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Budget Fashion

Everyone likes a bargain. Even movie stars and heiresses go ga-ga for goodie bags. I lived in Manhattan in my twenties. Despite my paltry publishing salary, I dressed decadently. I lived for sample sales. There was the Michael Kors sequin sheath I got...

Everyone likes a bargain. Even movie stars and heiresses go ga-ga for goodie bags. I lived in Manhattan in my twenties. Despite my paltry publishing salary, I dressed decadently. I lived for sample sales. There was the Michael Kors sequin sheath I got for a mere $100. I wore it to a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was when Christy and Linda were still buddies, posing cozily in Chanel, so I accessorized with a choker of gob-stopper sized (fake) pearls. Another year, at the same sale, I picked up a true runway-worn sample - an eight-ply cashmere shrug wrap - for $75. I still use it. Then there was the Norma Kamali black jersey slip dress I snatched up for $50. I wore it to more than one wedding, with my then-prized, full-price Kenneth Cole strappy satin sandals. I've since traded those in for more delicate Diegos. And the dress, well, I've had two babies since then. Bargain fashion has become a commercial art. Magazine editors are masters of recreating celebrity and runway looks for less. Just pick up In Style, Marie Claire or US Weekly for splendid layouts of trendy looks at every price point. Fashion designers long ago added bridge lines, and even more accessible third-tier labels. Good taste is rampant, no longer the domain of the elite. Isaac Mizrahi designs for Target. Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney for H&M. And of course, there are abundant blogs dedicated to dressing fabulously. There are many dedicated to affordable fashion. There's Frugal-Fashionista who dissects celebrity looks; The Cheap Chica, who proclaims herself "one of the cheapest people you'll ever meet"; the woman behind FoundClothing, who posts pics of clothing left in parks and libraries; the Brit who is "a wee bit skint", plus six more deliriously stylish slaves-to-fashion who show you their fab finds. There's no excuse not to look good. Related Top 10 Sources: StyleFeeder |Fashion Trends | Celebrity Fashion | Shoes | Purses | Beauty