Copy Cat: Michael Kors Tortoiseshell Watch

Earlier today, I noticed my friend Abby pinned a watch she wanted. Last year, I went through the epic journey of finding the perfect tortoiseshell watch. It took a while to find the one I really wanted after I realized the Michael Kors version was way out of my budget. I understand this is a white girl problem but just humor me. 


Here's the Michael Kors "Chronograph Tortoiseshell Bracelet" watch that every sorority girl owns:

$195 at Macy's (...or $147.00 at amazon.com)

Last year, I came across several watches that were very similar. This is the watch Abby pinned and I love:

Fossil Stella Resin Watch, $105 (Online retailers have this watch for as low as $69)

Another option is this one from Anne Klein. It's a little more mature than I would wear:

AK Anne Klein 'Tortoise Plastic Bracelet' Watch, $55.00

And finally, the cheapest oversized tortoise shell watch:

Relic Starla Stainless Steel Crystal Tortoiseshell Watch, $44

I ended up getting this watch. It's much smaller than any of the ones above but the oversized watch trend look so good on me. 

Copy Cat: Striped Maxi Dress

Maxi dresses make me feel like I'm going to prom again...is that good or bad? Probably bad since I expect a corsage every time I wear one.

Equinox Stripe Maxi Dress, $158.00 at Anthropologie

And Gap saves the day with a maxi under $50: 

Striped Jersey Maxi Dress, $49.99 (Reg. $69.95) at Gap. (Hint: Gap stores usually have sale items for cheaper than the prices online, so this might be even cheaper in store.)

Admittedly, I like the more expensive version more...

Copy Cat: Anchor Earrings

I'm no woman of the sea but I like anchors. Always have, always will. 

Elizabeth and James 'Sea Creatures' Anchor & Sapphire Earrings, $250.00 at Nordstrom.

I typically shy away from things with "rhinestones" in the title but here's an (almost) identical pair of earrings for less than the cost of lunch:

Rhinestone Anchor Earrings, $3.80 at Forever 21. 

Boom. Roasted.

Copy Cat: Polka Dotted Shorts

I've really been trying to avoid this whole tights-and-shorts trend but it dawned on me the other day how perfect it is for those of us living in the south where winter a) doesn't last more than two months and b)never gets too terribly cold. Wouldn't these shorts be great paired with a pair of bright tights and a mustard yellow sweater in the fall?

Anthropologie Seeing Spots Shorts, $68.00:

And here's your cheaper alternative:

LC Lauren Conrad Polka-Dot Chiffon Shorts, $26.40 (Originally $44.00) at Kohl's.

Oohhh, I might have to go get these soon!

Copy Cat: Bomber Jackets

I love when women wear bomber jackets. Wearing one appears to be the easiest way to look like a total badass without carrying around weaponry. 

Here's a bomber jacket from J.Crew that comes in at $1,195. OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A JACKET?! No way, Jose...even if it is a beautiful sight.

J.Crew Air Bomber Jacket: $1,195.00

I've searched around for a similar jacket and found several other options. Target is selling one in stores (but not online) for $34.99. The only downfall is that it's thin, which is only fair considering that it costs 1/34 of the J.Crew option.

Another option is the Zip Front Smocked PU Bomber from Delia's for $49.50. I know what you're thinking. I know Delia's is where you got all those weird graphic Ts in middle school with cheeky phrases printed on them but it appears Delia's grew of that stage and started making things more appropriate for people over the age of 14.  

Delia's Zip Front Smocked PU Bomber jacket: $49.50

Copy Cat: Colorblock Shirt

Colorblocking was a fairly big trend this summer and it looks like it's carrying over into fall. Here's a J.Crew shirt that I would love to wear but its $39.50 price tag is more than I want to pay for a knit:

And here's the Old Navy version for $16.94:

It's got shorter sleeves but I can deal with that since it costs less than half of the J.Crew one.

Copy Cat: Steve Madden Boots

In order to keep this blog from going totally MIA, I'm going to start doing a little thing called Copy Cat where I'll show you some expensive things I really like and then show you where to find cheaper alternatives. First up are these Steve Madden boots that you've undoubtedly seen popping up on everyone in the past couple of years. 

Here's the Steve Madden version, which run about $150.

And here are a couple of alternatives that cost about half of that (and quite frankly, I can't tell the difference between these and the Steve Maddens):

 

Olsenboye "Indigo" boots from JC Penney: Regular price $70, on sale for $49.99 (+ free shipping)

Olsenboye is Mary Kate and Ashely Olsen's affordable brand that is sold exclusively at JC Penney. Even though those of us on the taller side can't really rock their dresses as anything more than a shirt, they have some awesome clothes that always seem to be on sale and JC Penney typically has some sort of coupons, too.

American Eagle Outfitters "Wedge" boots: $79.50 

From what I can tell, these boots are only sold online and look a bit darker than the original Steve Madden ones. Personally I think paying $80 for boots from American Eagle is a bit too much but compared to the $150 for the Steve Maddens, it's a steal.

Happy Boot-hunting! How excited are you for fall? I'm dying to whip out some scarves and tights.