My Thoughts on High-End Brands and Labels

I can be - what pop culture calls - a "label whore," but I am to a certain extent. It all depends on the numbers that are displayed on that price tag and the brand, itself. I would probably splurge on a twenty-something-dollar Lilly Pulitzer dress that I luckily found at Belk's just for the sake of having one piece of Lilly's clothing item - I mean I already bought the $28 agenda just to be...trendy. I'll jump at Nike shoes and won't second guess myself if they're on sale. I won't, however, buy anything like Michael Kors. Now, I don't have anything against the brand and their watches and bags are really cute, but some of their products are too loud and flashy with the MK and too...common. I remember everyone receiving a Michael Kors watch a couple of Christmases ago, and it was just too much for me. Most girls probably don't even wear their watches anymore. But that's just my opinion and my style. I will admit that the knock-off watches I buy at Target resemble the MK watches very well that I've played some people - although that was not my intention, I just love tortoise-shell watches.

I guess you would say I am a person who finds pleasure in discovering knock-off brands that resemble high-end labels. I like being "trendy," but I am not willing to spend more than $30 on something. So...I guess that means I'm cheap?

At one point of my senior year in high school, I loved thrifting. I still do, but I thrifted in Colorado back then which had a lot more variety. I would come out with so many oversized cardigans - which were trending at the time - and I only spent $6 at most! You can find so many knock-off brands if you just expand your horizons beyond the high-end stores.

For example, I bought super comfy yoga cropped pants from Ross. I'm not gonna lie, I probably ran to the clothes rack because it resembled PINK's Yoga pants. It was to my surprise that it was a brand called Get A Grip, and they even used the same font as PINK! When I saw that they were only $6 and super soft, I for sure bought those pants.

Also, I went to Walmart today and bought this super cute neon pink, black-lined athletic jacket for only $3...three dollars! About a year ago, a YouTuber had bought this identical jacket from LuLu Lemon that I've been wanting, and I got it from Walmart for $3. Can we talk about that?

I also picked up these sandals from Payless (I check out Payless Shoes at least three times a year) that look almost identical to Tory Burch's Miller Sandal in cork and gold. Guess how much these babies were... $10. Everything looks identical with the exception of the Tory Burch trademark, of course.

I will confess that I like the trends that sorority girls are into - without the commitment, lamp-shading and "norts." I like the brands that they exhibit: Ralph Lauren, Lilly Pulitzer, or any plain tees with a frocket. I recently bought two Polo hats and find any excuse to wear them. Of course, they were on sale, and I even took off another 10% using my student discount.

Now I know many people would disagree with me. A lot of people would rather splurge on a longer-lasting item for 10x the amount I would pay for, but again, that's just me. My style changes so often that I am against splurging on something so expensive and temporary. Last year, I wore yoga pants and muscle tees, I wore a lot of dresses the year before that, and this year, I wear more along the lines of comfort. I honestly wear athletic pants and t-shirts nowadays, and I bring along a sweater to wear to the library. I don't go out to where I need to dress up and put on flashy jewelry or wear matching purses. I have one purse that costs $40 that I've had for about a year and use every time I go out to do errands or go shopping, and I have one watch that costs $20 from Target.

However, my style outside of school - if I were to go out and meet people - is probably a button down top with black pants and accessories (watch, pearl earrings, necklace, and ring). I like looking presentable and professional - simplicity and something comfortable. I've been into striped long-sleeved tops too. I don't like loud patterns or too much color at the moment. Again, my style changes so fast.

Everyone has their reasons why they do what they do, and these were just a couple of mine in terms of fashion and style. Now, I don't think I have the greatest sense of style - hence, why I don't blog about this often - but I do want to be more open to the topic. I kind of want to start blogging the little deals I find. A couple of friends and family of mine say I can find good deals, and most of the time they're from little, exclusive stores that not everyone has access to, but I like sharing my shopping experiences. I shop by myself most of the time, so now you can come along and be my little shopping buddy!