The return of “Sex” has many fashionistas sighing with pleasure … and many more sighing as they measure mortgage payments against Manolo statements. See, when Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda teetered off our screens in search of other loves and labels, the bottom fell out of our economy. Perhaps it’s fashion—not fuel—that drives our economy? I’ll just leave that dangling, and save my math for figuring out how I can look “sexed,” without having to sell it to pay for my fab shoes …

Carrie on the Cheap
Carrie’s style is kooky, playful, fearless, and feminine and it’d be no less fashion-forward if her column was cut and she had to write cereal-box copy. She’d shop high street—in stilettos of course—for contrasting prints and patterns and cheap trends, and scour eBay and Etsy for unique vintage finds.

                   

$59.99                                                         $39.50
Photo source: SmartBargains.com                 Photo source: Alloy.com

               

$66                                                             $39.50
Photo source: Kohls.com                              Photo Source: Delias.com

                       

$38                                                                $38
Photo Source: shopgoodgrace.etsy.com             Photo source: UrbanOutfitters.com

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Samantha on the Cheap
Samantha likes to turn up the va-va-volume with bold colors and body-conscious silhouettes and she’s not about to stop dressing like a bombshell just because her investments are bombing. However, there is a challenge with dressing sexy on the cheap: cheap fabrics can look, well, cheap. To avoid the tack-factor, Samantha would sex it up with shorter hemlines and interesting necklines.

       

$48                                                           $22.80
Photo source: UrbanOutfitters.com              Photo source: Forever21.com

            

$59                                                           $35.95
Photo Source: MangoShop.com                   Photo Source: ShoeBuy.com

                 

$26.50                                                     $28
Photo Source: Alloy.com                           Photo Source: VictoriasSecret.com

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Charlotte on the Cheap
Charlotte’s wardrobe is standard Park Avenue—classic dresses, preppy shoes, and pastel girly blouses. She’d likely pout to have to shop with the masses to save money in these tight times, but she’d have no problem looking every bit as charming and chic … even on the cheap.

$58                                                                      $22.80
Photo courtesy of BananaRepublic.com                   Photo source: Forever 21.com

                    

$29.50                                                        $28
Photo source: Alloy.com                              Photo source: Beakee.etsy.com

          

$39.99                                                        $29.50
Photo source: Gap.com                               Photo source: OldNavy.com

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Miranda on the Cheap
Miranda cuts an elegant figure in fitted suits and elegant dresses and she could easily keep her sharp style if her shopping budget was cut. She’d find her sharp basics in the designer collections at Target, the sale racks at Banana Republic, JCrew, and major department stores, and then she’d mix trendy budget finds and colorful accessories.

 

$48.30                                                                 $49.99
Photo source: BananaRepublic.com                       Photo source: Target.com

            

$32.50                                                         $19.99
Photo source: Alloy.com                               Photo source: Chadwicks.com

          

$24.99                                                             $38
Photo source: Chadwicks.com                           Photo source: BananaRepublic.com