The Reasonably Prudent Law Student

I’m starting yet another new sub-series of The Business Casual Superstar series. So far, I’ve posted original ensembles, my own personal outfits on a given day, outfits inspired by fictional characters, outfits worn by celebrities, a collection of items for under $50 or $100, and more, all put together as cheaply as possible.

I’m adding something new now: The Bargain Babe!

Every now and then, I’ll be picking great designer, high-end, whatever-you-wanna-call-it pieces and knocking them off for under $100. Kind of a The Real & The Steal deal.

Today, I’m looking at this amazing ruffled jacket I found at Nordstrom thanks to the gals at Corporette. It’s called the Nanette Lepore “If You Leave” Jacket, and it comes in at a cool $448. I love it to death, but let’s be honest: I’m not paying almost $500 for it. Puh-lease.

It’s an absolutely gorgeous little jacket, there’s no doubt about that. It comes in this great dark yellow color, bright but not too bright, and it’s chic and peppy without being overstated. Plus, the ruffles are a great girly touch, and I dig the tulip swing at the bottom.

No one’s disputing that it’s a great jacket. The price tag, however…not so great.

So let’s take a look at some alternatives that capture the youthful, chic, but polished look of this piece and don’t quite break the bank.

First, we have this ruffled blazer for $32.99 at Charlotte Russe.

It matches up pretty well, doesn’t it?

It’s got the same deep collar as the Nanette Lepore, with cute little buttons. It’s cropped close, meaning it’ll sit right above your hip, which is a pretty flattering spot for most women. The notched lapel is cute, and we see the ruffles on the tulip/bubble hem instead of the lapel, but whatever. It’s girly and cute but still sedate in this deep purple, which would look fabulous with grey.

I’d totally wear this with a lacy white camisole underneath or a crewneck white silk blouse and grey pants, and with either a bold statement necklace or a brightly colored lightweight scarf.

It’s a polyester blend, though, so…yeah. I’m not wild about polyester myself, but I have been known to occasionally make an exception. Besides, what were you expecting for that price – Italian wool?

:-P

If you don’t like that, here’s a ruffled Hampton’s jacket for $86 from Fred Flare.

It’s got ruffles on a symmetrical lapel, a high collar, and the same tulip hem we’re sticking with. This is more of an outerwear thing, but whatever. I won’t knock it. How cute would it look with a pair of skinny jeans and heels? Pretty darn cute, that’s how cute. Pretty darn. Technical measurement.

If you’re really sold on an indoor jacket/blazer, try this one on for size. It’s a pretty ruffled wool jacket for $69.99 at Lord & Taylor.

It comes in this warm red, a dark orange, eggplant, and black. We don’t have buttons all the way down, but we have ruffles all the way down. Not quite as good as turtles all the way down, but what can you do?

God, you guys are so picky. Sheesh.

We don’t quite get the tulip hem here, but at least the jacket nips in a little at the waist, creating that flirty hourglass shape. We get little bell cuffs instead, which I’m not always fond of, but there you have it.

If you’re keen on a lightweight cotton jacket, here’s one for $19.88 at Anne Taylor LOFT.

It comes in khaki, which is often written off as too boring, but you can hardly call this girly little piece boring. It really stands out with dark colors, like the navy that the model’s wearing, and would make for a great casual Friday look when worn with nice jeans and heels. It’s slouchy but not slovenly, making for a comfy-chic look when done right.

Some of you are probably looking at all these and thinking, OMG, the Bargain Babe is soooo ridiculously preppy! I spit on her picks! And I fart in her general direction!

Well, you might like this Free People ruffled plaid jacket that I found for $89 at Bluefly.

It’s funky and edgy with the dark plaid, and if you pair it with nice jeans and heels and a nice crewneck tee (aka, not something you’d toss on over lounge pants when you run to Target), then you can rock an edgy but still work-appropriate casual Friday look.

Thanks to the girls at Corporette for the tip on the jacket. I don’t really follow that site anymore – I find them a little stuffy, honestly, always discussing whether toe cleavage is verbeuten and how far your earrings should dangle off your lobe and when a statement necklace’s statement is TOO loud and how to properly fuss up your ponytail and when you should and shouldn’t crease your trousers, and I don’t have patience for that.

I think it’s pretty obvious by now, especially for those of you that know me, and even for those who have gotten a sense of who I am through reading my blog, that I’m not at all interested in a BigLaw job where I’d actually have to worry about things like that.

Suffice it to say that I would rather shoot myself in the face than work for BigLaw. And yes, I say that no matter HOW much money I’d make – more than I could imagine, I’m sure. I don’t care – no amount of money is worth that soul-crushery. Besides, the new legislation about income-sensitive federal loan repayment is my friend.

So yeah. I’ll just stick around here and talk about business casual looks (that wouldn’t work for an uber-formal, stick-up-the-butt, blacks-and-whites-only office anyway) and squeal about frivolous things.

And squeal I shall.

Squeal, I shall.