Hello, Mes Amies!
How are you today? Today, we are talking about looking good and not breaking the bank.
What inspired this was I pulled out my copy of the book "Cheap Chic", This book has a cult following to say the least. It originally was published in the mid 1970's. For the next 40 years or so, it gained a cult like following. I'd often try to find a copy on line. However, they were priced somewhere between $800-$1000, when they did appear online.
A few years back, I was elated when I found tat it had just been reprinted. I could not buy it fast enough. This book is pure gold.
Why do I bring it up now? Well, because who doesn't want to dress well on short money?
This book gives you the tools to forget about all of the cheap looking/ unethical fast fashion.
Cheap Chic is about putting together high end outfits, with quality pieces at fantastic prices.
“ ‘Cheap Chic’ wasn’t about cheap stuff,” as Ms. Milinaire said. “I always worried about the high price of chasing cheap, the human cost. Whatever comes out of the sweatshops is not what we want to be wearing on our backs.”
I cannot agree with the author's quote more. No, no way will I wear a dress that was sewn by the hands of a child forced into labor at some sweatshop. Neither should you. I'm not one to tell others how they should think and feel. This is one of those universal things though.
This book is a big part of what opened my eyes to how insane it was for me to have closets and tote bins filled with "Fast Fashion"
This book is where the whole "Cost Per Wear" metric first mentioned. A $200.00 pair of jeans that you wear 50 times, costs far less per wear than the $25.00 jeans that you wear twice.
Other key take-aways from this book that have resonated with me are...
Don’t skimp on accessories
“Sink your money into a very good pair of boots. Expensive European boots are a consistent favorite among snappy dressers who spend their money sparingly but buy things that last. You’ll often find a pair of four-year-old St. Laurent boots making a very cheap turnout look terribly chic…
Although it’s perfectly sensible to buy black or brown, some girls go out and find just one pair of the very best boots in colors like gray, red, green, or burgundy. They figure it looks like you have lots more at home. So if acid green cheers you up, why not acid green?” —the editors
Buy multiples, and wear them everyday
“A big secret is to buy things in multiples. Once you find your favorite colors, the easiest thing to do is to set up a sort of uniform of top quality: For instance, buy six mens’ silk shirts when they go on sale: blue, red, black, green, maroon, turquoise, and purple. Buy two identical skirts: purple and black.
Department stores usually overbuy. If something falls into the uniform category it will probably go on sale in three weeks to a month, even at the designer boutiques. Then, if you can afford it, buy two good coats and two good jackets, since that’s what you’re seen in first.” —Tina Bossidy
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