“You make the world your office. You branch out and give back. The way that people are now shopping and mixing clothes up - Topshop to Prada to Michael Kors - you have to live your life that way. You have to mix the high and the low. The Vogue offices are full of what I call very angular women wearing stilettos, and maybe that’s just the consciousness - that people think that they need this look when they work at Vogue. But Grace Coddington does not fit that mold and she’s elegant. Look at Michelle Obama, she’s the most fashionable woman in America. But she’s not a fashion plate.” - André Leon Talley

Recently, André Leon Talley graced Time Out New York with a short interview, probably as part of Anna-Goddess-Wintour’s strategy to promote “The September Issue,” the documentary of her work on Vogue’s largest issue ever, September 2007’s.

Even though it’s a very uninteresting interview, it does convey an important reality: people should mix and match designer and regular brands in order to look cool without having to spend money they do not have. I have done this before, as any fashionista, and there are some tips I am more than willing to share (especially because I know 99% of the humanity has no clue whatsoever on how to dress).

1) Always wear a good top.
Never, ever wear cheap looking upper clothes. The reason is simple. When trousers are cheap, it’s often not that obvious because denim is the most ordinary of clothes. Yet, if a shirt is not consciously elaborated, it will show.

2) Cheap shoes should go to hell.
The design, the material, the sewing. It’s too easy to notice when shoes are cheap, so don’t do Payless, as shown below…see?

Image via Payless.com

3) Accessories can come from the uptown mall or downtown flea market.
The cheaper, the better. Go vintage, go green, go whatever because there is nothing wrong, especially now, from plastic to gold, everything goes.

4) Things should be fitted even if they are old.
You can go for vintage blazers, but never ever wear them as if they were coats! Blazers can be both old or new, but always with a good fitted cut.

I hope these tips will help you next time you go out shopping. Remember you don’t have to spend a million bucks to look like a million bucks.