Can YOU spot the expensive outfit? How budget buys from the High Street can have the look of the pricier garments we covet
Living a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget can be tricky to pull off — but fashion and beauty website Eliza.co.uk is dedicated to helping readers look stylish without spending a fortune.
We believe in shopping smarter, which is where fashion ‘dupes’ come in: designer-inspired outfits that have the look of the expensive garments we covet, without making you panic attack at the till.
You may think budget buys from the High Street can never hope to compete with pricier offerings — surely just one glance will give you away?
Well, we’re here to tell you that’s not the case. And to prove it, last month we launched our ‘Outfit Cost Challenge’ on TikTok.
The premise was simple. Eliza’s creative director, Annie Wells (on the left in every picture here, with me on the right) and I would choose two similar outfits — one high end, one affordable — and then go out onto the street and ask passers-by if they could tell from appearance alone which was the more expensive.
In some cases, the price difference was as much as £1,400. Once, I was carrying a Saint Laurent bag that cost 15 times Annie’s JW Pei number.
Yet, as you can see in our TikTok videos, more than half of the people we filmed mistook the cheaper outfit for the more expensive — and that was after they’d studied the cuts and fabrics at close-range.
My conclusion? There are plenty of designer dupes out there that are so good you can’t tell the difference.
Don’t believe me? Well, take a look at the outfits on this page and see if you can spot which is the more expensive.
Outfit A: Brown suit and T-shirt
Brown is trending for autumn — and from the catwalks to the High Street there are trouser suits aplenty in warm chocolate hues.
The outfit worn by Krissy — on the right — is the more expensive, totalling £363. It features a jacket, £199, and trousers, £129, from mintvelvet.com, plus a white T-shirt, £35, from meandem.com.
The outfit on the left, worn by Annie, is cheaper, totalling £117.99: jacket, £70, and trousers, £40, from next.co.uk; white T-shirt, £7.99, from newlook.com.
Cost difference between outfits: £245.01
The outfit worn by Krissy — on the right — is the more expensive, totalling £363. The outfit on the left, worn by Annie, is cheaper, totalling £117.99
Outfit B: Denim dress
The wash, stitching and weight mean an expensive denim item should be easier to spot, but did you see it?
The one on the left, worn by Annie, is the more expensive. Her denim dress, at £250, is from meandem.com. Krissy’s frock, on the right, is cheaper, at £75, and is from phase-eight.com.
Cost difference: £175
The one on the left, worn by Annie, is the more expensive. Her denim dress, at £250, is from meandem.com. Krissy’s frock, on the right, is cheaper, at £75, and is from phase-eight.com
Outfit C: Polka-dot dress
We can thank the Princess of Wales’s love of Alessandra Rich’s polka-dot tea dresses for the demure style’s appearance all over the High Street.
Annie’s dress, on the left, is the more expensive, at £399, lkbennett.com. Krissy’s on the right is the cheaper, at £89, finerylondon.com.
Cost difference: £310
Annie’s dress, on the left, is the more expensive, at £399, lkbennett.com. Krissy’s on the right is the cheaper, at £89, finerylondon.com
Outfit D: Bomber, red knit and silk skirt
This outfit combines three of autumn’s ‘It’ items: a grey bomber, a red knit and a silky midi skirt.
Krissy’s ensemble, on the right, is much more expensive, at £589: jacket, £119, albaray.co.uk; sweater, £295, chintiandparker.com; and skirt, £175, rixolondon.com.
Annie’s version, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £107.50. It features a jacket, £50, riverisland.com; sweater, £19.50, marksandspencer.com; and skirt, £38, next.co.uk.
Cost difference: £481.50
Krissy’s ensemble, on the right, is much more expensive, at £589. Annie’s version, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £107.50
Outfit E: Striped trouser suit
Prints are usually a giveaway as there’s no room for mistakes. Design, colourway and print consistency are on full display. Krissy’s trouser suit, on the right, is the more expensive, totalling £198. It features a jacket, £119, and trousers, £79, marksandspencer.com.
Annie’s version, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £108. It features a jacket, £59, and trousers, £49, tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk.
Cost difference: £90
Krissy’s trouser suit, on the right, is the more expensive, totalling £198. Annie’s version, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £108
Outfit F: Floral dress and biker jacket
I thought value leather would be easy to spot — until Eliza took a bomber jacket on the streets.
So many people thought the cheaper one was more expensive. These two, from Whistles and New Look, are even trickier to tell apart.
The outfit on the right, worn by Krissy, is the more expensive, totalling £644. It’s made up of a dress, £345, rixolondon.com, and jacket, £299, whistles.com.
The one on the left, worn by Annie, is cheaper, totalling £196.99. It features a dress, £149, roandzo.com; and jacket, £47.99, newlook.com.
Cost difference: £447.01
The outfit on the right, worn by Krissy, is the more expensive, totalling £644. The one on the left, worn by Annie, is cheaper, totalling £196.99
Outfit G: Trench coat, blue shirt and jeans
Dupes for classic staples (think a Burberry trench coat or Levi’s jeans) are Eliza’s most requested, and I’d recommend both of these coats to our readers.
Krissy’s outfit, on the right, is the more expensive, totalling £532. It comprises a coat, £199, massimo dutti.com; shirt, £158, reiss.com; and jeans, £175, meandem.com
Annie’s, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £106.98. It features a coat, £49.99, newlook.com; shirt, £18.99, hm.com; and jeans, £38, riverisland.com.
Cost difference: £425.02
Krissy’s outfit, on the right, is the more expensive, totalling £532. Annie’s, on the left, is the cheaper, totalling £106.98
Outfit H: Slip dress and blazer
A perfectly cut bias dress in a heavy weight, rich shade and wearable length is no mean feat, and we were really impressed by the more affordable of these two.
Krissy’s outfit, on the right, is the pricier, totalling £302. It features a jacket, £173, everlane.com, and dress, £129, from ghost.co.uk.
Annie’s ensemble, on the left, is the cheaper, at £81.99. Jacket, £39.99, from Stradivarius.com, and dress, £42, johnlewis.com
Cost difference: £220.01
Krissy’s outfit, on the right, is the pricier, totalling £302. Annie’s ensemble, on the left, is the cheaper, at £81.99
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