{Rachel Zoe “dies” for Marc Jacobs, Harper’s Bazaar, September 2010}

Full disclosure: I’m no label whore… but if I could be? Eh, I probably would be! I’ve been slaving over the pages of Vogue since the 3rd grade, and to this day I can tell you more about Linda Evangelista in her prime than I can about elementary school arithmetic. So is it fair to say that I’d be over the moon to own a quilted Chanel bag or Christian Louboutin red soles by now? Hell yes! For now though, this girl must continue to dream.

Each season high fashion houses continue to roll out the red carpet for my imagination and offer more apparel and accessories that I could break the bank for. This is when I must pull myself together and look for inspired pieces at such shopping mall hot-spots as H&M, ZARA, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters. Sometimes it takes over a year for these such stores to churn out the items I covet (see the case of Isabel Marant V. Urban Outfitters embroidered skinnies), but it’s often worth the wait.

Which side of the fence are you on? Do you always go for the “lust” and make an investment in the real-deal because of its high quality and artistic integrity? Or do you go for the “must” to satiate the compulsive need for what’s new and more accessible? Sometimes there’s no substitute for the top of the line, but if you can skimp on spending to achieve a comparable look then that, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is my bottom line.

$5,585+  V.  $688