dup to J.Crew Biennial
Floral interior
I have been lusting after the J.Crew Biennial satchel since its first incarnation (about 2 years ago now) but I just couldn’t justify spending $360 (or even $200+ on sale) on another purse that I don’t need. When did that ever stop me? Well…times are tough and I have to be more practical with my spending. This attempt at thriftyness is not without its challenges. Case and point: the Biennial satchel. Just because I don’t want to spend the $$ doesn’t mean my drool has subsided (ewww!). So when I stumbled upon this exact dup at Francesca’s over the Mother’s Day weekend, I was dumb founded, literally. There it was sitting on the top shelf of their sale section – I stared and stared at it, not able to comprehend what I was looking at – I was actually at the cashier paying for my daughter’s iPhone case when I spotted it. Then almost like in a trance, I said to the sales associate who was ringing me up…”that’s an exact dup of the J.Crew Biennial”. I didn’t really hear what she said…I assumed she knew what I was mumbling about. After paying, I made my way to the sale section, reached up to grab the bag and proceeded to look it over.
It’s an amazing dup – it’s not leather obviously but the quality of the faux material is very nice – it looks like real leather. And the color – love the taupe which is clearly identical to the Biennial warm ash version. The dimensions are also exactly the same in the large version, same three compartments and zippers. The only difference is the inside lining – this one has a floral lining which I actually like. It’s the dead give away that it’s a dup but oh well…not trying to pretend it’s the real thing anyway. The Biennial has a solid interior (see below) but the bottomline is, I love a big purse and I love multiple compartments even more, so this is perfect. And the price? I mentioned I found it in their sale section – it was on sale for $40 (reg $55)…only 10% of the original Biennial. The hubs picked it up for me as an added Mother’s Day gift (you rock babe!).
Can I say I am in love with this purse? I can see many years of use with it and I am actually happy that it’s not real leather – where I live (Colorado), I like using faux leather purses when the weather is wet and grim…then I don’t have to worry about ruining it.
It’s no longer available on their website but if you have a Francesca’s near you, check it out – they might have it in stock still in store.
PS: I love Francesca’s for trendy items at a reasonable price and their array of fashion jewelry, scarves and knick knacks are awesome!
The original J.Crew Biennial
Dear Boo and Lulu 