Frugal Fanciness

Last weekend, I was at an event and I was arguing that everyone should try and look the best they can instead of just settling for "good enough". More than one person tried to shoot me down saying that not everyone has a lot of money to spend on better clothes and accessories. Not once did I mention that your pieces need to be more expensive to be better, and yet that was instantly what people thought I was talking about regardless of how I worded my thoughts. For some reason, a lot of people get hung up on something having to be expensive in order for it to be better. However, the reality is that you can look like a million bucks for next to nothing. It's all about making better choices, searching out great deals and doing a little bit of creative thinking.

While Luxette is about luxury, it isn't necessarily about costliness. The only thing that paying a lot of money for an item means is that you have less money to buy other fabulous things with. The economy is down, and you've got bills to pay. So, while splurging on that designer bag may be a delightful treat to yourself, you've got to find a way to not break the bank on all of the new clothes you're clearly going to need to show your tote-able treasure off to it's finest. Alternatively, if you don't have the money to splurge on the handbag, you want to show yourself off to your finest and be super fancy as often as you can while still being able to eat.

So far as I'm concerned, there's two main tricks to looking lustfully lux for less. The first is to focus your funds on the pieces that stand out the most, and the second is to look for amazing bargains on high end goods. The two things go hand in hand as the second trick can be used to achieve the first trick.

I always say that if you've got great shoes, a stunning handbag and classy jewelry, everything else will look better by association. There are certain pieces of clothing and certain accessories that are extremely hard to make look nice if they're really not so great. Items topping the list are shoes, bags, metal jewelry, belts and winter coats. They all have the same thing in common: they all take high levels of craftsmanship and good quality materials to look well-made. It's hard to fake either of those things. Sacrifice one or the other, or worse, both, and you've got a piece that's only fit for the dull, unthinking, pajamified masses. You're not one of them! Nothing ruins a gorgeous dress so much as a pair of cheap-looking shoes, a Wal-Mart purse and chintzy costume jewelry. When you're making wardrobe selections, keep in mind which items will stand out if they're not up to snuff, and make sure that all of those pieces look smashing. When I was a kid and would complain that my shoes didn't match my outfit, my mom would tell me that no one was looking at my feet. As it turns out, we're all looking at your feet, so banish those sad PayLess shoes to the local thrift shop! Leave the Claire's costume jewelry to the tweens and buy an adult handbag... maybe even the kind that comes in its own bag.

Bag with it's own bag! This is my patent leather instant-lux kit.
This accessory trio adds no-fuss fancy to so many of my outfits~

Some of my favorite and most-complimented pieces are some of my least expensive. This is where the second trick helps with the first trick. I have the most stunning black patent leather belt from Lord & Taylor, and it makes every outfit I wear it with look that much better. It's definitely my favorite belt, but what really makes it even more my favorite is how much I paid for it. I bought it at a thrift store for $0.39! No joke. I had no idea what I was going to wear it with at the time, but I couldn't pass it up! I would say about half of my wardrobe is thrifted, but since I try and only buy things that look really nice, you'd never know. I also love buying shoes on sale. There are few feelings so fine as knowing that you're wearing $150.00 boots that you paid $50.00 for... or better yet, $20.00. Just because you want to put the most funds into the pieces that stand out the most, it doesn't mean you have to if you can avoid it!

See? It really was only $0.39! It's real leather too!

The looking-for-bargains trick extends to everything. No matter what you're looking for, chances are there's a bargain for you out there somewhere. The internet is rife with websites bringing you deals and steals on everything (one of my favorites for shoes is www.6pm.com), and the world is full of one-day sales and thrift shops. If you're looking for vintage togs or discount sewing materials, etsy and ebay can yield fantastic, affordable finds. The excuse of "this was all I could afford"should never be uttered from the lips of a true Luxette or Luxeur, and that even extends to handmade items. I have a lovely pink-and-white flowered dress that I made out of delicious vintage bedsheets that I picked up at a thrift shop for $6.00, and everyone who sees it is shocked that it cost so little. If I had bought the cheapest fabric at the fabric store, I would have paid more and had a much less impressive-looking dress. Instead, I shopped around and found a great deal by thinking outside of the box!

