I’m going to carry the bag. If it’s a clutch, I stand holding it in my hand the way I’m going to carry it, and check out my reflection in the mirror. Do I like the way it looks in my hand? I walk around withthe bag. If it’s a clutch and it feels too big in your hand when you walk around the store, it’s sure going to feel too big at a cocktail party. If it’s a shoulder bag and doesn’t hang smoothly, lightly, and securely on your shoulder, it’ll drive you crazy when you get it home. If you’re a student carrying books, a parent grabbing for your kids, or a list maker always jotting something down, you need a shoulder bag, not a clutch purse. When you shop, everyone definitely needs a shoulder bag: there’s never anyplace to put your clutch when you’re frantically going through the racks.
One more thing: I know what I always need to carry with me, no matter what the occasion. Every woman knows what her essentials consist of—keys, cell phone, lipstick, powder, maybe a PDA? Reading glasses? Contact lens solution? Maybe just two of those things. It’s different for everybody. When I’m out handbag shopping, I always put these essentials in a small, self-sealing plastic storage bag (so nothing soils the prospective purse), and before I decide to buy, I see if the bag fits in the purse. I never buy a handbag that won’t fit my needs.
Knowing Real vs. Getting a Steal
So, now you’ve educated yourself as to what “good” feels like. But perhaps “good” is too expensive. Your education is not wasted: now you’ve got to look for a purse that’s similar but inexpensive. Here’s a hint: buy the fashion magazines that do the comparison thing—you know, splurge vs. steal, real vs. faux, dream vs. bargain. They always come out at the top of the season when fall or spring merchandise will soon be released. Now rip out the handbag page, the shoe page, the accessory page: these are your cheat sheets—they’ll help you decide on which faux is closest to the real. If the hottest new bag is a Gucci purse with enamel snakes on it, you know you can’t really duplicate that Gucci purse, but you know that leather with some sort of enamel ornamentation is the style this season.
Where will you find the less expensive version? I note that within about three weeks that the real designer purse (or shoes or accessories or jewelry or whatever you’re searching for) comes out, the less expensive interpretationbecomes available in the department stores and fabulous stores like Payless Shoe Source.
Also, check my Insider Guide, below. If you find yourself in Pisa, skip the Leaning Tower and go to an Armani outlet. If you’re in Palm Beach, skip the beach and visit a jewelry outlet and pick up a little Bulgari-look necklace for $300—the original is $30,000. Oh my God, I can’t stand it!
The One Always-Works Outfit
Find one. Let it be the outfit that makes you feel most adorable or sexy or persuasive. Have two hanging in your closet.
For me, at any size, it’s the little black dress. Because I like my arms, it’s usually sleeveless. I like a simple round collar and a hem length that hits me at the knees. I can wear it with long pearls, with short pearls, with a great gold chain. I can put on a jacket and make it perfect for work or evening—depending on the jacket.
It’s interesting to think of clothes as costume. Wherever you go, whatever role you happen to be playing at the moment—job seeker? true-love seeker? party-goer?—your costume should be appropriate to the role. With a sharply tailored but simple jacket, that little black dress on me could address a jury anywhere. A magnificent brocade or velvet or satin jacket and that little black dress could take me to The View and out to dinner that evening. High heels dress it up, low heels dress it down. Today I have several little black dresses. But when I had no money, one black dress worked for every role. Job interview? Black dress, tailored jacket,
One more thing: I know what I always need to carry with me, no matter what the occasion. Every woman knows what her essentials consist of—keys, cell phone, lipstick, powder, maybe a PDA? Reading glasses? Contact lens solution? Maybe just two of those things. It’s different for everybody. When I’m out handbag shopping, I always put these essentials in a small, self-sealing plastic storage bag (so nothing soils the prospective purse), and before I decide to buy, I see if the bag fits in the purse. I never buy a handbag that won’t fit my needs.
Knowing Real vs. Getting a Steal
So, now you’ve educated yourself as to what “good” feels like. But perhaps “good” is too expensive. Your education is not wasted: now you’ve got to look for a purse that’s similar but inexpensive. Here’s a hint: buy the fashion magazines that do the comparison thing—you know, splurge vs. steal, real vs. faux, dream vs. bargain. They always come out at the top of the season when fall or spring merchandise will soon be released. Now rip out the handbag page, the shoe page, the accessory page: these are your cheat sheets—they’ll help you decide on which faux is closest to the real. If the hottest new bag is a Gucci purse with enamel snakes on it, you know you can’t really duplicate that Gucci purse, but you know that leather with some sort of enamel ornamentation is the style this season.
Where will you find the less expensive version? I note that within about three weeks that the real designer purse (or shoes or accessories or jewelry or whatever you’re searching for) comes out, the less expensive interpretationbecomes available in the department stores and fabulous stores like Payless Shoe Source.
Also, check my Insider Guide, below. If you find yourself in Pisa, skip the Leaning Tower and go to an Armani outlet. If you’re in Palm Beach, skip the beach and visit a jewelry outlet and pick up a little Bulgari-look necklace for $300—the original is $30,000. Oh my God, I can’t stand it!
The One Always-Works Outfit
Find one. Let it be the outfit that makes you feel most adorable or sexy or persuasive. Have two hanging in your closet.
For me, at any size, it’s the little black dress. Because I like my arms, it’s usually sleeveless. I like a simple round collar and a hem length that hits me at the knees. I can wear it with long pearls, with short pearls, with a great gold chain. I can put on a jacket and make it perfect for work or evening—depending on the jacket.
It’s interesting to think of clothes as costume. Wherever you go, whatever role you happen to be playing at the moment—job seeker? true-love seeker? party-goer?—your costume should be appropriate to the role. With a sharply tailored but simple jacket, that little black dress on me could address a jury anywhere. A magnificent brocade or velvet or satin jacket and that little black dress could take me to The View and out to dinner that evening. High heels dress it up, low heels dress it down. Today I have several little black dresses. But when I had no money, one black dress worked for every role. Job interview? Black dress, tailored jacket,
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