Now when we started this blog, my affiliate and I sort of agreed that I would handle the health stuff (a passion of mine), she would handle fashion (her passion), and we would both tackle beauty. However today I felt compelled to do a fashion piece... so my apologies go out to the REAL fashionista here because I am a simple person of clothing admiration.
Often in magazines I see these lists of "staple clothing," and it's usually the same old boring thing: little black dress, white button-up shirt, etc. I think there is definitely truth to that, but I think that they often neglect to tell you what is essential to invest in, and what is not. Some essentials can be found at bargain prices, while others are almost pieces of art that you want to make sure you put your money towards knowing they will appreciate in personal value upon repeated use. So here is my list of essentials, along with whether I think they ought to be pricey or not- and where to look for them. Keep in mind that my personal style is somewhat boho with a mixture of classic in there someplace. If this is not you, this may not be your perfect list. Hopefully you enjoy it just the same!
1. JEANS. I wear jeans more than anything else in my closet. I used to buy jeans from places like Fashion 21 or some other cheapie store and realized that I had about 8 pairs of cheap jeans in my closet that I never EVER wore. I had never bought into the trends of buying $100 jeans until I got a gift certificate for my birthday last year and invested in some jeans from Guess that I fell madly in love with. They fit me just right in all the right places, they were the PERFECT wash, and (lets face it the most important part!) the butt pockets looked cute. They were around $100, which is pricey but nowhere NEAR some of these other ridiculous jeans in the $300+ range. On top of that, I know that jeans are an article of clothing that I am going to wear A LOT, therefore making that investment well worth it. Not to mention that one pair of great $100 jeans is worth the 8 pairs of $25 jeans I never wear.
2. FLIP FLOPS: I'm sorry but I life in Southern California and flip flops are my best friend on the planet. Some people like to go out and spend a ton of money on Haviannas since that's what the celebrities wear, but I am a hardcore Old Navy sandal fan. You can buy pretty much any color for $5, and they have 2 for $5 sales ALL the time. 
3. While we're talking shoes, ONE PAIR OF GREAT HEELS: Minimum. My favorite pair is Trinite by Steve Madden. They're a little pricey, maybe around the $100 range. But they're not at all difficult to walk in and I get more compliments on them than anything I own. 
4. WIFEBEATERS. I know it sounds unclassy, but a nice (not grungy) wifebeater can be your best friend. You can wear it plain, with a cardigan, or even under a nice vest for a funky edgy look. I prefer to buy vibrant colors and you can find them at nearly any cheapie store for a few bucks. I recently bought some racer-back ones from the little fashion-junkie store at 5-Points (for any of you HB locals) that have beautiful lace on the racer part of the back. It dresses them up quite nicely, I think. (PS Unlike this picture, I prefer them looooong!)
5. NOT-SO-LITTLE AND NOT-SO BLACK DRESS. For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing praises of the LBD. I bought into it and I admit that I own a little black dress- but!- I never wear it. I hate wearing black to formal events because it A. Doesn't make you stand out and B. Look (and feel) like you're going to a funeral. So I say screw the LBD and get something that maybe is reserved, but not that reserved. I mean, come on, The Great Depression is over people, all hail the bright cheery dress! This is something that you may want to invest a little bit of money in since you'll be wearing it to formal events. You might also want to invest in a matching pair of shoes to complete the look for the same reason. In a perfect world, this would be my go-to (From Anthropologie):
6. LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN DRESSES! Dresses are a great item to not spend too much money on because you can get sort of trendy dresses for fairly cheap at, say, Forever 21. You probably aren't going to be doing a lot of heavy labor wearing a dress, so you can get lots of inexpensive ones without worrying too much that you will only wear them once before they tear or something. Here are a few of my favorites from Forever 21:
4. WIFEBEATERS. I know it sounds unclassy, but a nice (not grungy) wifebeater can be your best friend. You can wear it plain, with a cardigan, or even under a nice vest for a funky edgy look. I prefer to buy vibrant colors and you can find them at nearly any cheapie store for a few bucks. I recently bought some racer-back ones from the little fashion-junkie store at 5-Points (for any of you HB locals) that have beautiful lace on the racer part of the back. It dresses them up quite nicely, I think. (PS Unlike this picture, I prefer them looooong!)5. NOT-SO-LITTLE AND NOT-SO BLACK DRESS. For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing praises of the LBD. I bought into it and I admit that I own a little black dress- but!- I never wear it. I hate wearing black to formal events because it A. Doesn't make you stand out and B. Look (and feel) like you're going to a funeral. So I say screw the LBD and get something that maybe is reserved, but not that reserved. I mean, come on, The Great Depression is over people, all hail the bright cheery dress! This is something that you may want to invest a little bit of money in since you'll be wearing it to formal events. You might also want to invest in a matching pair of shoes to complete the look for the same reason. In a perfect world, this would be my go-to (From Anthropologie):6. LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN DRESSES! Dresses are a great item to not spend too much money on because you can get sort of trendy dresses for fairly cheap at, say, Forever 21. You probably aren't going to be doing a lot of heavy labor wearing a dress, so you can get lots of inexpensive ones without worrying too much that you will only wear them once before they tear or something. Here are a few of my favorites from Forever 21:
I seem to have a tougher time finding stuff online but always have luck at say, Target and Forever 21. Here are some darling dresses from Mod Cloth but they're a little pricier. I couldn't help but post them, they're too cute!: 
7. LEGGINGS. My new favorite trend. I mainly go with basic black, and I like to put them under a dress that might be just a TAD too short.
8. NICE TENNIS SHOES. I have had a pair of Converse Jack Purcells on hand since I was in middle school. Black is the best and they look really great with black shoelaces instead of the white ones.
9. A NICE BLAZER. You can actually get one for cheap at Target (about $35). I just bought a black one that I absolutely LOVE, and I'm thinking of going back to get it in tan and/or grey. For some reason Target wont let me swipe pictures, but you can go to their site or just look in store.
10. TWO GREAT PURSES. I prefer leather, and it's good to have one in black and one in brown. I got both of my favorites at Target for a really decent price and every time I go there they seem to have super cute ones for cheap! Another amazing purse shopping site: Ross. Seriously the best!
Good luck, ladies!!!
Love,
Lula Mae.
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