Hobo or Snob: Prada vs. Asos vs. Topshop

Left: Prada Wingtip Brogues £510 @ Prada.com or £517.12 @ Saks Fifth Avenue
Right: Metallic, Pink, Tan Monroe Creeper Shoe £95 @ Asos.com

This summers most loved fashionista Prada Espadrille Brogues finally gets the high street treatment courtesy of Asos and Topshop. Asos definitely wins out for me as I think Topshop might have been treading carefully not to upset Prada or get sued over copyright violations.  

Left: Kingston Contrast Eva Sole Brogues in Black & Tan £60 @ Topshop

Asos wins out for me not only based on Price, but also as it's available in a wide variety of colours and as some of you hawk eyed fashion followers might remember, the Prada Flatform style brogue was worn by Rihanna about two weeks ago

Rihanna in the Prada Wing Tip Platform Espadrille Brogues

High Street Hobo - High Street Fashion Hit List

This is a new feature which I shall be updating once every week (except I'm away on holiday), I will try and make sure I have 10 new items each week, but depending on what's out there plus my taste it might not always add up to 10, but anyway enjoy my debut Grazia fashion style chart rundown

1. Green (varying shades of it) is the new black this season, add to that the bow blouse on this lovely silk number and you'll be sure to induce fashion envy around town - £30 @ River Island 

2.  Statement necklaces are always on trend, and we're so in love with this slithery number from asos - £35 @ asos.com

3. These metallic turquoise bow flats are at the very heights of chic, show off your pedicure in them while pairing them with everything from  denims, Whites and summery dresses - £40 @ Topshop

4. Its already been declared that Green is the new black, but i need to add that Snakeskin is the new leopard skin and I'm totally in love with this pocket friendly Snakeskin clutch from BooHoo - £15 @ BooHoo.com

5. I'm loving this pastel retro fantastic pants, wear them with soft coloured bow blouses or a luxe white tee for Instant chic points - £64 @ Fever designs

6.  The 60's a in full swing this season, take a cue from the catwalks and pair this lovely number with sleek trouser pants or with with basic tights - £35 @ Dorothy Perkins

7. I'm in love with this retro working girl style teal skirt, great cut, fit and price plus you get a  decent belt thrown in too - £32 @ Miss Selfridge

8. Loving the minimal feel to this belt, cinch in your favourite maxi's, jumpsuit with this sleek number - £20 @ Warehouse

9. Keeping up with the spirit of all things 60's are this mod-ish boots from H&M - £49.99 @ H&M 

10. A sleek blouse always lends an air of sophistication to any outfit, pair these with denims or even the lovely pants on Number 5 of this chart or even the skirt on Number 7 - £35 @ Wallis



For the stylish men out there, rather than pick various items from different shops i decided to focus my attention on River Island as I'm loving their menswear at the moment

1. Puffa style jackets are huge this Autumn/Winter, I totally love this slim version from River Island - £75 @ River Island

2. Everyman whether style conscious or not deserves to have a check shirt in his wardrobe, i love the retro yet modern feel to this check shirt the shoulder patch make it a notch above other check shirts out there - £35 @ River Island

3. Mustard style tones add to the general look and feel of autumn, this jumper is fantastic - £36 @ River Island

4. Eat your heart out Vilebrequin, this River Island trunks will surely get you noticed - £19.99 @ River Island

5. We love the Burberry-esque feel to this plain simple tee - £16 @ River Island  (also available in navy)

6. Gilets are autumn/winter essentials, I love the camel/tan contrast on this one - £55 @ River Island

7. Corduroys in my opinion are wardrobe staples, but they seem to be everywhere this Autmn/Winter, while brown/rust tend to be default corduroy colours, I love the navy Blue hue on this pair - £38 @ River Island

8. A well tailored blazer will always be on trend, this lovely River Island Blazer would look great with a pair of smart denims - £95 @ River Island

9. A flat cap keeps your head stylishly ward - £15 @ River Island

10. A well worthy add to any jumper collection are this colour blocked pair - £36 @ River Island

Hobo or Snob: Jimmy Choo Vs. Warehouse

1. Jimmy Choo Candy Acrylic Crocodile effect leather Clutch £595 @ net-a-porter
2. Jimmy Choo Candy Glitter Clutch £350 @ Net-a-porter
3. Warehouse Clean Structured Clutch £45 @ Warehouse

Oh dear two Jimmy Choo Posts in one day, after the classic strap sandal being given the Zara treatment, Jimmy Choo's Candy Clutch gets the Warehouse treatment, and oh yes the Warehouse Clutch is sooo Inspired by Jimmy's Candy Clutch, you'd have to be blind not to notice. I'll cut to the chase with the prices now, Jimmy's arm candy cost a whopping £595 while Warehouse's arm candy costs  £45, which in all honesty is still a little too much to spend on a plastic box, but I digress and I'm so calling Hobo on this one again, over to you readers

