Super duper

I'm a big lover of designer fashion. Not because of the brand or label that it bears, but because I simply love the style. I don't, however, love the designer price tags. And you can bet that I'll never be one of those people who would spend a whole pay check or a whole birthday wish list on just one designer item. I'm a lover of quantity! I love having a full wardrobe and a bursting collection of handbags and a never-ending list of possibilities when I get dressed in the mornings. So naturally, dupes are very much my friends. The same style but at a fraction of the cost! Here are a couple I've been loving lately.

You'll definitely have seen these YeSaintWest tops all over the place but I just love the clever take on the YSL design! Mine was from I saw it first and I couldn't tell you how much I paid for it because their prices are SO sporadic but right now it's only £5 and I got the size M which is a fairly oversized fit. I love having plenty of cute tees in my wardrobe because they're so great for styling up or down depending on whether you go for jeans or a bandage skirt or a pair of culottes. On this occasion, I went with a pair of cream tailored trousers and added black strappy heels. I was keeping my colour palette fairly simple as I already knew how I wanted to finish off; with this tweed blazer with leather sleeves. Believe it or not, I've actually had this since I was about 16, back when I used to go shopping in Ark in town (who remembers that place?). I don't wear it often but it's a perfect statement piece to have up your (leather) sleeve to dress up a plain outfit. I finished off the look with gold accessories and a dark lipstick.

Something else you've probably seen everywhere, is these Gucci tights. Tights are a fickle mistress and if I was going to invest in an expensive designer piece, it absolutely would NOT be tights (a bag, shoes or belt are all reasonable options). Tights like to ladder and develop holes, which is annoying enough if you've spent £5 on them, never mind if you've spent more like £200 on them! So cheap-as-chips is always the way I'll go with tights, but having admired the design of the Gucci pair, I was super happy to find a pretty good copy for only £10 from Missy Empire. I was a bit nervous that they were sold as 'one size only', as I normally get tights in a large. Being fairly tall, I absolutely hate when they don't pull all the way up and stay there! But I needn't have worried, as they fit really nicely and they're also an easy way to jazz up a simple outfit. I wore them here as part of a mostly black ensemble, with a pop of bright blue. I love these blue shorts and they work perfectly year-round, looking just as nice with tights and boots as they do with something skimpier in the summer. I added crochet black top with white collar and then threw on a black trench coat and black heeled boots.