That is definitely not to say that eccentricity and wildness of fashion are 'out', in fact it is the opposite, taste and elegance does not simply mean beige slacks, herringbone shirt and a string of pearls. That is a stereotype. Elegance is about being comfortable with your dress, a woman of supreme self confidence will always be compellingly elegant whether she is wearing a little black dress or an embroidered vintage opera cape and sequinned leggings. Sure, it's pretty hard to be elegant when wearing mc hammer pants and a bandana, but it's not impossible. Elegance is about the woman beneath the clothes.
As Coco Chanel said, 'Dress badly, and they remember the dress, dress well and they remember the woman.'
But i digress. What i really wanted to talk about is another thing about my style, that is, the happy mixture of high street and designer that currently inhabits my wardrobe. I read an article in the most recent harpers bazaar US that said that your wardrobe should be 80% forever pieces 20% trend pieces, and i think depending on your means and ability this can accurately represent a high/low break down. Of course, if money was no object and funds were unlimited then a percentage limit such as this would be a fruitless exercise! It would be designer all and sundry, I would buy whatever I wanted, when I wanted it. But being a student currently juggling internships and cash in hand work this can't always be the case. Budgeting and careful thought about purchases have to occur.
I think that the 80% high street/basics and 20% designer is an accurate representation of my wardrobe. Whilst I do have the odd beautiful piece I own a lot of chain store clothing, some from Australian chains like Sportsgirl, Target and Just Jeans (etc) but also a fair few from Topshop, H&M, Zara and COS. And, when i think about it, these pieces do tend to be more basic and classic than my designer pieces. I have a Josh Goot full skirt with his delectable watercolour tye-dye print that goes very well with my plain topshop crop tops and bassike tees. My batwing stella mccartney parka (an incredible find in london Harvey Nichols that used up all my fashion karma for a while) needs something no crazier than a plain slip underneath it, otherwise it all becomes too much. My marni knitted skirt is incredible, so structured it feels like it's got whalebone darts in it, and bubbled out around my without any aid at all. Some of my designer pieces are forever pieces, my yves saint laurent trench dug up in the men's section of my local charity store (top tip: shop with the boys!), my vanessa bruno ruffled skirt that sings of paris with every twirl, my a.p.c striped boatneck top, my christian louboutin suede ballet flats and miu miu roman sandals are undoubtedly classic.
I am so lucky to have these things. Some of them were found in charity stores and op shops and bought with a satisfied smile on my face, reveling in my fashion karma at finding such steals. Others were purchased in big sales, where they were often tucked in the back of the store in the corner, unwanted and unloved until I came upon them. I can tell you something though, I have never paid full price for a designer item. What that says about me is probably reveals more about my financial ability more than my desire, believe you me I would purchase a chanel 2.55 without second thought if $4000 was made available to me readily, or perhaps that Roksanda Ilincic dream coat I loved from afar in Belinda until some lucky fabulous woman snapped it up, If only I had $3250 for the purchase!
But then I don't think this breakdown occurs because of what I can afford either, although as outlines above that is a factor in the decision making. This breakdown occurs more because I buy what I like, which is sometimes chain store/high street, sometimes designer. I don't buy a designer piece just because I can, or because it has a label, I buy it because I fell in love with it. Similarly, I don't buy High Street because it's what I can afford, I buy it because the clothing is beautiful and fits into my wardrobe.
I have never bought into the whole sample sale mentality. Sure I have bought lovely things from sample sales (hello, josh goot!) but the problem I have with them is that they force you to spend money on things you don' really need and often don't really want. Maybe that's just me, but I'm sure i'm not alone in saying that the whole set up, the whole atmosphere of a sample sale is one that encourages heady, unthought out purchases without a second glance. And suddenly you're at home, bank card decimated with bags of things that you only bought because of their fancy logo and false promises. It would be far better, in my opinion, to save that money for one thing that you really love, that you really want, and get that instead.
We are lucky to be living in an era of fast, affordable, accessibly fashion. Chain store clothing is no longer the bottomless pit it once was where cheap shift dresses were churned out in their thousands ready for conspicuous consumption. Now we have high street stores like COS, American Apparel and Topshop producing high quality (debatable at times, i know) clothes that are fashion-centred and often directional for an affordable price. Gone are the days where dressing well necessitated a designer wallet filled with credit cards. Fashion has become the great equalizer - yes, the fashion editors do feature on the sartorialist, but they're sandwiched between the everyday girl riding her bike in a colourful dress or walking the streets of new york in denim cut offs and a plain tee shirt.
If what you buy is well made, suits you, and you love with all your heart (we can't by sensible things all the time, can we?) that's fine by me. Those criteria for me fall into a high street designer mix that is perfect for life right now.
Now, who wants to go to sportsgirl after uni today?
X
mmmmm home-made polyvores:
L-R stella mccartney black jersey top, topshop oversized collar blazer (came in the mail from my hot mailman yesterday!), topshop necklace, josh good tye dye skirt, sportsgirl denim (alex wang rip off) bag, havianas. 
L-R - sportsgirl bag, yves saint laurent trench, christian louboutin flats, a.p.c breton top, vintage belt, witchery tulip skirt. 
L-R - sportsgirl crop top, calvin klein floor length skirt, h&m scarf, rayban sunglasses, just jeans jacket, h&m oversized 'paint splodge' clutch, bejewelled flats from a hong kong side st mall. 
L-R - sportsgirl rick owens rip off suede jacket, COS drapey tee, vintage belt, marni bag, wittner shoes, marni skirt (seen underneath top). 
favourite nail polish colours of the moment - sea green, lavender, lipstick (much darker IRL, see the sophie dahl cookbook pics), tangerine. 
A long skirt outfit for you all in action, worn on tuesday for work at NW magazine. A typical mix of high and low - sportsgirl jumper tied at waist over zimmerman 'negligee' dress (har har har) and josh goot tye dye skirt underneath, kazui gladiators just seen and diva ring. Actually pictured in the Sportsgirl changing rooms hahahaha i am such an advert for them.. i suppose they're australia's answer to topshop! You have read this article clothes /
COS /
fashion /
me /
shopping /
style /
topshop /
vanessa bruno /
wardrobe
with the title 10 things about my style - #4 high meets low.. You can bookmark this page URL http://startthefire-cafagesta.blogspot.com/2009/08/10-things-about-my-style-4-high-meets.html. Thanks!
