In Fashion by Sharon Mosley

When the chic go shopping on the cheap, it can be tough — but you don't have to be rich to look great, says Amanda Brooks, a fashion expert who is a regular contributor for vogue.com and former creative director of Tuleh.

"True style doesn't have a price tag," says Brooks, who has just finished writing her new style guide, "I Love Your Style: How to Define and Refine Your Personal Style" (HarperCollins, $19.99).

"Most stylish women I know pride themselves on finding inexpensive things that look great. Whether it's a jacket from the army/navy store, an embroidered dress bought on vacation in Mexico or a ruffled cotton blouse from Zara, the thrill of the outfit you purchased for a song is anything but cheap."

Brooks has had a lifelong affair navigating the world of fashion and finding bargains everywhere, growing up Palm Beach, Fla., and in the suburbs of New York's Westchester County. "Woolworth's in Bronxville was my first introduction to the joys of cheap chic," she says. Contempo Casuals was another one of her favorite cheap chic haunts.

"I had always looked at Vogue with my mom and watched her buy designer clothes here and there," says Brooks. "Real fashion, as seen in magazines, was something grown-up and out of my reach financially. But then it turned out that experimenting with trends was as easy as driving to the mall near my college and plunking down a twenty for a runway knockoff frock."

The fashion consultant is often seen mixing in with the "high-fashion" crowd in New York, attending parties with elite designers and movie stars, but she still embraces personal style at an affordable price.

"Today, my greatest coup is showing up at a very formal event in a fantastic cheap chic outfit," she admits.

So, whether you're on a limited budget or just love to mix designer pieces with less expensive fashion trends, here are some of Brooks' "cheap chic" shopping tips:

— Buy pieces, not outfits, she says. "Shopping at cheap chic stores is about picking and choosing a few great things from a sea of potential mistakes," says Brooks.

"If you go for an 'outfit' that has been merchandised by the store, it's pretty likely something in there won't actually work for you, but you won't realize it because you are too busy buying the 'outfit.'"

— Check out army/navy stores for lots of inexpensive fashion: cargo pants, army jackets, wool military coats, multi-pocked vests, thermal shirts ("so Marc Jacobs"), old-school raincoats ("I like them in bright yellow or army green"), navy wool sailor sweaters or accessories, such as belts with grommets, canvas backpacks, oversized duffels and desert boots.

— Collectible T-shirts are another great cheap chic purchase, according to Brooks, who suggests scooping up concert T-shirts and printed T's with personal messages to wear with casual jeans.

— Private-label cashmere is another way to take advantage of affordable fashion. "If you have a tight budget for shopping," says Brooks, "quality fabric is probably a rare luxury. That is why it can be a great joy to experience the variety of choice and relatively low price of private-label cashmere from stores, such as Uniqlo, J.Crew or almost any department store."

— Other helpful ways to get great fashion at bargain prices? Look for designer costume jewelry, ethnic jewelry and department store knockoffs. "I feel no shame wearing fake diamonds," says Brooks, "as long as they are shiny and new."

— Brooks also loves to scope out the big "designer" collections at stores like H&M, Topshop and Target. But she has a warning to cheap chic shoppers: "Proceed with caution," she says. "Just because the name on the label is good doesn't mean you should buy it. Look at the clothes and judge them with the same eye as you would with more expensive clothes. If they hold up to those standards, they're probably worth a try."

Sharon Mosley is a former fashion editor of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association. To find out more about Sharon Mosley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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