| ou dress like a princess on a working girl's budget? | | | | season; so do styles. When seasons change, high-end, |
| Women the whole world over, rejoice. You may not | | | | high-quality creations - even made to measure suits |
| have been born with a trust fund but you can put on | | | | that had been all the rage last season, sell only at a |
| airs nonetheless. If there's one thing today's glut of | | | | fraction of their former cost. Make the most of this |
| malls, boutiques, and online stores have made sure of, | | | | seasonal fluctuation in prices by putting your name on |
| it's that you don't have to pay designer price for | | | | the mailing list of warehouses and boutiques. |
| designer outfits --- unless you really have the means | | | | 5. Try your luck on eBay. |
| to. Though you may not be to the manor born and | | | | Yes, try your luck on eBay. Look for goodies - worn |
| bred, you can act, dress, and socialize like the lady of | | | | once designer fashions, online shops that are just |
| the manner. Here are seven easy ways to dress like | | | | starting out and thus offer cheap made to measure |
| a princess on a working girl's budget. | | | | suits - and bid for 'em. eBay teems with folks who |
| 1. Go for quality. | | | | splurge, change their minds, and end up hocking off the |
| Who says you need a roomful of clothes to look like | | | | day's expensive buy for a quarter of its original price. |
| one of the designer-wearing elite? All you need are | | | | 6. Find bags and shoes that talk. |
| five to six superior-quality pieces that are | | | | But no, I don't mean that literally. Pay attention to your |
| interchangeable and go well with just about anything. | | | | shoe and handbag choices. They talk just as loudly as |
| You could get a good made to measure suit, a pair of | | | | that made to measure suit you're wearing, speaking |
| perfectly tailored trousers, a good cashmere sweater, | | | | volumes about how and where you shop. This means |
| a fitted cap-sleeved top, a pair of jeans that fit in all | | | | no dirty, scruffy shoes, no ripped seams, and no |
| the right places, and a structured jacket with | | | | busted zippers. You might want to think twice before |
| double-button closure. You can then mix and match | | | | taking that knock-off Louis Vuitton to the office. Unless |
| these foundation pieces with any of the cheaper items | | | | it's Class A imitation and is really, really a dead-ringer |
| in your closet. | | | | for the real thing, you could never pass it off as the |
| 2. Find clothes that fit. | | | | real McCoy. |
| What's the one thing in clothes that's as important as | | | | 7. Look for luxe. |
| quality? The fit. People in the know know good clothing | | | | When you go shop, remember that you're after key |
| - be it a dress or a made to measure suit - is one that | | | | pieces you can build your entire wardrobe on or rotate |
| fits the body's contours just right and just so. Pieces | | | | around. So, surround yourself with nothing but the finest |
| should drape ever so gracefully and project an elegant | | | | fabric. High-quality fabric has an amazing feel and look. |
| silhouette. If a skirt has pleats, these should be crisp, | | | | Aside from this, it retains perfect symmetry and shape |
| smooth, and even. If a top comes with a collar, this has | | | | no matter what the circumstance. Your made to |
| to be pristine. Seams, whether in made to measure | | | | measure suit could be three years old, but if it's made |
| suits, jeans, or tops, should lie evenly and smoothly. | | | | of luxury fabric, it won't cling to your body or bunch up |
| 3. Shop in second-hand and vintage stores. | | | | in odd ways. Luxury fabrics include fine cottons, silk, |
| Old is the new new. Look for gently worn but | | | | merino wools, and cashmere. |
| once-upon-a-time costly pieces such as a Diane von | | | | You don't need to be rich to dress rich. The truly |
| Furtstenberg wrap dress or a '70s Calvin Klein. After a | | | | suave dresser with an impeccable eye for style and |
| good wash and with a few alterations, who could | | | | the moxie to carry anything off can wear something |
| even tell you got these clothes vintage or | | | | – a made to measure suit, a dress, or anything |
| second-hand? | | | | else - that is so six seasons ago and make it look like |
| 4. Make the most of seasonal sales. | | | | the hottest thing to come down the runway. |
| Weather is not the only thing that changes with the | | | | |