By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
September 2, 2004
From runway fab to budget-savvy lines, women can get top fashions easier than ever. Affordable fashion doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. Thanks to a slew of top-name designers who have been wooed to design clothes for stores carrying price-conscious lines, women have more choices than ever. Target has Isaac Mizrahi and Mossimo. JCPenney’s got Bisou Bisou and Parallel.
And Sears has a big winner with its fashion forward Apostrophe.
“It’s actually not that difficult to look at an outfit on the runway and find something comparable at Penney’s or Target or wherever,” says Chicago stylist Sandy Lee. “What women have to do, though, is get out of the mindset of matching the designer look from head to toe. You won’t find a Chloe piece at Target. You’re not going to find a Gucci bag at Sears. But you may be able to find a similar shape or hue.”
With that in mind, we scoured the city and suburbs for pieces that have the same theme as some of our favorite fall looks.
WEEKENDS
As our model Andrea pointed out, tweed jackets are very “in” right now. “In” factor aside, a well-cut jacket is just the thing to turn a pair of jeans and a T-shirt into an outfit. Inspired by Jennifer Garner’s casual chic and Cindy Crawford’s classic American style, we started off with a pair of dark denim jeans and a neutral sleeveless shirred shell. The tapered waist on the jacket adds a fresh, elegant touch to a timeless look. Tweed Apostrophe jacket ($64) available at Sears. Mossimo stretch top ($12.99) and Isaac Mizrahi jeans ($24.99) available at Target.
EVENING
Haute couture is a gorgeous concept, but few of us would be able to shell out thousands of dollars for a dress we couldn’t be seen in more than once. We loved the sheer sexiness and the fringe detail on Patrick Millet’s little black dress, but we weren’t feeling the fur coat. We replicated the dress for a mere $99.99. R&M Richards’ sassy black number is lined to the mid-thigh. From there on, gams are your best accessories. Dress available at Carson Pirie Scott & Co. on State Street.
BUSINESS CASUAL
We adore Ralph Lauren’s luxe camel look and re-created his vision with a fun, modern twist. Since denim is popular this season, we used that as the basis for this business casual ensemble. We fell in love with Michele Bohbot’s Bisou Bisou line at JCPenney. Similar in style to the higher-end pieces she designed for more expensive department stores and boutiques, her JCPenney collection is affordable and — more importantly — forgiving to those of us not blessed with our model’s lithe figure. Andrea is wearing a Bisou Bisou trench coat ($72) and matching jeans ($44). The rich Bisou cashmere sweater ($50) will be available in JCPenney’s stores next month.
