Sequinned

Designer Fashion 4 Less – Balmain Fall 2008 Cut-Out Lace Dress

by Irina on August 15, 2009

UPDATE: This post has been updated on August 15, 2009. Scroll down to see the new knockoff.

If I had to make a fashion-related Things I want to Do Before I Die list, “wearing a Balmain dress” would be definitely somewhere in my top 3. After all, can you imagine NOT feeling like an ultimate goddess in the exquisite lace LBD below?

I like to think that the reason why Balmain dresses cost thousands of dollars is because they have sewn confidence into each piece, so whenever a woman wears Balmain she will be automatically oozing grace and feel sexy & fabulous. Yes, I’m fanboying again.

Balmain Fall 2008 Black Lace Cutout Dress

Balmain Fall 2008

Celebrities Love Balmain

Victoria’s Secret angel Selita Ebanks was the first to wear this racy number back in March when she attended the New York Premiere of “Valentino: The Last Emperor“. She sure turned some heads in this mini LBD. Ex-Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett tried to pull off the same look at this year’s BET Awards, but failed miserably not least because of her clunky Alejandro Ingelmo platform heels.

Selita Ebanks and Letoya Luckett wearing the same Balmain Fall 2008 black lace cut out mini dress

Who wore Balmain better?

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Bebe Unzipped Lace Beaded Dress

UPDATE (08/15/2009): Apparently Bebe liked this dress so much, they knocked it off twice.

Bebe Unzipped Lace Beaded Dress in black (Balmain Fall 2008 knockoff)

Bebe Unzipped Lace Beaded Dress
($119, Bebe)

Bebe Sequin Beaded Ruched Lace Top

I know. You must be tired of reading all my Balmain vs. Bebe knockoff finds, but I will not stop and continue posting every Balmain knockoff under the sun because every woman deserves a little Balmain in her life, no? Even if it’s faux-Balmain.

Bebe seems now to be copying backwards from older seasons. In order to not be a too obvious copycat they made a top out of their Balmain knockoff version (considering the length of the original, the change does seem logical), but even that won’t hide all the other similarities. There’s no way their knockoff is going too look or feel remotely like the real deal, but for $89 Bebe has done quite a good job I think. Call me crazy, but I actually kinda like it.

Bebe Sequin Beaded Ruched Lace Top in black (Balmain Fall 2008 knockoff)

Bebe Sequin Beaded Ruched Lace Top
($89, Bebe)

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Designer Fashion 4 Less – Balmain Fall 2009 Sequin Train Dress

by Irina on July 28, 2009

Balmainia! It just won’t stop. For many months now the newly revived Balmain has been the “it” designer label in Fashionville. And as much as I hate being overly consumed by a trend, I just can’t help but love it. I’m so excited to see what Christophe Decarnin comes up with for the Spring 2010 collection. Are we going to see peaked shoulders and ultra-short mini dresses again? Time will tell.

In the meantime we’ll have to drool at all the pieces from this year’s fall collection and may I say it’s been a wonderful one (I think I’m saying this for the 100th time!)? Some of the strapless mini dresses had long ruffled back trains to create a dramatic effect. Not the most practical accessory, but certainly a show-stopping one. The strapless dress below hasn’t hit the stores yet, so the retail price is unknown, but Balmain dresses usually sell for $6k-$10k. Expensive doesn’t even come close.

Balmain Fall 2009 silver strapless sequin mini dress with black train

Bebe Strapless Sequin Train Dress

Bebe doing Balmain. Sounds repetitive, no? I guess they won’t stop until the Balmain fever is over. This silver strapless sequin dress is Bebe’s interpretation of the Balmain dress above. A budget version (even though $198 aren’t exactly what I’d call a steal). The train is not as dramatic as on the original and can also be removed. You have the choice to either glam it up and go for an extravagant look or sex it up and settle for the sexy mini version.

Bebe Strapless Sequin Train Dress in silver (Balmain Fall 2009 knockoff)

Bebe Strapless Sequin Train Dress
($198, Bebe)

Which version do you prefer?

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Designer Fashion 4 Less – Balmain Fall 2009 Silver Strapless Dress

by Irina on July 21, 2009

Hey everyone! I am officially back and so happy to be able to post again as I’ve missed blogging here so much. And I’m glad to return with a very sweet knockoff. Balmain‘s Fall 2009 collection may have had a touch of déjà vù about it, but overall it was still kick-ass. No one does sexy mini dresses better than Balmain’s lead designer Christophe Decarnin. Exhibit A: see photo below.

The beautiful supermodel Anja Rubik has worn the silver sequinned number to this year’s Costume Institute Gala. If you don’t have $6.000-$8.000 lying around, but still covet the dress, just read on.

Balmain Fall 2009 strapless silver sequin mini dress

Bebe Sequin Striped Party Dress

Bebe is determined to ride the Balmain wave until the very end. Once again they have replicated a dress which is very reminiscient of the above shown Balmain Fall 2009 strapless mini dress. Bebe’s version might have spaghetti straps and the ruffles on the skirt differ slightly, but it’s more than obvious that the dress is inspired by Balmain.

Bebe Sequin Striped Party Silver Dress (Balmain Fall 2009 knockoff)

Bebe Sequin Striped Party Dress
($179, Bebe)

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