Cart Curator #5 - The Dupe Dilemma
Where do we draw the line with dupes? Plus, how to nail the rose trend, a ritzy new Sydney date night spot and a Chemist Warehouse must-have.
What a bloody week. One of us worked AAFW and one of us ran a half-marathon.
To counter, we’ve been laying low before we are once again reunited in the same state this weekend. Bad news for our credit cards.
Welcome to all of our new subscribers who joined us in the past week (we promise we won’t say this weekly, we are just so excited/grateful that so many are of you!).
Love Jess and Nicole x
You Asked for It
The request this week was how to take on the exaggerated flower trend. Unlike florals for spring (groundbreaking lol) this trend-of-the-moment isn’t pattern based - it sees over-the-top flower prints and appliques worn for impact.
Kick-started by Magda Butrym and Loewe, we are seeing this trend popping up everywhere. Cart Curator favourites include this Mango Textured Swimsuit worn as a bodysuit with a tailored trouser, this Zara Floral Choker and this Mango Flower Asymmetric Top.
FYI: Mango has a great offering, including bags.
More recently, Aje sent pieces down the runway at their AAFW show, signalling this trend may just be here to stay for another season.
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Popshop
Our favourite pop culture or industry moment of the week.
Segueing from sharing dupes to discussing the dupe phenomenon taking over socials.
We, just as much as everyone, love an affordable recommendation (we’ve already shared plenty in past newsletters) but feel like it’s time to have a conversation about what makes for an “acceptable” dupe.
For us, there is a clear difference between taking some creative liberty on a design and making it affordable to the masses (we’re looking at you Zara, Mango and H&M) and the straight-up copycats. These aforementioned brands capture the fashion zeitgeist, almost amalgamating the trends en masse into wearable pieces that can often leave even the most-fashion trained eye in awe when you reveal their origin.
We acknowledge that these brands are not without fault, we are generalising here.
But, there are times when a dupe falls into straight knock-off territory. For example, MCO Beauty’s latest launch Flawless Glow went viral on TikTok as an “affordable dupe” for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter (which we are both big fans of). We, like many others based in the TikTok comments, were flabbergasted at how they managed to pull this off.
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Another example that comes to mind is the “rebrand” of the Australian brand Beginning Boutique. They have been documenting this with a behind the scenes look at their product development and design processes. Unfortunately, the content series has attracted swarms of less than positive commentary (tbh, what else would you expect on TikTok) with people calling the brand out for blatant knock-offs.
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We understand there are a lot of factors at play here as to why you might actively seek out or purchase a dupe, but are curious as to where the industry draws the line.
Perhaps it’s the distance to the price point, knowing that the Zara version of a piece from The Row ($200 vs $7,000) is priced in an entirely different bracket to a Charlotte Tilbury MCO Beauty dupe ($35 vs $65)? Let us know, we’re keen to hear your thoughts!
Side note, we love how Lululemon has led the way with the first “dupe swap”, inviting customers to bring along their Lululemon dupes and swap them out for a free pair of their cult Align Leggings.
Add to Cart
What’s sitting in carts, or what’s been checked out.
Jess
Hansen and Gretel Leanna Gathered Top in Ivory
A super girly piece would usually be way out of my comfort zone but this off-the-shoulder top from Hansen and Gretel’s design is giving all the fluff without the fuss. Paired with a lower rise trouser and kitten heel, this top is giving me major Danielle Bernstein vibes.
Charles & Keith Mini Woven Crescent Hobo Bag
Okay so it’s clear that I love a handbag and when I stumbled across this Charles & Keith hobo it was love at first sight. This has a similar look and feel to that of a Celine bag we included as a previous newsletter lottery win-pick and comes in at a fraction of the cost. Loving the idea of this paired with white linen and a tan slide for Euro Summer.
Nicole
I couldn’t commit to a pair knee-high heeled boots last season, simply because I just didn’t find any on the market that I really loved. When I came across these on The Iconic from their in-house brand Aere, I immediately purchased. These tick the boxes for being 100% leather and at an excellent price ($280)- which is hard to find.
I will admit that when I linked these I realised they almost sold out in all sizes, but given we haven’t even made it to Winter yet, hopefully they restock.
This cardigan from Ruby is a purchase I’m eagerly awaiting to arrive in the mail. One of my favourite things about this New Zealand label is that it’s uniqueness to other brand sitting at the same price point and they also have an excellent range of sizing.
I purchased the black version (OFC), but other colour ways are equally as chic. Wear with a satin skirt and a chunky boot to tone down the feminine cut.
Beauty Counter
Prod of the week.
Jess
Chanel Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream
Okay, I’ll start by saying this product is bloody expensive. At $91.00 it might be hard to justify, but, I can honestly say this cream bronzer is the best product I have ever tried (big call I know). The velvet finish literally looks like you have nothing on your face but provides a luminous healthy glow that doesn’t skew too warm which is the issue with most bronzers (cream and powder).
Whether you have bare skin or a full base this product applies evenly without lifting the product sitting underneath, giving you a sun-kissed glow worthy of a day at the beach.
Lottery Win
A girl can dream.
Anya Hindmarch Crisp Packet Gold-Tone Clutch
This speaks to us on so many levels. Forget Judith Leiber, this bag strikes a good balance of novelty clutch and actually wearable. And at only $3,133.39 we’ll take two.
One to Try
Recent openings and discoveries of the food and beverage kind.
The latest venture from the geniuses behind Bistro 916 and Pellegrino 2000, Clam Bar has recently opened in Sydney’s CBD. Inspired by New York steakhouses, this ritzy venue is top of our lists for date night or a post work martini (spots for both are frustratingly difficult to find in Sydney’s city).
IYKYK
Super specific recs and niche hyper-fixations.
When we said niche hyper-fixations we meant it. My brain (hi this is Jess) is currently being consumed by the need to eat every meal at Sunshine on Brisbane’s James Street. This Mediterranean eatery strictly serves vegetarian food, so you know this is a genuine recommendation when it’s coming from someone who is not a big fan of vegetables (I only started eating tomato in the past 2 years and I still won’t touch cucumber with a 10ft pole).
In particular, the crumbed eggplant is life-changing, with a perfectly cooked panko crumb finished with flaky salt. Honourable mentions go to the fava, spinach rice, spinach & cheese pie and dolmades.
I really enjoyed reading your commentary on dupes! I, too, love a good dupe - but when it’s blatant copying like the MCo vs Charlotte Tilbury debacle it always leaves me feeling a little uneasy. I think you make a really good point re the price points, something I hadn’t really considered until now.
Thank you for your insights, as always!