Baddie on A Budget: Dressing Like Your Favorite Celebrity Without the Designer
I know as well as anyone that it can be hard to try to dress like your favorite celebrity since they tend to wear expensive designer brands. But, if you really want to recreate celebrity looks, for a lot less, here is a solution: thrifting and shopping from cheaper brands.
It might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if you are not the best at styling outfits together, but I am here to help and give you some inspiration. I decided to recreate five celebrity looks using thrift clothing and affordable options I got for less than $50.
SOURCE: PICTURES TAKEN by ashanty rivera
OUTFIT RECREATION 1: ALEXA DEMIE
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL
Alexa Demie is undeniably a fashion icon. I recently saw this paparazzi photo of Demie burning sage in a casual all-black outfit, so I knew I had to recreate this look sooner rather than later. This look was super easy to recreate—I used items that I already had. The black crop top was only $5.99 from H&M, while the chunky black boots, black cargo pants, and black sunglasses were all thrifted for under $10. All of the pieces in this look can easily be found at thrift stores which make them both sustainable and affordable.
OUTFIT recreation 2: BELLA HADID
SOurcE: PINTEREST
This Bella Hadid look has been saved in my Pinterest board for a while, so it is safe to say I was itching to recreate it. The whole look, minus the grey Nike Air Max’s (which were only $30 at my nearest Marshalls) is from the thrift store. While it is not an exact copy, it is still pretty similar, which is exactly what recreation is. This outfit was so chich and comfortable that I decided to wear it to work—and made a cute TikTok in the process, obviously.
OUTFIT RECREATION 3: KIM KARDASHIAN
SOURCE: FASHION WEEK
Kim Kardashian is known for her iconic brand Skims, her marriage (and divorce) to rapper Kanye West, and of course, her impeccable style. Her outfit for Prada’s F/W’22 show in Milan was giving everything we needed and more. Obviously, the whole look was Prada, so it was unrealistic to grab those exact pieces. Lucky for me, I already had similar pieces lingering in my closet.
The matching green zip-up top and bottoms are from H&M and they are both priced at $17.99. The grey space-captain-looking jacket was only $3.50 at the thrift, along with my pointed-toe Nine West heels, which were $21.99. I finished the look with similar silver sunglasses that are from Dollar Tree.
OUTFIT RECREATION 4: ZOË KRAVITZ
SOURCE: @zoeisabellakravitz on Instagram
I love Zoë Kravitz so so much, I could not do an outfit recreation without including one of her looks! This look is very recent, as she was in London for the premiere of her new film The Batman, giving us all the Catwoman vibes we never knew we needed. I have yet to thrift the perfect leather trench coat since my local thrift stores sometimes lack in the cool jacket department.
However, I still wanted to try to recreate this look as best as possible, so I opted for my thrifted leather Jaclyn Smith jacket. Underneath, I added the H&M black crop-top, and then added a fishnet long sleeve over top, which I got off Amazon for $8.99. To cinch the jacket I used a black tie that I thrifted for $1, and the black cyber sunglasses that I purchased from Dollar Tree.
OUTFIT RECREATION 5: Rihanna
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL
So, I may have saved the best for last here, but all of these ladies that I chose are fashion icons in their own way. This Rihanna look is so casual, yet super chic. I am a sucker for anything baggy, so obviously I had to do the baggy suit vibe. The suit is not thrifted, however, I do have a baggy pinstriped suit that I thrifted for only $10—I just couldn’t find it (mo’ clothes, mo’ problems)! So, I used my baggy black blazer and baggy black dress pants from H&M (which were on sale at the time of purchase). I added my thrifted black DKNY purse and some big oversized sunglasses that were thrifted for only $1.
I love designer clothing just as much as the average person, but I can’t afford it. Recreating these designer-heavy looks is sufficient enough for me, especially since I am using clothing that I thrifted, or bought from really inexpensive retailers. If these looks inspire you to do the same, great! Go have fun with it, and please feel free to get creative.
Here is one piece of advice I will leave you with: you could be dripped down to the socks in designer and still have a bad outfit. Or, you could be dripped in thrifted and secondhand clothing and be the best-dressed person in the room. It all depends on how you choose to spend your dough and style your looks.
Which was your favorite celebrity outfit recreation? Leave a comment below.