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Cheap Chic
Book Excerpt: Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me: A Guide to Living With Impeccable Grace and Style
By Lucia van der Post
You don’t need a lot of clothes to be chic, but if you’re short of cash it’s vital to avoid mistakes (because that money is wasted). So no impulse buying unless you absolutely know that you will get lots of wear out of what you’ve suddenly lost your heart to. Think what your wardrobe needs before you buy and, if you see a garment that you fancy, think hard about how it will fit into the life and the wardrobe you already have. Just remember: Simply because something has a high price, doesn’t mean it’s expensive, and just because something doesn’t cost much doesn’t mean it’s a bargain. If it’s $20 wasted, it’s still money wasted. If it’s hundreds spent well on something that’s worn often, it’s cheap at the price.
I’ve sounded off before about how great the chains are, but it’s worth saying again that you need a good eye and you need to take time and trouble. You can easily buy a couple of tops for $50, which may not be a lot of money, but if they’re badly chosen and never look good, it’s $50 down the drain. Do that several times and you’ve wasted the kind of sum that would have bought a really classy number.
There has never been a better time to buy inexpensively. I cannot do better than recommend the usual suspects: Zara (a dream, really), Target (in particular, look out for its designer ranges — in the past there were spectacular bargains to be had from the lines designed by Proenza Schouler and Behnaz Sarafpour), Macy’s, H&M, and Banana Republic. Gap is best known for its more casual wear, for jeans and T-shirts, that sort of thing, but it recently came out with a fantastic collection of soft white dresses, blouses, shirts and skirts by the fabulous Phillip Lim, so keep an eye on what it’s up to. It takes a lot of shoe leather to cover them all, but it is astonishing what you can find.
Learn what you can economize on. Personally, I think chain stores do great plain, classic pants, but it’s probably worth spending a little more on a sassier jacket to bring them to life. Try to have one pair of really great shoes and one fabulous handbag, as that’ll make everything else look classier. Really cheap shoes and bags are the biggest giveaway of all.
From Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me: A Guide to Living With Impeccable Grace and Style by Lucia van der Post. Copyright © 2008 by Lucia van der Post. By permission of Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Book Group.
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