Jenna's J. Crew Holiday Gift Picks: Michelle Can Do it Cheaper Edition

As I mentioned in a previous post, J. Crew stylist Jenna is really going to hate me if she ever finds my blog. But come on, girl. We don't all have $80 (okay, okay, I'm exaggerating...$79.50...)to spend on a ruffle cardigan! Am I right, or am I right?

Thus, I proudly present my perhaps-bitchy, definitely-useful feature, in which I post pretty pictures of all Jenna's Picks, their nasty price tags, and their doppelganger alternatives that I locate for all of you for a much lower price. Think of me as your personal buyer...except you don't have to pay me. Scratch that: you can pay me in comments and bloggy love.

Jenna's Gift Picks: Michelle Can Do it Cheaper Edition

#1. Festive, Metallic Belts

Okay, sorry Jenna, but this one is a no-brainer. Jenna's picks include the J. Crew Superskinny Satin Belt, and the J. Crew Metallic Mirror Belt, shown respectively:


Obviously, they're super cute. The silver satin belt, at $25.00, isn't gonna put you out of house and home. But the gold mirror belt, at $35.00, is asking a little too much of you. Granted, it is in "fine Italian leather," but guess what? No one is going to know the difference. Really. Unless you tell them. In which case, you're being snobby.

The clear-cut alternative are these Old Navy Metallic Bow Belts.


They're only $10.00 and they have little bows on them. Um, could you get any more cute? The answer is no.

#2: Jacquard, Sounds-French-But-It's, Once-Again, Italian Ballet Flats

Okay, I have to admit, these were really, really difficult for me to substitute. I mean, they are gold and floral, and crafted with silk, metallic threads. These people pay more attention to detail in making shoes than I do in writing papers during finals....umm...


Beautiful, huh? Well, are they as beautiful as a crisp Benjamin, a Jackson, a spankin' new Hamilton, and a handful of Washingtons? ($135.00, for the non history-obsessees in the room).

I love me some pretty shoes, but I love my boys more.

I said it was hard...but please, I pride myself on how good I am at this stuff. So I present: the Xhilaration Sheryl Floral Print Ballet Flat--Gold


Honestly? I think I like those ones better. And they have a BOW, which we've clearly already established that I love. Oh and um THEY'RE ONLY $19.99 at Target which is why you'd be crazy to spend $110.00 more dollars on such similar shoes.

#3: J. Crew Sequined Starland Tank

Jenna is a smart cookie, and she knows what looks hot. Her problem is that she can't seem to separate "spending a couple days' at work paycheck" from "omg this is so cute," which is clearly a problem.

The tank is clearly awesome, and would look great under a nice black cardigan and with skinny jeans and boots or pumps (Christmas party outfit?) But it's $138.00, and I'm guessing the Christmas bonus has to whore itself out to a lot of different places this year.

This Express Twist Racerback Top--Sequins, at $49.50, however, is much more reasonable and still super cute. I wanted to show it to you in the dark metal color, which looks more like the J. Crew one, but we all know the problems I have with the Express site (the images are on Flash so you can't save them right off the site, and they're always very small and end up being blurry), so click the link to see it. PLUS today (Thursday) they're having a free shipping day, so get over there!

#4: Sequined Cardigans

I'm just gonna admit it: I don't really find the J. Crew Sequin Tuxedo Cardigan to be all that attractive. It's chunky and a little too masculine (hence the name, I suppose).

It's also $88.00. Girl. Please. What do you expect from me?


I really like this Sequin V-Neck Cardigan I found at Martin and Osa much better:



I think the fit is much more flattering and feminine, and at $44.75 you could get it in black and grey for the same price as one of the J. Crew cardigans!

5. Cashmere Scarves

Cashmere scarves make a great gift. Here's a J. Crew one, for $78.00 (and that's on sale! It was $98.00! Sorry Jenna, but I've gotta look out for my paycheck instead of my friends on this one!


This cashmere scarf which I once again found at Martin and Osa is more reasonably priced ($64.00) and...get this...it has little pockets in the front to keep your hands warm! Best idea ever! I really love the rich blue colored one, too.


So there you have it! I hope I managed to save everyone a couple dollars this year, whether it's on crossing items off your own wishlist (don't even feel badly about it! Treat yourself!) or your Christmas shopping list. Some of the pieces may seem only slightly cheaper but when you add it up there's hundreds of dollars worth of savings here!

Also, here's a helpful trick I learned from Cosmo: If you're shopping for something online and you're not sure if you want to get it, leave it in your shopping cart/shopping bag for a few days. The company will often email you some sort of coupon to encourage you to make the purchase! Since I have a crazy little habit of filling up virtual shopping bags all over the interwebs, you can imagine how many coupons I've gotten!