The Look for Less: 1st Edition

It’s overdone, it’s obvious, but I’m about to run with it anyway…. “the look for less!”

The fabulous designer styles I will be recreating this week belong to Beyoncé and the blog “Classy Girls Wear Pearls” (which I highly recommend).

Although Beyoncé was not included in my recent post about style icons, her look is a wonderful blend of fierce glamor and casual confidence. This particular ensemble is a great one to try at home because you probably already have half these items in your closet, and if you don’t, you should. I substituted riding boots for the lace wedged booties that the songstress is wearing in the image. It’s great to put looks together for less, but if you can afford a pair of well-made riding boots you love, I would recommend that you snatch them off that lonely shelf, run to the nearest store register, and never look back.

Blogger Sarah Vickers has a preppy all-American vibe (as if you couldn’t tell from the outfit), and a closet that would make any fashionista swoon with its mix of vintage designer finds and reliable well-cut pieces.

Feel free to send me pictures of other outfits you’d love to recreate for less, and check out our pinterest page for other great shopping finds for the shopper who likes to splurge, the responsible shopper, and the shopper who loves a bargain!

4 Young Celebrity Style Icons Worthy of Imitation

There are some women who always appear effortlessly chic, who rarely misstep in the world of fashion, and who often make us sigh and wish we thought of their look first. Here is a short list of sincerely stylish young celebs who combine the classic, the daring, and the tasteful to create some of the best ensembles we see splashed across the pages of the world’s magazines.

1. Olivia Palermo

She has risen far above the heights of reality television villain on The City, and has ascended into the world of fashion Goddesses. So sleek and chic she has been called a real-world Blair Waldorf, she manages to blend colors, patterns, and textures in new and exciting ways while maintaining clean lines and a stunning (dare we say) ‘old-money’ look that is both luxurious and untouchable. The penultimate socialite, she has cultivated legions of fans across the fashion world simply by expressing her own personal style.

2. Rachel Bilson

A great example of how to do Hollywood Bohemian right, Rachel Bilson has made a name for herself in the fashion world- even acting as a stylist for Piperlime.  She is not afraid to channel a hippy-chick one day with a tiered maxi-skirt, and a punk princess the next in a delicate sundress and black combat boots. Her risks often pay off, but even when they don’t her look is uniquely her own.

3. Lauren Conrad

If there is one woman in Hollywood who knows how to mix and match basic pieces you probably already have in your closet and make them look fresh and sophisticated, it is Lauren Conrad. After all, she designs her own clothing lines and wrote the book on style (literally)! An all-American girl with a worldly sense of style, Lauren’s look is simple and classic.

4. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

No list of fashion icons could be complete without the inclusion of this royal formerly known as Kate Middleton. She has an ethereal beauty and a sense of grace that shines through with or without a royal title; she is our generation’s Grace Kelly. The blue Issa gown she wore during the announcement of her betrothel to Prince William was the dress seen round the world, and the first of many memorable looks. With a wardrobe fit for a princess, her clothes are an impeccable blend of tradition and modern design. Old or young, I do not know one woman who does not admire her serene demeanor and her always perfectly-coiffed hair.

In Jenny Packham

Check out our pinterest page to see other phenomenal looks from these starlets and princesses. Who deserved to make the list that didn’t, and who didn’t deserve to make it that did? Feel free to start a cat-fight in the comments section below.