THE STYLE FILES: THE PRICES : The 10 Essentials
Smart women stock their closets and beauty arsenals with certain basics. Those with a fairy godmother and a bottomless bank account can go into any luxury store in town and find indispensables that last a lifetime. But those with bank accounts teetering on tilt need durable basics that are dirt-cheap, but don’t look it. Here are the cheapest basics we’d be caught dead in--and their upscale counterparts. Take your pick. A classic is a classic, after all. The final tally, not including taxes or manicurist tips: $10,340 for the high end, $193.70 for the low.
CLASSIC BLACK PUMPS
Charles Jourdan is world-famous for high-heeled pumps. Each pump is made by 30 craftsmen at the French workshop in which Jourdan started his business in 1921. The supple Nappa leather from Mediterranean lambs is finished with bees wax to preserve the shine. The cost: $195 a pair.
When you need a plain little black pump, Standard Shoes does very nicely. Its $29.90 pump has a leather upper and the shape is retro classic. The downfall of cheap shoes (and some expensive ones) is the plastic heel tip. Replace it with a rubber one.
A BASIC MANICURE
A West Hollywood manicure joint with a New York public relations consultant? Jessica’s Nail Salon is more like the ultimate beauty salon for the hands. Just ask customers Nancy Reagan, Jamie Lee Curtis and Delta Burke. For $22 you get an individualized hour of mitts, balms, soaking, pampering and polishing. Founder Jessica Vartoughian pioneered the concept of a nails-only salon in 1969 and has personally trained all of her manicurists, or “cultivists” as they are called here.
Kathy’s Nails on Melrose in West Hollywood is a 12-year-old family business headed by Kathy Bui, her four daughters and assorted cousins who came from Vietnam in 1975. This basic, friendly salon charges $7 for a half-hour manicure, and has a loyal following of models, women sent over by the couturier next door, and celebs--including Anita Baker, Lisa Bonet, Winona Ryder and Katie Wagner. Years ago, Demi Moore even gave a manicures-for-everyone bachelorette party here.
LEATHER HANDBAG
Hermes christened its Kelly bag when Grace Kelly bought these classic saddle bags in every color for her trousseau. She loved the black, shown here in a medium size for $3,295. Each bag is entirely handmade by just one well-paid Parisian craftsman from the finest calf leather and non-tarnishing, gold-plated fittings. Ask to see one, and salespeople put on white gloves to avoid (horrors!) a fingerprint on the leather.
Discount handbags are the true leftovers of the fashion world, featuring awful colors, scary patchwork designs and strange shapes you wouldn’t carry in a dark alley. It makes sense to go to a department store during a sale and get some of the regular stock marked down. The Robinson’s-May monthly “15-hour” sale is worth the wait because the purse department is not shy about slashing prices. This buy, a black leather clutch with shoulder strap, on sale for $22.50, was typical.
PEARL EARRINGS
Holly Golightly would tell you the ultimate classic pearl earrings come in a little turquoise box. Tiffany’s 9.5-millimeter pearl stud earrings are a hefty $3,700 largely because it takes as long as seven years to culture pearls this big and they’re in enormous demand. (Natural pearls? Forget it. The price jumps 10 times higher.) Pearls are judged by six points: color, luster, nacre thickness, match, shape and surface smoothness. This pair is perfect on all counts, and the color is the most sought after--cream with pink overtones.
From a distance, who can tell? Well, maybe from quite a distance. For $2.99, the price of a Big Mac and fries, you can get simulated pearl stud earrings at Marshall’s. They’re made out of God only knows what--plastic?--but they have a nice warm, pearly beige color with a bit of a sheen that makes them appear a lot more like real pearls than something found in a 5-year-old’s dress-up box.
TRENCH COAT
Burberry’s trench coat is the only trench you’ll need this lifetime. Its styling is timeless, yet new fabric technology makes it more comfortable than a conventional wool twill coat. This one’s made of an advanced polyester and nylon blend that looks traditional, but is incredibly light and with suede-like softness to the touch. Zip out the warm liner to reveal that signature plaid fabric lining. At $700, it should be perfection. I. Magnin stocks them.
Luck and a swing through a discounter can net you a name brand trench. This one, $69.99 at Marshall’s, has a department store label, and is an ivory cotton and polyester blend that will hold up respectably. It has a few pretty details, like ivory and brass-look buttons, a partial lining, capelet detail and a fold-down lapel in khaki-colored fabric.
