Fall Fashion on a Budget: Nordstrom Splurges vs Amazon Steals

1. All Saints Indra Wool & Cotton Blend Check Coat // 2. Face Dream Women’s Winter Plaid Overcoat // 3. Dreamers by Debut Chunky Cable Knit Cardigan // 4. Futurino Women’s Cable Twist School Wear Boyfriend Pocket Open Front Cardican // 5. Madewell Ultimate Leather Jacket // 6. Tanming Women’s Faux Leather Moto Biker Short Coat Jacket

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I only link the things I love!

Can i get an amen from all the girls out there with Nordstrom taste on an Amazon budget?

I’m right there with you! I have a hard time staying away from Nordstrom. Always have. From the time I was a little girl I have always been defenseless against the store’s siren call. Growing up, my family lived just a five minute drive from the nearest mall in Lynnwood, WA (heyyy Alderwood Mall!) and my mom and I pretty much went there every weekend. It was our mother/daughter thing, and Nordstrom was our happy place. It still is to this day.

Enter Amazon, another Seattle-born shopping mega beast against which I have little self control. (How many of us have gone down the Amazon rabbit hole and emerged with a stockpile of purchases we barely remember buying in our dazed state of Amazon-induced shopping hypnosis? Guilty!)

Here Amazon comes in like Nordstrom’s easy, free-loving younger cousin. She doesn’t ask for much and what she has to give is easy to get. And cheaper.

1. Kate Spade New York Medallion Piano Shawl // 2. Women’s Tassel Scarf // 3. Free People Faux Leather Mini Skirt // 4. oodji Ultra Women’s Faux Suede Skirt with Zipper // 5. Frye ‘Veronica Combat’ Boot // 6. Soda Women’s Dome Combat Boots

I have great love for both of these these shopping temptresses in my life. They each fulfill a specific purpose. I have a meaningful, long term relationship with Nordstrom. We’ve been getting to know each other intimately for years, she plays hard to get, and is no cheap date. She’s a dame who’s worth the effort. Amazon, on the other hand, is my low-maintenance flame on the side. I can roll over in bed and with a few clicks she gives me what I want. Quickly and easily.

If you were reading all that in the voice of an old film noir asshole, then mission accomplished on my end, haha. Really though, what it comes down to is most of us are shopping on a budget and are probably feeling that itch to level-up our closets for Fall fashion.

So how do you get those current Fall fashion trends without breaking the bank?

My approach is pretty simple. I find the things I love from stores like Nordstrom, either in-store or online, or both. I seek out a pretty floral scarf or a cozy chunky sweater, take a picture or a screen capture of it, then sit my ass down at my desk and describe the item in an Amazon search.

You may be surprised at how easy it is to find something on Amazon that’s remarkably similar to a Nordstrom item!

This style of coat is everywhere right now. It’s definitely a Fall/Winter 2018 trend already. If you don’t feel like you’re in a place to spend $500 on an All Saints coat, why not go for the Amazon version for a fraction of the price? You can always easily return it if the quality isn’t great! And frankly, a lot of the Amazon purchases I’ve made over the years have been surprisingly great quality. It’s always worth a try!

Here’s the only potential downside to this shopping strategy: I think we all know at this point that purchasing clothing on Amazon can sometimes be a pretty disappointing experience. It looks one way in the picture, then what arrives is a cheaply made thing that barely even resembles what you thought you were buying. I recommend looking through the customer photos in the reviews section (that’s what I did with items I included above) and you can usually get a pretty good sense of what it will look like from those photos. But again, you never know until you buy! At least it’s all easy to return. :-)

This approach is simply just a way to get those Fall fashion outfits you see trending in the magazines or your favorite fashion blog without having to go into debt in the process. You can pick and choose which items are worthy of a Nordstrom investment purchase (like a high-quality coat you’ll wear forever or a comfortable pair of shoes) and which items can just be a fun, easy, and cheap way to embrace a trend.

If you mix it up, you really can rock your Nordstrom taste on your Amazon budget! And remember: regardless of the amount of money you have to spend, you do have a sense of style (so many of my friends claim they don’t have a sense of style, and i swear, they do! because they have passions and interests and their style is in those loves).

You can wear whatever is in your closet right at this very moment and look amazing. But hey, we all have our shopping cravings, and you get to decide what you splurge on and what you save on.

Moda Misfit is here to shop beside you like your girlfriend outside the dressing room curtain cheering you on.

P.S. If you want to stay up to date on all the interior decor, fashion, and music stuff on Moda Misfit, click here to subscribe to the newsletter! A Moda Misfit email is like getting a nice little treat in your inbox. When you’re in need of a good, hearty dose of inspiration, I’m here for you. ♥︎