Look for Less: Etro Floral Striped Dress

Etro taps into some of Spring's hottest trends with its 2008 ready-to-wear collection. A no holds barred use of color, florals, stripes, ethnic-inspired motifs and retro 70s throwbacks makes us wonder: What trend don't they cover? And yet, somehow Veronica Etro makes it all work by paying close attention to silhouettes (balancing structured pieces with more feminine forms) and a constructive use of color that makes it something truly marvelous to behold.



One of Etro's standout pieces is this floral striped dress, which retails for $1,335. (Are you still with me?) Now, a few years back, it would have been next to impossible to find all that designer razzmatazz at reasonable prices, but today, we budget babes have options: Topshop, for example, lets you channel the Etro vibe with their floral striped dress for only £50.00 (98.27 U.S. dollars).

Chalk one up for the little guy...er, girl.

Left: A look from the Etro Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection (Image source: Style.com); floral striped dress available at NeimanMarcus.com, $1,335.00

Right: Topshop Floral Striped Dress, £50.00 (98.27 U.S. dollars)