Holiday Fashions at Affordable Prices
N E W Y O R K, Dec. 20, 2001 -- The holidays can be costly enough without having to spend a fortune on a new outfit for the office party.
Fashion consultant Jill Martin appeared on Good Morning America to show off some fashion-savvy, yet affordable, holiday looks for women and the whole family.
"Mass market stores like Target and Kmart are really upgrading, and getting much trendier, so there's no need to go to fancy department stores," Martin said. Several of the outfits modeled on the show were in fact from Target or Kmart.
Little Black Dress Reprise
For any sort of holiday party, you can't go wrong with the "little black dress." Martin showed off an affordable one from H&M stores, but if you want to stick with the same one you've worn year after year, you can still dress it up with accessories to make it look new again, Martin said.
She showed off accessories from R.J. Graziano that ranged in price from $10 to $140. The snowman pocketbook is from Accessories Plus (800-865-4978). The shoes are more pricey than the rest of the outfit, they are by Jimmy Choo.
If you have to outfit the entire family, it can still be done inexpensively, Martin said. She came up with an entire family wardrobe from Target for $300. The mom wore a pair of red pants and a sweater. Dad wore khakis, a plaid shirt, white turtleneck and leather jacket. The little girl modeled a holiday dress with sparkly red shoes. The boy model wore a new sweater, pants and boots. Even the dog was decked out — in a Fire Department of New York T-shirt from Dogbar.com.
From Work to Office Party
On the day of the "office party," it can be tough to switch from work clothes to something flashier without going home. Martin came up with a "day to night in a flash" outfit for $75 from Kmart. By switching pieces of the outfit around, the model was able to create a nighttime look. There was also a day-to-night pocketbook that you can snap different covers on.
If you want to wear designer clothing, you can also get those looks at a discount, Martin said. The Web site bluefly.com offers designer looks at up to 75 percent off. For example, Martin was able to find looks from Prada for 66 percent off, and Fendi fashions for 75 percent off.
For those who want to pull out all the stops and wear a celebrity-type outfit for New Year's Eve, Martin suggested some knockoffs of designer outfits. For instance, did you like the red satin Prada dress that actress Jennifer Aniston wore to the Emmy Awards? A similar dress by A.B.S., which makes clothes "inspired by" celebrity garb, retails for $275.
Guys can look to Brooks Brothers for their tuxedos this year, Martin said. The company offers a new fitting process called "digital tailoring" — a body scanning technology that creates custom tailored clothing.
Martin showed off these various fashions while dressed in a white tuxedo suit by En Avance.