This is the aforementioned $6.00 vintage bedsheets dress.

You may not be able to afford a designer dress, but you can afford to look fancy just by using creative thinking as your currency. There are some things that never go on sale and are extremely difficult to find second hand; a high-end custom piece by an independent designer isn't the sort of thing you can count on finding in a thrift shop. That made-just-for-you corset, dress or hat is something you're going to have to pay for, but that doesn't mean you have to pay in actual money. If you're friends with a designer or skilled craftsperson, consider trading them for a commodity you have. You can trade goods for goods or even services for goods. A real example would be the fact that Heather Luca of Scoundrelle's Keep has traded her corsets for tattoos. I've known a couple of designers who trade items for a good cut & color. Trading may not be for everyone, but if you've got something to offer, consider trading it for things you want.

Remember, being Luxette isn't about spending lots of money. It's about making thoughtful, creative choices that make you look and feel like royalty, even if the only kingdom you rule is your own bedroom.

Enough from me! Go forth, and be fancy!

<3 Megan

Thursday Style Icons

There are many style icons that represent Luxette effortlessly. Weekly, we'll post images not just on our Tumblr, but here on our blog. Hopefully the images of these icons will inspire you as much as they inspire us!



Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's kind, funny and whether he has a stylist or not, we don't care. He rarely if ever looks badly dressed. He knows how to rock a suit and own the look.



Estonian pop singer Kerli. This girl sings fun, poppy songs and seems to go to the Bjork school of "I'll just do whatever." She makes, customizes or designs most of her own clothing and crazy accessories and encourages her fans, the Moon Children to do the same. Fun!



Christina Hendricks, actress on the extremely popular Mad Men and my personal girl crush. Gorgeous, voluptuous, retro, beautiful. This woman knows she has curves and loves them. She dresses to her shape and looks flawless.



Janelle Monae is such a cute little dandy! From her pompadour to her tomboy fashion, her look is very daring and very, well, her! She owns it and looks like she's having fun every step of the way.

<3Samantha

The Luxette Shopper

Most designers worth their salt will tell you that one can wear pretty much anything if it fits them properly. One of the tenants of Luxette style is to make sure what your wearing fits you properly and beautifully.

One of the things you’ll want to remember is when you accentuate your best feature, you don’t necessarily have to deemphasize your weakest feature. This is a mistake a lot of people make that results in them looking sloppy or lazy. A lot of chain stores that cater to tall and plus-sized ladies tend to do a lot of this. They’ll take a baggy tunic dress and put a wide belt on it. They’ll make the skirt the right length, but not give it shape.

Don’t be afraid to go shopping for good key pieces. Take along a Luxette shopping buddy who will be honest with you. Someone who knows exactly the kind of thing you’re looking for and will be honest with you.

Here are a few tips for shopping for something that will be flattering on you.

1.) Scout the trends for this season.

This doesn’t necessarily mean adhere strictly to the trends. Take notes from them. What colors are in? Are they colors you look good in? If so, you might be able to find some amazing Luxette items in those colors since there will be an abundance of them. Check to see which necklines are in, which dress silhouettes, shoe styles, purse and coat styles. When buying something that’s on trend, make sure you’re not forgoing quality for the cheaper version. Remember, if you want it, check the stitching, check the material. If it will last you at least a year, buy it. If not, weigh the pros and cons of purchasing it or waiting.

2.) Know your measurements, not your “size“.

If you don’t know how to take your measurements, go to a high end boutique or department store, an alterations shop or a neighbor/friend you’re sure has sewing knowledge. There are a lot of things wrong with how measurements are done for women clothing. Some manufacturers may go by one set of measuring standards while others may go by another, which results in a 12 fitting you in one store, but not in another. It can be infuriating! Rather than develop or strengthen you body image issues because they are doing it wrong, learn your sizes, take a measuring tape with you and don’t focus on the factory size.

Some stores, like Victoria’s Secret or Torrid, make up their own set of standards to make women feel a certain way. Torrid has a made up system of sizing so that plus-sized women “don’t feel so big” whereas Victoria’s Secret skews the actual sizing to the bigger so that a B cup will think they are a C cup and feel more “womanly” by thinking they have larger breasts than they do. If you’re up to it, do some research to find out which stores do this so when you go to try things on, you’ll be more prepared.

