Prada. Dolce and Gabbana. Donna. Calvin. Fashion’s usual suspects made the Oscar ceremony this year. So too did an impish newcomer, The Gap.
By wearing a $22, black, short-sleeved Gap turtleneck and a long black skirt at the gowned and jeweled gathering, actress Sharon Stone legitimized economical elegance. The Best Actress nominee put together a low-budget lesson in the art of dressing well without spending a fortune.
“(The look) worked because it was clean and simple,” says Barri Leiner, a Chicago-based fashion stylist who pulls together clothes and accessories for presentations in newspapers and magazines and on television.
WOMANEWS asked Leiner and Ron Laxamana, another Chicago-based fashion stylist who creates up-to-the minute looks for editorial, advertising and catalog clients, to create several sumptuous evening options for slim budgets.
Where to start?
“Black on black on black is safe, slimming and sexy” and a good foundation for any dramatic look, Leiner says.
Laxamana points to a rainbow of options for evening, from stark white to electric color to rich sable browns.
To find them for less, Laxamana and Leiner scoured department stores, retail outlets and vintage shops for elements to create outfits for less than $200 each, a fraction of the price for designer dressup duds.
The key is to be creative.
“It’s about mixing it up rather than doing head-to-toe Chanel,” says Laxamana.
After all, Stone did. That was an Armani coat she wore over her Gap gear.
RON LAXAMANA
Quality over quantity is Ron Laxamana’s credo.
“You don’t have to sacrifice quality for inexpensive style,” says Laxamana. “It’s about (buying) pieces and incorporating them in your wardrobe.”
Here are Laxamana’s tips for smart-but-stylish spending:
– Head for department store sales and also prowl discounters and outlets for designer pieces (or lookalikes) at discount prices.
– Focus on fabric appeal. Evening fabrics should have some shine or luster, as satin or silk shantung. Try contrasting them with a matte jersey for emphasis.
– Instead of black, consider white-on-white for evening. Or, go for color. Pair two brights or work from white. Ditto for pastels, but keep the two hues, bright and pastel, apart.
– Take advantage of spring’s minimal accessory requirements and go with little or none. Laxamana suggests small drop earrings or a Y-shaped necklace available at discounters. Or substitute a scarf for a shell under a jacket.
– Instead of a dress, try an evening jacket with slim pants or a kicky skirt.
BARRI LEINER
Stylist Barri Leiner looks in unlikely places for extraordinary finds, from the junk box in a thrift shop to the notions aisle at a fabrics store.
“I’m a good translator of trends,” says Leiner. “I buy a few core pieces and then vintage- and junior-shop all the time.”
Here are her tips for spending less but looking luxe:
– Don’t overlook underwear. Lingerie departments often stock gorgeous nightgowns that can be worn beyond the boudoir and silky, inexpensive shells or slips that make great skirts.
– For the trendiest items check out junior departments where the latest looks are always less and you won’t feel bad if you can’t wear them next season.
– Scour vintage stores for outfit accents, especially structured handbags and beaded sweaters.
– Accessorize. Accessories are key “because they can take something simple and dress it up.” Right now look for big cocktail rings, and in vintage shops try clip-on earrings as dress or shoe clips.
– Can’t find an inexpensive option? Make it. A belt can be made from grosgrain ribbon and a rhinestone buckle found at a fabric store, or a choker from satin cord tied at the neck.
– Shoes are a safe place to save. The key is to choose the heel of the moment, and no one will know you cut corners.
BEAUTY ON A BUDGET
A glamorous can easily be achieved with products from drugstores, says Tina Guzaldo, a Chicago-based hair and makeup artist.
For a slicked back lustrous chgnon look a la Sharon Stone, try finishing locks with Citre Shine ($3.99 at Walgreens).
Guzaldo recommends Visuelle by L’Oreal ($9.23) as a foundation. For mascara she uses Maybelline Magic Mascara ($4.79), and for lips, Revlon’s lip liner in nude ($5.99).
She makes her L’Oreal Hydrating Lipcolor do triple duty on lips, cheeks and eyelids, especially in earthy hues such as Earth Rose, Nature’s Blush and Desert Flight ($6.93).
“If you are going to spend your money on something, spend it on a good moisturizer,” Guzaldo advises. Her picks: Products by Guerlain, Sisley or LaPrairie.
