You believe that elegance and practicality in fashion are elements that can be combined, that you can look very elegant and at the same time be practical by wearing comfortable and low cost outfits that can be purchased by middle class women that cannot invest large sums of money in clothes by expensive brands, that, although they are the dream of the majority, not all can buy them.
But, do not get discouraged, you can access elegance and at the same time, dress with lots of practicality. Remember what the famous Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera always says in her interviews: “Elegance and style have nothing to do with money”; and although this helps a lot, it does not become indispensable to look elegant.
In this context, we must also mention the words of the fashion designer and expert image consultant, Raquel Sosa, who has expressed that: “Improving the style of dressing does not mean buying more clothes, but getting what is really needed”.
They are wise words from an expert in image that invites us to be more practical when dressing and acquiring basic and / or timeless garments that can be combined with greater ease; and it is not about filling the wardrobe with clothes and more clothes, having dozens of dresses, shoes, pants, purses, blouses, skirts, etc. It is about having quality clothes, as well as well finished, tasteful and of course, elegant that we can look at any moment to go to the office or to some causal meeting, even to go to that luxury party where we want to look splendid.
However, there are lots of women who recurrently fall into the mistake of buying clothes and more clothes for every event, even for a simple family or work meeting in which they want to look and stand out, and that is not necessarily the key to looking elegant with a practical and suitable outfit for the occasion. Remember that buying compulsively does not always improve our image, nor does it make us elegant and practical.
You can look elegant with casual and simple attire and not so expensive, as the designer and businesswoman Alejandra Hernández assures, who owns a small network of casual clothing stores and whose motto is “Casual fashion within reach of all”. She also ensures that with little money you can buy simple and elegant quality clothes, something that she learned from the famous Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, who she confesses to being a fan.
On the other hand, Alejandra Hernández recommends her clients to become creative and practical at the time of dressing, since according to her, “the idea is to wear the same clothes many times without being noticed”; and that is achieved with good taste, balance in the combinations not only of the garments, but also of the footwear, the purses and the jewels, not to mention the make-up and the hairstyle that give the final touch to the style, providing elegance and distinction according to the occasion.
This Colombian entrepreneur began selling used clothing in 1998, to which she made simple and complicated arrangements and changes according to the needs of her clients, even renting luxury dresses for parties or special occasions.
Subsequently, under her motto “Casual fashion within reach of all”, she rented a store to open her first store, to which she added in 2002 a workshop where she made her own clothes that were widely accepted and earned her the acknowledgement of some suppliers; the reason why she had to expand her business and hire about 15 seamstresses to satisfy the demand.
When Alejandra Hernández is asked about the key to the success of her collections, she does not hesitate to reply that: “the simplicity of her designs and the practicality of her clothes have been the elements that people have liked the most”, because they are aimed at modern and struggling women who look for designs whose costs are not high and which serve them for different events and occasions.
Likewise, the enterprising and creative businesswoman affirms that she has always been an admirer of Carolina Herrera, who, in her opinion, is the most elegant and sophisticated designer she has ever met, and she admits that she has followed her career and advice, which have helped her to maintain a casual but elegant and practical style that, combined with the right accessories and footwear, can be worn in the office, in an informal meeting, or in any formal event in which women want to look splendid, glamorous and elegant.
For this reason, we recommend working women who want to manage their resources and income better to be more balanced when investing their money in clothes, accessories and footwear. Well say some psychology specialists that when people insist on buying and buying, until they reach a kind of addiction, it is because they are trying to fill an emotional void, justifying themselves by saying “I have nothing to wear”, when in reality their wardrobe is full of clothes, shoes and accessories.
Carolina Herrera also expresses in most of the interviews that “elegance and style are not for sale”, since there are many women who wear very expensive clothes; however, that does not guarantee them to wear a fine and delicate image, since they frequently make a serious mistake by overloading the style they wish to project, when in the words of this famous designer, “elegance is a symbol of simplicity, comfort and neatness”.
In this sense, some aspects that should be considered when acquiring garments with which they want to look elegant and refined are, for example, the texture, the cut, the completions, the details, the finish and above all, that the pieces adapt perfectly to the figure. Likewise, the types of activities carried out on a day-to-day basis must be taken into account, as well as the age, size and body shape in order to evaluate the garments and know if the investment that will be made will reward you positively by giving you a good image, good taste and elegance, which will highlight your style and personality.
Another aspect that should be considered when talking about elegance and practicality in fashion is the fact of buying useful garments; for example, pieces that can be worn on both sides, a long evening skirt that can be worn with various combinations of top garments, such as jackets, sweaters, blouses, coats, which according to the occasion, will give you that personal touch that you need; or buying a classic black dress, which can be combined with a denim jacket and sandals for a casual outing, with a blazer and “stilettos” shoes for a business meeting, or high sandals for a party.
At the end of the day, it is very important to be faithful to our own style when dressing, because this is what defines and identifies us in the environment where we live, without falling into eccentricities and exaggerations that subtract instead of adding.
And if you want to stand out as one of the most elegant within your circle of friends, you should consider the advice we have given you, always remembering that simplicity is the basis of elegance, and that we should let ourselves be guided and influenced by those people who have more knowledge than we do, as did Alejandra Hernández, who without getting to know Carolina Herrera personally, was nourished by her advice given in interviews or observed the collections of this lady of fashion, not to imitate her pieces but to absorb their details and learn from them.
Another designer who has a very elegant, simple and sober style is Melissa Krist, who owns some stores in Valencia, a city of Venezuela, who recommends us to have certain basic pieces in our wardrobe, such as classic dresses in black, gunmetal grey or other dark tone, blazers, white shirts, straight skirts, pants, blue jeans, basic white and coloured T-shirts, and gabardine coats, as well as classic shoes in black and beige.
The designer and owner of the stores “Glamur Boutique” recommends not getting carried away by the excitement of offers and end up taking home garments that you never wear afterwards; in addition to always trying on clothes before buying them, and if possible, taking a companion to exchange opinions with you. Thus, your purchase becomes more practical and you will be acquiring outfits which you will give more use to, especially if your purchasing power is not very high.
So, the most important thing when talking about elegance and practicality in fashion is to maintain a balance between the elements that make up a style without having to spend large amounts of money, taking into account the quality of fabrics, colors, textures, and finishes, which are what ultimately give garments distinction and elegance, so that beautiful, modern women and with good taste look them in any event where they attend.
Finally, we remind you that attitude plays a preponderant role at the time of looking elegant, classy and distinguished, since it is useless to wear the best dress, expensive or not, and everyone talks about the beauty of the garment, and not having a proper and appropriate attitude for the occasion. Simplicity and elegance are more than just a garment, they are more related to the attitude of the woman who wears it, although it is obvious that the appearance of the attire also plays an important role, making a set of elements be in the end that determines the elegance of a style.
Of course, practicality as a basic aspect of the style of a modern woman with a daily life like most who works with effort and does not have a great fortune is a factor that must be considered, so joining practicality to elegance is a process that must have a lot of creativity, good taste, common sense and as we said before, a lot of attitude.
ALFA