Hobo or Snob: Jimmy Choo vs. Zara

Left: Jimmy Choo's Private Suede Sandals £560 @ net-a-porter.com
Right: Zara's Instep Strappy Sandals £29.99 @ Zara

This edition of Hobo vs. Snob is between Jimmy Choo's Private Suede Sandals and Zara's Classic Instep Strap Sandal which looks like it was clearly Inspired by Jimmy Choo's (note Inspired is the KEYword here). They both come in almost the same shade of Purple, they're both Suede and just about the same height (Jimmy Choo's is 5inches while Zara's is 4.13inches). A major difference and what matters above all, is the price difference between both sandals, while the Jimmy Choo's cost a whopping £560, Zara's cost a measly £29.99. Now of course I'm sure Jimmy Choo sourced the finest leathers, cobblers etc. to add up to that massive price point. Zara's heels are by no means shabby at all and if worn carefully and maintained properly they'll last for years. I'm calling Hobo on this one, how about you dear readers.

Get Rihanna's Billboard Award's Look

Rihanna in Max Azria at the 2011 Billboard music Awards in Las Vegas

Rihanna was without doubt the best dressed celebrity at yesterday's Billboard Music awards, she taps into this summer's White and sleek tailoring trend in her Max Azria pants Suit. While I'm not a big fan of copying everything a celebrity wears or how other public figures dress, It would be naive to think they don't in some way affect the everyday style choices of the average Laura (or insert other suitable name here) or the items stocked in your favourite clothes store, and as I am keen on building my number of readers as well as followers,  I know many Rihanna fans (I know there are lots of you out there) might wonder how to create such a look at very reasonable prices, that's where I shall employ my shopping editor expertise

For an Item like a Pant Suit which I'd view as a Key investment as they're quite versatile, plus if you invest wisely in a nice pair, you can wear the pieces separately with other key items in your wardrobe. When buying a pant's suit the most important things to look for are neat tailoring and versatility. While doing my search on what's out there in the shops the best Pants suit that jumped at me were this neat pair from Mango which I've styled below

1. Nastacia Double Suit Jacket £89.90 @ Mango
2. Nastacia Trousers £49.90 @ Mango
3. Pink Fabric Tassel Necklace £14.99 @ River Island
4. Trapeze Shirt £55 @ Warehouse
5. Patent Studded bow Heel £59.90 @ Zara

Hobo or Snob: Fendi vs. Reiss vs. Mango

Fendi Colour Blocked sandal £479 @ Mytheresa.com

Fendi's Colour blocked heels which is a favourite amongst many fashionista's shopping list gets the High street treatment in this edition of Hobo vs. Snob.

Fendi Colour Blocked sandal £579 @ Farfetch.com

Fendi's block sandals are clearly the inspiration behind Reiss's Amanda sandals, of course they've made a few changes by adding some animal print detail to the straps but the similarities are simply too large to ignore

Amanda Colour Block Sandals £129 @ Reiss.co.uk

Next up is Mango and their colour blocked heels, gotta love Mango for spoiling  customers with choices. They have the best range and they're the cheapest ones too

Colour Block Sandals £69.90 @ Mango

I'd love to be a snob and go with Fendi but at £575 , that's a lot of money to pay for a pair of heels, especially since an all too similar version is available on the High street so i'd recommend being a Hobo leave Fendi to the celebrities and super rich folks

Credit: Fendi

Cheque: Reiss

Cash: Mango

And now, it looks like celebrities are simply loving these heels

Image Courtesy of Red Carpet Fashion Awards
From Left to Right: Giovanni Battaglia, Solange Knowles and Karolina Kurkova in Fendi Block Coloured Heels

Hobo or Snob: Pierre Hardy vs. Topshop

thehighstreethobo.blogspot.com

Part of the mission of this blog is to find smart high street fashion buys alongside High street versions of designer goods. Let's face it, not everyone can afford to drop £400 on a pair of shoes, T-shirts, jeans or whatever the said designer item may cost.

I've always found it quite ridiculous to pay £,000's for something i might only end up wearing once or twice but then fashion aficionados might argue that designer pieces are key investments which I'd agree with in some cases, but most times,  I'd maintain my 'no thanks' stance. Enough of my rambling, the first Hobo or snob entry on this blog is between Pierre Hardy's Colour block canvas and patent leather wedge sandals (available at net- a -porter) and Topshop's Natural linen platform wedges

Pierre Hardy Colour Block Wedge Sandals @ Net-a-Porter

Topshop Natural linen High Vamp Peep Toe @ Topshop

No arguments about who copied who here, but this Topshop version of Pierre Hardy's canvas wedge is just as easy on the eyes as it is on the pocket, in fact I prefer Topshop's version. So over to you readers, followers, By stoppers etc. will you be a Hobo or A Snob on this one