On style sans riches

I found this jacket at the thrift store for 4 dollars

I  have always been the type of person to be very aware of and concerned with my physical  surroundings, not just how safe and clean they are but how delightful  and aesthetically pleasing they are or could be. I even fussed over these thoughts as a young child and often I used art to bring into my life what I felt it lacked. We were never a wealthy family but I grew up living close by to a wealthy area and I was able to enjoy some of the finer things that life has to offer from time to time, maybe because of the kindness of relatives or just taking a walk through these beautiful areas and window shopping for the life I aspired to.

Now that I am an adult woman with much more perspective and now that I have gotten to know my likes and dislikes quite well, more than ever I always want to tell people to feel good about themselves regardless of wealth because from what I have experienced, money does not buy taste or style.

To be more concrete with my example, Clothing. I love, like most gals to look at fashion and the magazines and aspire to be fashionable too. But fashion can be ridiculous in it's expectations  and can also be influenced by the viewpoints of people that may have unreal ideas about women and what women want.( Think of some of the ridiculous S+M fashions that come and go ).  I have found that with a few dollars you can go down to the local thrift store and find a gorgeous vintage blazer made with excellent craftship and 100 % wool. I put it on with a comfortable thin tee, a cool necklace and my most flattering pair of twenty dollar jeans I found at Marshalls and I feel like a million bucks because 1. it's comfortable 2. it's my individual expression and 3. fit is everything! I remember reading somewhere that even a 3000 dollar Chanel suit can look terrible or cheap if it doesn't fit right.

How do you feel about fashion, luxury and money? Tell me your thoughts.