Shop Your Own Wardrobe Pt 7: How to recreate Prada without really trying

I have completely fallen in love with this Prada dress featured in the latest edition of Vogue – which, btw, is a ripping publication and quite worthy of a review if I ever get around to it. Now, I don’t know about you but Prada isn’t exactly something that is readily available or even optional within my budget. Rather than sit around in a snit for the next ten months because I can’t covet what I adore however, I decided to take a step back in time and shop my own wardrobe.


It’s been some months since I set about recreating a look from the contents of the smallest-wardrobe-in-the-world. Then again the post-holiday, pre-Christmas credit crunch means a drastic cut-back on new acquisitions so I had little choice. If I wanted Prada, I was going to have to think Kamikaze and seriously get over myself. The beauty of using a high-end design straight out of the pages of the latest glossy is this:

1. The chances of procuring said high-end design are basically zero so it’s easy to look at it as an inspiration rather than an acquisition, and

2. I’m ripping it straight from the pages of the very latest and quintessential glammie mag, which means it a modern must-have and bang on trend.

Like our previous expeditions into our own wardrobes as enthused by the SATC 2 almanac, re-creating a look from a latest gloss-pot means taking into consideration all the various elements of your chosen best and adapting them to suit your shape, your style, your wardrobe, and in this case your season. This little frock is part of Prada’s latest autumn-winter collection and clearly for those of us living somewhat south of the equator the sun is well on its way to reaching its zenith. But here again lies the beauty of knowing how to shop-your-own-wardrobe. You not limited by the position of the sun or the occasion and can still be stylish without even trying.

For this project, I took into consideration the total look – printed dress with fitted bodice and full (or in my case with my thighs, A-line) knee-length skirt, classic pumps in a contrasting colour with a high heel and detail and co-ordinating head band with upswept, bee-hive hair as well as the lady-like silhouette of the glamorous and stylish 1950’s housewife.

Here is how I did it:

Printed dress fit fitted bodice and full knee-length skirt: What luck, I have a knee-length printed dress in hues of blue albeit in a floral design rather than geometrics. I brought it last year from Kamikaze for $100, but between you, me and your local Prada outlet any colour will do. I substituted the long-sleeve fitted bodice with an empire seam under the bust and thin shoulder straps because it was already in my wardrobe and its hot at the mo. The trick to recreating a look out of season and one which is more conducive to your body shape and wardrobe is not to get too caught up in semantics. The cut of the MFS substitute while not authentic to the original look still creates the same slim, feminine silhouette achieved by the archetype.

Contrasting yet classic heels: The heels in this look are burgundy patented leather with a black bow and diamante feature. While I do have a pair of merlot coloured patented leather mary-janes in a very similar style that I purchased while abroad, they feature a leopard print motif and will be a bit too busy for this ensem. This look calls for a simple but elegant pair of heels that add to, but do not detract from or confuse the overall appeal. Or in other words my fabulous fashionistas...block colour with a little bit of bling. I have choosen a pair of purple suede peep toe shoes with a chrome coloured buckle at the sides, which I brought from Betts for a ridiculous $27.

Headband: As we have already ascertained in a previous shop-your-own-wardrobe post (SYOW part 2: From Halston to Diana Ferrari; how you can do it too), I can’t do full head head bands because I have a flat head and they keep falling off. So I’ve substitute with a half band with black and silver bling that I brought a few years ago from a Myer sale for $5. I knew it would come in handy one day.
Tights: It’s hot so I’m not going to bother although if I did I would go straight for Ambra’s peeptoe pantyhose in nude which you can pick up from any major department store for $12.95.

Accessories: For this look, I would keep it simple. You really want the silhouette of the outfit to make the statement not the accessories. Add a classic but simple handbag in a neutral – in my case my new Lucca that I purchased from a Strandbags clearance sale for $14.

And there you have it...another guide to re-inventing your wardrobe and your style without spending a single cent. I love this so much, I’m wearing it work tomorrow. Bye MFSxxx