City Chic: The Modern Girl's Guide to Living Large on Less

by Nina Willdorf

Overview

Live the luxe life on less

You're a Modern Girl embarking on a fabulous life in the city, working hard and playing even harder. Money may be an object, but you refuse to let it be an obstacle. That's because what you may lack in funds you make up for in daring and desire. Completely revised with more tips and tricks than ever, City Chic is your practical insiders' primer on how to creatively cheat at being chic. From food and drink to personal maintenance, and from fashion to home décor, City Chic covers everything a Modern Girl needs to know.

• Big idea decorating for small spaces
• Cash-saving culinary tips
• The best websites for scoring deals
• Go green: save the environment and your checking account
• Maximize your iPod for full party potential
• Establish your perfect signature cocktail

PRAISE FOR CITY CHIC

'City Chic is constantly inventive, amazingly granular, and a blast to read.'

Dany Levy, founder/chairman | Daily Candy, Inc.

'I love the book. If only I'd had it for the past ten years—it would've saved me lots of heartache, bad furniture, and most importantly, money… It gives you license to scrimp and pinch—and makes you feel more empowered to do so.'

Gigi Guerra, brand marketing director of Madewell | former editor of Lucky magazine

'City chicks no longer need to turn tricks or sell dope in order to have a glamorous lifestyle— just read Nina's brilliant book.'

Simon Doonan, creative director for Barneys New York | author of Confessions of a Window Dresser

'Being an 'it' girl has never been about how much cash you had in the bank, and now is the time to embrace your inner recessionista. Willdorf's book proves that being frugal and being fabulous are not mutually exclusive.'

Lara Cohen, news director | Us Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402247835
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Nina Willdorf is the editor in chief of Budget Travel magazine. She has worked at Travel + Leisure and Worth, and has served as an on-air expert on E!, CNN, and Inside Edition. In addition to City Chic, Nina is the author of Wedding Chic: The Savvy Bride's Guide to Getting More while Spending Less (Penguin, 2005). She lives with her husband, Michael Endelman, in New York. Her website is www.ninawilldorf.com.

Nina Willdorf is the editor in chief of Budget Travel magazine. She has worked at Travel + Leisure and Worth, and has served as an on-air expert on E!, CNN, and Inside Edition. In addition to City Chic, Nina is the author of Wedding Chic: The Savvy Bride’s Guide to Getting More while Spending Less (Penguin, 2005). She lives with her husband, Michael Endelman, in New York. Her website is www.ninawilldorf.com.

Read an Excerpt

Excerpt from Chapter One: Lighten Up

"There is no such thing as an ugly color. There is such a thing as an ugly color combination." —Douglas Fitch, artist

I went to college in New York City, where a shoe-box-sized room is considered ample space. Housing in college anywhere in the country is already a less-than-luxurious affair, with twin beds and utilitarian design. But in converted New York apartment buildings, dusty and musty and crumbling and full of—ahem—character, the dorms I lived in required some seriously savvy decorating skills. Each year, as I crossed the threshold into my new space, depositing boxes of books and bedding, I surveyed the design challenges, the many limitations, and the even more bountiful options to make things fabulous. New year, new apartment, new creative challenges.

First was a modernist cube cinderblock room I shared with my roommate, Adrianne. We had two twin beds, an elaborate shelving unit occupying one wall, and a floor of cold linoleum. We lay down rugs, placed disguising wall hangings over the oppressively drab cinderblock, used soft lamps, and formed an ahhh…nest.

Later, I shared a studio apartment with Julia. It was also dorm housing but in a converted prewar apartment building. When I moved in, there was a bunk bed hugging one wall, two dressers in the middle of the room, and a kitchen that could fit one person (as long as she sucked in and angled in sideways). Things looked bleak. But we went to work. The first thing we did was separate the bunk bed—I mean, really, how old were we? Then we pushed a worn-out couch below the windows at the head of the room, which we covered in a beautiful, purple-hued Indian spread. Candles and lighting touches clinched the transition from drab dorm to cozy casa.

Over the course of the next few years, I cultivated essential skills, such as sprucing up a room with a perfectly placed plant, devising slipcovers for well-worn furniture, and hanging just the right number of pictures on the wall to create cozy without getting claustrophobic.

I saw: a crevice of a foyer. It became: an "office."

I saw: a blank wall. It became: a shelving unit for kitchenwares that didn't fit in the two cabinets.

I saw: a window that faced something more than a brick wall. It became: a focal point of the apartment, enhanced by a hanging plant.

I saw: a doorframe. It became: the ideal spot to hang hooks for coats.

Everything has multiple functions, and anything that's not a problem
becomes a potential asset.

As a Modern Girl, you find yourself in similar decorating predicaments. Small apartments and shares are bursting with creative challenges; you rise to them with gusto, rubbing your hands in anticipation, your eyes darting around to scope out all the ins and outs of your space. Everything—everything—has potential. A folding screen becomes a door between a convertible two bedroom. Stacks of books act as a makeshift coffee table. A step stool doubles as a pedestal for a droopy plant. You can make something out of anything. Hit the ground running.