3.) Clean out your closet before you buy more stuff.

When starting anew in the Luxette life, take some time to go through your closet and remove anything that is taking up space and cluttering your life. This is a decadent, yet realistic style. We know and expect you’ll need clothes to garden in, or lounge around the house in. But really, when was the last time you wore that retro Mr. Pibb shirt that was so in a 6 years ago. Are you really going to wear those palazzo pants again? If the answer is, “I don’t know,” then maybe it’s time you round it all up and make a donation. If you really don’t know when you wore them last or if you’ll ever wear them again, someone in need could really be using them instead of you. We as people have an odd fear of letting things go. It’s our stuff! We can keep it as long as we want! True, but it really is just taking up a lot of space and what contest do you win by having the most shirts no one is wearing or the biggest pile of shoes in a closet no one ever opens?

So this is what you do. Take out everything you haven’t worn in the last 3 months. If this seems daunting, invite a friend over to help you and put a fun Luxette movie on while you do it! Make piles labeled “keep,” “swap,” “donate,” or “throw.” If you have a lot of clothing to throw away you might want to reevaluate the quality of clothing you’re buying. Try to only purchase clothing that you would feel comfortable giving to someone else when you don’t want or need it anymore. This reduces waste and will make you feel warm and fuzzy! The items that you keep should be for work, lounging around the house/pjs and life. Think, do you want to incorporate your Luxette leanings to your work wardrobe? It’s fairly easy to do it, so if you have some items that are not so well made or fancy, you may want to put them in the “swap” or “donate” piles.

The “swap” pile will be for items you can give to your friends or use during a clothing swap. Not only are clothing swap parties a good way for friends to get together, it’s a great way to get awesome new stuff! You know your friends wouldn’t pawn off garbage on you, only stuff they like but not as much as before or doesn’t fit them! No joke, a friend of mine got an entire Baby, The Stars Shine Bright coord from a clothing swap. You never know what you’ll get!

When the swaps are done, bag it all up and take it to your local clothing charity. Yes, you could take it to Good Will or Savers. Another option is donating it to a women’s shelter, your local human trafficking aid charity or a homeless shelter. While Good Will and Savers donate money to charities, donating clothing straight to people who need it jumps over that step and puts you right in the thick of it. And for those of you who care about such things, you can write the donation off on your taxes.

Now look at all of that space in your closet! You have items you know for sure you’ll wear, what you’ll wear it for and what you need to get.

4.) Make a list!

What do you have? What do you need? What classic pieces should be in every [Luxette] closet.

These are items that are the very basics that Luxettes and Luxeurs should have in their closet to build outfits onto. Consider them an emergency kit! Every Luxette should, for sure, have a black blouse and a white blouse, a proper pair or two of versatile dress shoes, quality foundation garments, a versatile black dress, neutral stockings and socks (black, grey, brown). Every Luxeur should have quality dress shirts in black and white, black flat front and straight legged dress pants, one brown and one black belt, one black tie, proper dress socks and a pair or two of quality dress shoes.

Now to the fun part! Luxette style is many things! Decadent, modest, hedonistic, luxurious, structured, feminine, masculine, dark, light, anachronistic and artistic. When you purchase your new Luxette items, think of how many different outfits you can make with each item. You should easily be able to incorporate your items into at least three complete and different outfits. Each item should be well made enough to last at least a year without falling apart.

Luxettes:

Start with tops! Luckily there are a lot of very fancy things out there right now. Trends have been in our favor for about 3 seasons now. Exciting! Lace is in currently so take advantage of it and get blouses trimmed with lace, shirts made of lace and tops with lace appliqués. Stripes are also in so you can use this trend to get blouses, cardigans and sweaters with nautical, French and circus looks to incorporate into your personal Luxette style. For the rest of your tops, make sure to get a few classic cardigans, a few lovely and luxurious sweaters (cashmere is delicious), and a few different styles of blouses in your favorite colors. As an aside, try and pick up a few built in bra camis to wear under your clothing as a little bit of extra support. Express makes good ones that last a pretty long time for an undershirt AND they just came out with lace top ones. Those are versatile in that they work as an undershirt, can be worn under something low cut to add some modesty, and can be worn to work with a suit jacket for that office look everyone seems to fall back on.

