I have a love/hate relationship with Forever21. At times, I find it so overwhelming that I hate to step foot in the store in fear of getting a bad case of mall madness too early in the game. Other times, I browse the site or the store and I’m instantly in love with a number of products. This season, I find myself constantly on their website searching through the countless(infinite) number of pages to find some summer basics for a cheaper price than my usual go-to stores. Shockingly, I have been pleasantly surprised with Forever21’s clothing and have even noticed some items almost identical to far pricier ones from other stores. Here are some of my favorites:
The Shine-On Halter Dress ($17.80) vs. American Apparel Figure Skater Dress ($52.00)
As you can probably see from above, these dresses are almost identical. The one only notable difference? The one shown on the left is less than half of the price of the one on the right. The hem may be slightly different on each dress but unless you are madly in love with the exact shape of the AA one, it’s no big loss. The AA dress also seems to come in a number of colors unavailable from Forever21 but new colors are coming in and out of stock constantly at Forever21.com, you just have to be on top of it. As for me? I’ve been eyeing that solid black or red dress from AA for a while now so when I saw this steal from Forever21, I was quite excited. Once I get that baby in my hands, I’ll keep you updated.
http://store.americanapparel.net/nylon-tricot-figure-skater-dress_rnt40
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?br=f21&category=promo-basics&ProductID=2000064162
Next on the list…
Forever21 Lace Halter Bralette ($5.80) vs. Free People Galloon Lace Halter Bra ($38.00)
Once again, it seems to me that these two bralettes are exactly the same! I am a huge Free People fan so I’m not against buying some of their adorable bras and bandeaus but if you need just a couple of black and white basics to throw into your wardrobe, why not just opt for the Forever 21 version?
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?br=f21&category=whatsnew_all&ProductID=2000126367
Forever 21 Backless Smock Dress ($15.80) vs. Brandy Melville Jada Dress($30.00)
Brandy Melville popularized these adorable backless smock dresses last season and now they are almost everywhere, so it’s no surprise that F21 created their own version. If you explroe each site’s pages, you can find this style dress in a number of different colors and patterns labeled with different names but they are all basically the same thing. Both dresses have this open back feature with a simple elegant strap at the top so you can show off a lacey bandeau, strappy bra or just bare back it. The Forever 21 version is once again half the price. I myself actually own the Brandy Melville one in white and while I do love it, I haven’t been blown away by the quality for the price. Unlike most brands, the price tag isn’t really worth it and I would even venture so far to say that Brandy quality is equal to if not worse than Forever21.
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?Br=F21&Category=DRESS&ProductID=2000088042&VariantID=
http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/jada-dress-005.html
Forever 21 Be Cool Crop Top ($1.80) vs. Brandy Melville James Tank ($15.00)
I chose to compare this Forever 21 tank to Brandy Melville once again because I felt that while these two are not as identical as the other products, they still are very similar. I would also say that this F21 tank is comparable to many brands and stores out there shelling out the same thing this season. While the $15.00 from Brandy isn’t exactly a splurge, nothing really beats $1.80. At that price, you might as well stock up and get one in every color because this is the ultimate summer steal. Forget quality at this point, what else are you going to spend $1.80 on?
http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/james
What do you think? Would you purchase these Forever 21 finds or splurge on something a little better?
Simple Philosophie 