In My Closet: Valentino (Well, sort of...)

Good afternoon ladies and gents, I hope you all are having a fabulous Sunday!

I've just spent mine doing laundry. laundry. and MORE laundry.

And some dishes, but that's all boring stuff.

It's been about a week since I've posted anything, but I'll have you know, a friend and I are collaborating up a controversial (but much, much needed) blog post... release date is TBD. :)

Yeah, I know, I kind of wrote that like my blogs are important to the entire world or something, but trust me, I know that my writing only extends to a small audience.

And I'm cool with that. :)

But anyways, back to today's message.

I know I'm constantly back and forth with buying quality items, but also saving money.

I'm here today to discuss a matter of having designer looks, without paying the designer price.

Sure, there are thousands of consignment shops where you can get actual, legit pieces of designer items, but you'll still be paying close to the designer price.

And no, this is NOT about knock-offs (I cringe a little at that word).

This is about companies that create styles that are very similar to what designer brands are making, but they make it obvious that it is their own company's label on the styles... NOT the designer brand in which the style is inspired by.

They make it very, very clear that it is inspired by a designer, but it is not a knock-off. It's under the brand in which produced it (I'll get to that momentarily). So no worries ladies, the website I'm about to discuss with you will not shame you by causing you to strut in false labels.

As you all probably know by now. I'm obsessed with shoes. Flats, skater slip-ons, gladiators, kitten heels, platforms, stilettos... you name it, I probably love own it in every color.

So that brings me to my FAVORITE website... www.shoedazzle.com :)

I started using this site about four years ago, after my daddy paid very close attention and decided to get it for me for Christmas.

And while the website has changed in a lot of ways since I've started using it, it's overall mission is there same.

Personal stylist, different shoes and accessories to choose from every month (selected by your stylist).

You take a quiz, and from there your "personal stylist" will develop a collection that suits your tastes each month. It's like your own little boutique!

Previously, it was a flat rate of $39.95 a month/pair, but now that Rachel Zoe has taken over, some of the ideas have changed.

You can sign up to be a VIP, pay $9.95/month, and all the monthly payment goes to credit your shoe addiction.

Or, you can simply pay the non-VIP price for your shoes every month, but the prices now vary.

It has it's pros/cons, but essentially, it's still one of my favorite places to shop for shoes.

To get back to the whole "designer inspired" idea, I've displayed two of my ShoeDazzle favorites below in comparison to their inspiration, Valentino.

   

               
                  

Top left: Valentino Version [heels] (Click here for price and information on Nordstrom)

Top right: My ShoeDazzle version, purchased last year for $39.95!

Bottom left: Valentino Version [flats] (Click here for price and information on Nordstrom)

Bottom right: My ShoeDazzle version, purchased last year for $39.95!

So, as they are very similar in resemblance, and inspired by Valentino, it is under the brand of ShoeDazzle (there are parts of it that make it unique to their own ideas and style, such as the velvet texture on the ShoeDazzle version).

So, ladies, you can have designer styles without feeling guilty for wearing knock-offs. :)

That's all for today, have a sunny Sunday!