Daisy Lewellyn, the queen of effortless chic, star of Bravo’s Blood, Sweat & Heels and author of Never Pay Retail Again: Shop Smart, Spend Less And Look Your Best Ever, checks in to talk about rocking 50 shades of yellow this summer and why ladies should never ever bring Birkin bags to the beach.
On why shoppers shouldn’t pay retail:
No matter if you’re uber wealthy, or if you’re scraping two pennies together, you should never pay retail because there’s always a way to get a designer deal and steal.. Bloomingdale’s has outlets and they have the Bloomingdale’s Factory, and you can get pieces for 40 to 50 percent off. This is a way to have high-end designers for less. There are always the Zaras, the H&Ms and the Forever 21s of the world. Use these places to find great pieces, but at a really reasonable prices. Personally, I love TJ Maxx. Every store is different depending on your region. J. Crew has a lot of staples that when styled can really, really pop. You can get great colors and fabrics there. J. Crew Factory always has 30 percent discount codes that shave off a nice pretty penny.
On this summer’s must-have item:
Every girl has to have an LCD. You know, the LBD is a little black dress, well, the LCD is her sister, her cousin—the little colored dress. I don’t want to see my girls wearing all black this summer, especially my New York girls. Let me see some candy colors. Can we get some fuchsia? Can we get orange? Can we get a yellow? Every girl has at least one color that looks great on her. We talked about 50 shades of grey, but let’s talk about 50 shades of yellow!
On her hot weather pet peeve:
We love our Kardashians and we love all the celebs, but you see them on the beach with a Birkin or a Louis Vuitton bag and I’m thinking, what’s going on? That’s not suitable for the beach or the pool. I want all of my girls to think about getting a poolside purse, a great beach bag. Whether it’s straw or jelly, don’t take your high-end Louis tote to the pool! That doesn’t even make sense. I think it’s just a bit pretentious. It’s called a straw bag. It’s called your suntan lotion, magazines and sunglasses. Let’s work on getting a bag that’s occasion appropriate. When I see girls at night with an oversized Birkin, I’m like, you should have an envelop clutch, or a cross body. This is the place where you’re going to party and dance and you want to be free.
On hosting a clothing swap:
Get your girlfriends together, invite the fashionable ones and tell them to bring five favorite items that they love but aren’t wearing anymore, or never wore and swap them. It’s better to invite fashionable friends and acquaintances. If there’s a sales girl that you know who works at Nordstrom, say, “Hey, do you want to come by?” You can swap anything, bags, shoes, accessories, dresses and home decor. I believe I found a Chloé bag at a swap.
On why curvy is the new black:
I’m a curvy girl. These hips don’t lie! Let me tell you, honey. I love that women are embracing curves. You can be curvy if you’re a size two or if you’re a size 20. Before you talk about embracing the body types, you’ve got to figure out the stores that support your size. Because if you’re really a size 16 and then you’re going to a store that goes up to 12, well, that’s squeezing into it. It isn’t going to flatter your body type. Fashions to Figure has one of the best lines for plus-size girls and curvy girls and it’s still affordable. I think everything is under $50 dollars.
