer collaboration lines? Tell me what you’re thinking and leave a comment!
Posted on on May 6, 2010 / Filed Under: Shopping / Tags: Accessories, Beauty Products, Budget-Friendly, Designer Collaborations, Designers, Jewelry, Makeup, Money, Perfume, Shopping
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Milana
Great post! I love Marc Jacobs, so I love the fact the he has Marc by Marc Jacobs. I just bought a handbag of his. It’s still expensive, but not as expensive as Marc Jacobs!
Anne
to get my designer “fix” I usually visit sample websites like Gilt Groupe and Ideeli which carry designer items of various price ranges
Dominique
I find that I usually still can’t afford designer clothes from things like Gilt and Gilt Fuse on my college budget.
I guess I don’t really understand the whole “buying tastes of designer.”
The whole reason I like designer clothes is that they are higher quality with better fabrics and such. To be perfectly frank, I just don’t want to spend the extra money on things like hair clips or makeup, both things that I’m likely to misplace at some point. Especially seeing as you can get pretty good quality of these things for half the price.
Of course, I love designer collaborations.
For me, if I was to buy actual designer, it would be that I wanted a specific piece that I will wear for year that I save up for to get, such as outerwear or a timeless dress.
<3 the dress darling
Renee
Actually I think that if you want to buy a designer thing dont waste your money by choosing jewellery kind of things bcuz mostly they are much more expensive then the non-designer ones and actually they dont differ too much.
I would save my money for a designer bag or a pair of shoes I think it they really worth it!!
Leslie
I got a really cute denim boyfriend shirt from the Miley Cyrus & Max Azria line at Wal-mart the other day for $10! Some of their stuff looks like a 12 year old should be wearing it, but I think the rompers, floral shorts and the cardigans out right now are just as cute as you’d find anywhere else.
Vanessa
I like looking at a variety of designer brands and shopping around to see if I can find sales. Brands like Fossil and Cole Haan are not as expensive as Chanel and Louis Vuitton, but the quality of their leather is still very high, at least for me!
Madeleine
Buying designer perfume is an awesome way to indulge a little in the designer department while not blowing all your money at the same time. Even though I’m not wearing LV clothes, wearing their perfume feels (almost) as luxe.
Liz
Definitely agree with the perfume! I love Chanel Allure, and I was tempted to buy a Marc by Marc Jacobs laptop sleeve when I got my Mac. I wish I had, it would’ve been so chic to pull that out in class! For only about $60!
elle
Don’t forget vintage and consignment stores! I see a lot of designer clothing at stores like Crossroads or Buffalo Exchange but I think it also depends on where you live and how close you are to a big city. :)
Samantha
If you’re a really good sale shopper, you can find some great deals, especially at high-end department stores that have a lot more product to move than smaller boutiques and have bigger sales. I know I’ve gotten some fantastic deals at Saks before (Ella Moss and Splendid tops for under $20, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Juicy bags for around $50, Tory Burch flats for under $100). I even got a beautiful pair of designer white pants (for the life of me I can’t remember what label they are right now) for under $50. They happened to just have one pair left in my size. It takes a lot of effort to go on frequent shopping trips (and you have to realize that you might come home empty-handed), but the payoff can be designer duds on the cheap.
Emily the Panda
This all totally makes sense, and thank you for reminding me to stick to my BUDGET!
Stephanie
Another thing you should check out is places like Steinmart…I got this really cute Marc by Marc Jacobs dress for $65, and the original price was $178. Definitely a lot better!
Deandhra Downs
Such great ideas!
Maxine
I can always go to Nordstroms for Designer wear and handbags for less!