NAVY BLAZER
For the classic navy blazer of a lifetime, there’s no place to go but Giorgio Armani. The master Milanese tailor has made jackets his signature and you’d probably have this black-label blazer forever. Its sleek, one-button styling is not extreme in any area: shoulder pads are medium, the body is neither too boxy nor too tight. The fine wool crepe wears incredibly well and shows wrinkles so minimally that it’s ideal for travel. The jacket is $1,170.
It’s not unusual these days to find used clothes in new-clothes stores. Some department and discount stores now offer recycled vintage men’s blazers for their junior, funky, cash-strapped or more adventurous women customers. Generally, these are basic dark-colored jackets that have been cleaned and restored. The quality of the fabric is often surprisingly good. Shown here: one navy wool jacket from Clothestime’s vintage rack for $22.99.
BLACK LEGGINGS
Leave it to a swimwear designer to make the ultimate black leggings. Liza Bruce stitched these up from her thickest matte black nylon-and-spandex maillot fabric. Just like a swimsuit, a pair of Bruce’s leggings smoothes out the jiggles, stays a nice true black through any amount of washing and gives terrific support. A big plus: the leggings don’t bag at the knees. They’re made in England and sold at Barneys New York, Shauna Stein and Theodore for around $165.
You might find specials in discount stores where leggings of varying quality are priced less, but it can be a bit of a gamble. Contempo Casual’s house brand leggings have consistently decent quality and are a good buy at two for $24, or $14 if purchased singly. They’re made in the U.S. of a good, dense black cotton and spandex. And they’re long enough to reach the ankles and not ride up the calves.
RED LIPSTICK
Aficionados all have their own candidate for the ultimate red lipstick. YSL’s No. 6 and M.A.C.’s Russian Red (Madonna’s favorite) are matte, pigment-rich lipsticks that have such incredible staying power they’re more of a commitment than the average marriage. Those who like creamier lipsticks choose Mon Rouge by Paloma Picasso, or the ultimate classic, Chanel’s Red Red, which is an exquisite, 1940s red that makes strong men weak. New technology gives the Chanel lipstick the advantage--it has all-natural pigments, good staying power and moisturizing elements to keep lips from drying. The price: $19 a tube.
Revlon’s reds are the Coca-Cola of red lipsticks. Its Fire & Ice, Love That Red and Cherries in the Snow have been in women’s vanities since the early 1950s, and deservedly so because they’re solid reds and wear well. At $6.50, they’re at the top end of drug store brands. Revlon uses a better quality wax, which is then blended with pigment three times, instead of just once, to give better consistency and smoothness.
BLACK TURTLENECK
Valentino’s $1,065 cashmere rib turtlenecks (or $1,095 in flat knit), made in Portofino on Italy’s scenic Amalfi coast, might be the most shockingly expensive sweaters ever made, but they’re staples in many affluent women’s closets. One wardrobe guru describes this turtleneck as “the one everyone has” and “a forever sweater.” Another points out that it’s the perfect low-key luxury item for a woman who doesn’t want to show off. The fitted body, high armhole, light two-ply weight and not-too-voluminous neck make it perfect under jackets.
Maybe you won’t have this one forever, but the Gap’s black cotton turtleneck will look good several seasons. For $16.50, it’s a respectable cotton with a nice soft hand and a good opaque color. If you follow the salesperson’s advice, the color will stay dense and the top will keep its shape: wash in cold water, don’t machine dry and try not to pull on the neck.
WHITE CREW SOCKS
Calvin Klein’s crew socks ($9 a pair at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bullock’s) are made of luxurious Sea Island cotton, which, by virtue of its long staple fiber, is strong and as soft as cashmere. The anklets are treated so fungus never grows on them. Reactive dye guarantees they won’t yellow. The best part is that these socks get softer as you wash them and hold up for years.
Saving money is a virtue too, and buying socks in bulk is very virtuous. At Woolworth, Hanes Her Way packaged crew socks are six pairs for $8, or $1.33 per pair. Ross Dress for Less also has good bulk prices on name-brand socks, such as the recent six pairs of Danskin anklets for $6.99, or $1.17 a pair. The Venice boardwalk outdoor stands, open on weekends, offer the ultimate deal: five pair of cotton/nylon athletic crew socks for $5, just $1 a pair.
