Splurge or Steal: Gucci Dreams on a Shoestring Budget

Splurge: verb (used without object), splurged,splurg·ing.

1. to indulge oneself in some luxury or pleasure, especially a costly one:They splurged on a trip to Europe.
2. to show off.
3. to buy Gucci

Okay, so I added the third definition myself, but it’s true! There’s some cute clothes and shoes from Gucci right now that have me salivating. The problem is, I don’t want to spend a lot on the items. That got me thinking if I could do the same thing they used to do in magazines – recreate a high end outfit for way less money. Guess what, I have!

Splurge: 1. Gucci – Stretch viscose jacket | 2. Moda Operandi – Marchesa – High-Low Lace Mini Dress | 3. My Theresa – The Row – Coco suede and satin mules | 4. Gucci- Sylvie leather mini bag

Steal: 5. Asos – Ichi piped edge blazer | 6. Chicwish – Evocative Tie Neck Sheer Dress in Black | 7. Dillards – Aldo – Glendaa Small Top Handle Taupe Colorblock Handbag | 8. Nordstrom – Caslon – Luke Knotted Mule

Splurge

This pink Gucci blazer is what dreams are made of. Ha! Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but it’s the cutest. I love the black AND white piping along the collar, the sleeves, and the bottom of the jacket. It also says it’s stretch so chalk up another win. I would live in this, but at the price of $2,890 I think I’ll pass.

I love this dress by Marchesa. It’s got a hint of sexiness with the sheer panels but somehow still manages to be demure. It would be perfect for a day to night look with the Gucci blazer, then taking it off at night.

Have you ever seen such cute mules? I’ve never been a huge fan of The Row because it seems everything is oversized… but not these shoes. The bow is sophisticated, which I didn’t realize a bow could be. The kitten heel also adds a feminine quality.

Last up is this Gucci bag. I’m drawn to the rigid structure of it. I think it would hold up well and will definitely retain its shape wherever you set it. I think the pop of white with this outfit makes it a little more fun and whimsical.

Steal

The Asos blazer isn’t as cute as the Gucci one, but the price sure is. It does have a very faint red piping going around the edges like in the Gucci one. The pinks almost match exactly. It is a close match for the stretch blazer.

I love this Chicwish dress because it’s feminine and girly without being too much of either. The tie at the neck is a little cooler than the Marchesa, too. The sheer parts are slightly more demure as well, and I like that.

This bag from Aldo has a similar structure to the Gucci one. It’s the most expensive out of the steal items, but at $60, I wouldn’t say that’s out of my budget. The color combo is similar, but not a 100% dupe for it. However, I like the addition of the scarf around it. It takes the bag up a notch and makes it look more expensive than what it is.

Finally, we have the mules from Nordstrom. The Caslon line is always there for me and this time is no exception. These mules don’t have a heel like The Row ones, but they have a knot, which still gives us an interesting feature.

See, there are ways to take your favorite high priced items and find similar pieces. All it takes it a bit of patience as you search every shopping website known to man. How do you think I did finding similar items? Do any call out to you? Let me know what you think in the comments!