Perfect Basics: The Pinnacle of Luxury

For me, perfect basics are the pinnacle of luxury. Simple, classic, and versatile, they are not only breathtaking, but always a good investment. They complement a vast range of ensembles, carry you through au moins three seasons, and can typically be recycled at a later date due to their original exquisiteness.

Now, part of the reason they are so special is that they are indeed a rarity. We are not talking about the ubiquitous Delman flats. Rather, we are talking about camel lizard Lanvin ballerines or the Louboutin Clichy. Those who live outside of major fashion locales don't have access to them unless they are able to nab them before they sell out on monamoore.com. And if one does happen to live in, say, New York, scoring a pair may require some searching. Even Jeffrey or Barneys may not carry the exact shoe you are looking for.

Finally, perfect basics are often quite expensive. However, they offer a higher level of utility than many alternatives at similar prices.

How to choose the perfect basic:

- Color: The key word is versatility. For shoes or bags, you'll want to go with black, white, camel, beige, a rosy beige, or possibly brown. The Lanvin ballerine has an absolutely gorgeous line, but how often could you really wear the turquoise patent leather version?

- Line: The line must be absolutely perfect.

- Simplicity: Embellishment almost always becomes tired. Also, small touches like the black trim featured on many an S/S '06 Prada shoe can become dated in a season.

TOP: Lanvin flats, Louboutin Decollete

LEFT: Kate Moss rocks her black patent leather Lanvin flats.

Comments

[fashion chronicles]

hi!!
kate moss really rocks with those Lanvin flats, which, by the way, dont come off their feet very often, lol, ive seen them on her like a thousand times!, haha.
lovely blog!! i'll come visit more often :)

[jackie Chen]

Hi, I love this post and I love those louboutins. who cares about what other people are falsely accusing you of, cause really it's just fashion and a lot of people have similar great things to write about!

props to you for starting your own (very pretty) blog. I've bookmarked you, keep it up!

[Lol B]

This is an attractive blog, don't be disheartened by the comments on Almost Girl, after all it brought me here. I can see that you have your own angle, and anyways it's the net so you can say and do what you like as long as you're not intenionally setting out to hurt or plagerise what's the problem?

So much for freedom of speech on the net! This kind of over protective attitude makes you wonder wether certain individuals think they own the fashion blogosphere. Such as being told to ask permission to post on subjects that have been posted on already, pleeeease!!! Keep on blogging on whatever you fancy! Even if it's been discussed before, so what! It's almost as if people think they own the rights to the subject material! It's the internet and it doesn't need organizing or regulating I thought that was the beauty of the net!

A lot of fashion bloggers get most of their subject material from traditional media and magazines so who are bloggers to tell people to stop copying them !

[Elsa]

Thank you for the much needed moral support! I can't tell you how nice it was to wake up to these comments.

[Imagemuse]

Is Almost Girl a control freak who overrates her own intelligence (well yes we do hear about her and her education in pretty much every second post) or is she scared there’s a newer more interesting fashion blogger on the block?
Elsa, You obviously have an eye for fashion, which will make your analysis of its idiosyncrasies an interesting read an not just academics.

[eurobrat]

I nearly fell off my chair when I saw those Louboutins. Having those, the Gwens, or the Yoyo Zeppas (noir, bien sur) in my life would be a beautiful thing.

I am in wholehearted agreement that 'basics are the pinnacle of luxury'.

[e]

hi i'm new to your blog and i find it really interesting! i love an intelligent dissection and analysis of style and fashion, so i've bookmarked you and i'm working my way thru your writings. this entry in particular caught my eye because i am a slave to basics, and i'm always searching for "the perfect" flat, trouser, pencil skirt, black cardigan and so on. so thanks for the recognition of the beauty of this in a world of embellished flashes, and the inspiration. e