All Over Albany

Smart dresser

We all know people that we envy a little because being awesome is so effortless for them.
In college, it was that person on your floor who was a super-busy do-gooder. Somehow, despite never being around (due to saving the world), he or she would mysteriously make 20-page papers appear out of thin air and, of course, get an A. You on the other hand spent two weeks in and out of the library, and a couple of very late nights, to eek out a B.
At work, it's that person who, despite having 12 projects going at once, never breaks a sweat, and always manages to smile.

And then there are the smart dressers.

I like to look nice, but a really good outfit for me usually requires actual thought and planning. The best dressers I know just throw outfits together without a second thought. They also mysteriously acquire the most coveted pieces. Here's an excerpt of a typical conversation with a smart dresser:

Me: "I love your Boucle jacket! Very Chanel-esque. Where'd you get it?"
Smart Dresser: (without any smugness) "This old thing? I found it in my grandmother's closet."
Me: "All I ever find in my Grandmother's closet are floral Mumus."

I know quite a few. And over time, I'll be profiling them here. The first is my co-worker Eileen.

Eileen is a master of Simple Chic. She's always au courant, but never dated. A balance that many try, but fail to achieve. In the outfit pictured here, she's wearing plain khakis, a black boat-neck top, and a cardigan. The devil, however, is in the details. The cardigan has a little pizzazz courtesy of beading around the edges, the khakis are a great, timeless cut that works on pretty much every body-type (note: trouser-style pants hide imperfections on the lower half, or mask the fact that there's nothing there).

But the real kicker is the shoes. If we wore the same size, I might have made off with them; but it turns out she got them at Target, so I'll get my own. Eileen tells me she gets a lot of her clothes at Target and the Goodwill in Brunswick. The Goodwill apparently gets a lot of Target's closeout merchandise, so it's a great way to get brand new, cute, inexpensive clothes even cheaper; she also counts it as a great place for vintage finds. If she wants to make an investment, it's J. Crew; for a splurge, Anthropologie.

Supposedly, Spring is on the horizon and many of us will need to freshen our wardrobes. Take a cue from Eileen, and you'll be able to look chic without trying too hard and breaking the bank.