The Look for Less: Merona vs. Banana Republic

While this doesn't quite qualify as a "double-take," I was taken aback at the similarities between these two blouses from Merona (at Target) and Banana Republic.

The one on the left landed in my email in-box this morning via a Banana Republic ad; it's called the Bold Dart Blouse from their new Spring collection, and weighs in at $79.50. The Merona one on the right I happen to already own, and is available for just $22.99 both in stores and online.

Both tops are made of 100% polyester and have a banded collar (with buttoned placket) and long sleeves that you can push (or roll) up as shown here. The BR one has more uniformly-placed dots, whereas the Merona one has a smaller, dizzy-diamond pattern to it. The Merona one also uses Deep Navy as a complementary color to the Emerald Green, which I think is more "Spring-like" than the Black in the BR one.