For dresses, maxi dresses are in again this spring/summer so if you find really quality dresses you may be able to incorporate them into your look. A lot of maxi dresses have a hippie look so they wouldn’t be right for this style, but some dresses can easily be shortened (if you like the print, but not the length) and with the right accessories be made to fit into the Luxette aesthetic. Tail hems are also in (short in front, long in back). This trend is great for most ladies! Especially ladies like myself with a large booty! A lot of manufacturers don’t take large backsides into account when grading patterns up so sometimes garments go up in the back when worn. Take advantage of this trend if you’re tired of badly made items doing this to you! For the rest of your dress needs, research your shape and find which silhouettes are good for you. Generally, regardless of size or height, accentuating the waist is never a bad thing. Fitted bodice, full skirt is an easy trick. There are several dresses in this style at most department stores.

For you lady dandies, wide legged pants are in! A pair of dress pants with a wide leg can look very vintage and very sexy. Dress capris are also good for lady dandies. Denim is inappropriate so try and keep these pants in cotton or wool. I've also seen ties and suspenders popping up in women's fashion.

Jackets aren’t necessary, but they are amazing when you can find the right one. Jackets are a great way to change your look. This link by no means is a bible of jacket styles, but it’ll give you a leg up. The only way to make sure it’s a good fit is to try it on. Never buy something you need without trying it on. This goes for Luxeurs, too.

Luxeurs:

All of you Luxeurs are very lucky that Mad Men is still heavily influencing menswear! You can easily find beautifully tailored suits at most department stores. Like with women’s fashion, your suit needs to fit you properly. Many a time I’ve seen a good looking man in an ill fitted suit. Whether you’re tall or short, a baggy suit will make you look smaller than you are (not in a good way, in an, “I’m wearing Daddy’s suit,” way). A tight suit will make you look uncomfortable. Invest in at least one perfectly fitting suit. This is a good way to stretch out your closet. Switch up the shirt, the tie, lose the jacket, change the belt. You can do a lot with a little. A tip for men’s dress shirts, Get a few basic and a few with French cuffs. These are easily found at stores like Express. They make high quality shirts in several styles with collar stays (a must for a finished look) and a multitude of colors. Currently there have at least three new styles and two classic. If you have a “strange” body shape, Men’s Warehouse and K&G are a couple of places that cater to many shapes and sizes. Nordstrom, while a bit spendy is another option. They have also have amazing customer service.

Washed out, sun-faded clothing is in. It’s a trap, stay away. Beautiful color-saturated fabrics are better for a Luxeur. You need you dress with intent. Even if it only took you 30 minutes total to get ready, you must trick people into thinking your look took hours. Ladies aren’t the only ones who can be effortlessly good looking!

Most men should learn from their fathers that they should have two pairs of dress, one black and one brown. These are very versatile. Make sure the shoes you get will last you several years in the event that you fall on hard times and need to dress nicely. There is nothing, I mean nothing, wrong with going to the thrift shop to find fancy dress shoes. Many thrift shops have incredibly beautiful older shoes. They have anything from short boots to wingtips in several shades of brown and black. Your best bet, no matter where you go, is to get a pair of shoes that could easy be repaired at a cobbler. Many people forget that shoes don’t need to be disposable. Getting a pair of shoes and resoling them or getting them shined up and getting new insoles can sometimes be a better use of your money than buying mass-market shoes that will last a year. This goes for the ladies as well. While it can harder to find classic shoes for women that are versatile or the right size, if they are found, they can generally be repaired.

When buying a belt, it doesn’t matter if it’s leather or veggie leather (for you vegans out there), it matters if it has an interchangeable buckle so they can be versatile. These belts don’t need to be expensive. You can even get some nice quality ones at Hot Topic for $20+. Buy one black and one brown. If you are a showy individual, you can get a lot of very fun belt buckles! These can make an outfit exciting, but you have to be careful you don’t border on hipster or cowboy.

Accessories for the Luxette and Luxeur are a whole bigger animal, so I’ll just leave that for another day. Until then, stay beautiful, stay handsome, stay Luxette!

<3Samantha