COLOR
First and foremost in your apartment transformation is painting. There's no better way to transform your space, to make it yours, than to throw some color on the walls. And as far as apartment renovations go, painting is an affordable way to make your space better—especially if you do it yourself. You're not ripping out walls (please), you're not installing appliances (1-800-HELP-MOI), but be completely comfortable taking on a good paint job. All you have to invest in are a few cans of paint, some brushes and rollers, and a six-pack of beer to lure your friends over to make a day of it.

Word to the wise: If your landlord doesn't allow painting, don't worry. Every apartment I've ever lived in has a clause in the lease that you're not allowed to paint. Ignore it. It's likely that the next tenant will be stunned by your impeccable taste and choose to keep the color anyway. And if not, in many states, your landlord is required to slap on another coat of white before the new tenant moves in anyway. The worst-case scenario is that you have to paint over your color. In that case, meet Kilz, a primer that covers up even the brightest bordello red. Consider your color dead.

Chances are, when you first move in, your apartment will be white. If you're lucky, you may have started off with something a little spicier, like eggshell or a very pale cream. But none of those will do as the sole color for your entire home. All-white walls, like an all-white wardrobe, are too easy, and they waste precious creative space. You should leave no more than one room in your home in plain old white. That room will act as a pause between your other rooms. While wild color combinations (yellow and green and red, all at once!) may be a bad idea, having every single room in white does nothing for you. At the very least, brush on an eggshell white or a pale gray.

Identify your room needs
Before you go slapping up a shocking shade of orange in your bedroom, you need to figure out exactly what you require from each room. Does your bedroom double as a study? Do you enjoy reading the newspaper at your kitchen table in the mornings? Is your bathroom a beautifying space? All of the colors you choose will help make your home well suited to your exact housing needs.

Separating space
Most Modern Girls are still in situations that are, generously speaking, a
little humble: sharing apartments or living in cramped studios or one bedrooms.
Paint can work wonderfully in small starter apartments by clearly delineating space and creating the illusion of vastness.

My husband, Michael, and I moved into a very small railroad-style onebedroom in Cambridge several years ago; one room led to another, without a hallway. There were no doors between the rooms, and, well, even using the word room could be considered generous. A very tall person lying down could probably have a limb in three rooms at once. Needless to say, we had to find a way to make the space seem larger. It was the first time that we had lived together, and it was the first time either of us had shacked up with a significant other. We were both nervous about having enough personal space and personal time. So making our small apartment seem larger was key.

To that end, we painted the bedroom and the living room a pale blue gray, keeping the door frames white, and we painted the kitchen and bathroom a sunny shade of yellow, leaving the study white. Walking from room to room after we'd painted really felt like transitioning from one space to another, just because of the color. We could be in different rooms, and even though there weren't doors, we could still feel like we were in another part of the house.

In a small apartment, use different colors in different rooms to make each its own space and to make the apartment seem more spacious.

Table of Contents

introduction xiii

section one: home

chapter one: lighten up 3

Small apartment color choices • Room-by-room wise color guide •

Thinking beyond the four walls in paint • Big ideas for small spaces •

Basic lighting primer • Room-by-room lighting vibe guide

chapter two: furnish for less 19

Settling on a scheme • Know when to negotiate • Honing in on

deals • Quality furniture markers • Already-in-place furnishing

alternatives • Furniture garnishes

chapter three: free finds you can pick up on the street 35

Reimagining trash as treasure • Knowing when to pass and when

to pounce • Seasonal curbside shopping • Room-by-room free

furnishing options • Found art • Sprucing up found furniture

chapter four: final touches with flowers and plants 49

Flora and fauna for the fast-paced lifestyle • Low-maintenance

high-yield options • Picking the plant most likely to succeed •

Problem-free potting and watering • Last-ditch deathbed plant

rescue • Hardy flowers • Coaxing the longest life out of cut flowers

section two: body

chapter five: toning down your fitness budget 67

Financially sound fitness methods • Anywhere exercises • Everyday

chores = extreme exercise • Squeezing savings when joining gyms

chapter six: snip your hair care budget 85

Selecting the right salon • Long-lasting looks • Bottom line

on bangs • Hair color expenses • Lowering highlighting costs

chapter seven: makeup myths 99

Bare bones makeup bag • Worthwhile splurges • Drugstore scores •

When to replenish and replace • Best budget beauty buys • Fridge

to face beauty recipes • Multitasking makeup

section three: eat & drink

chapter eight: drink your way into a savings stupor 121

Selecting a signature drink • Bargain booze hounds • E-Z Wine

primer • Storage solutions • Coffee conundrum

chapter nine: price-saving pantries 135

Savvy grocery shopping schedules • Special deals in shopping for

food • Seasonal savings • Pantry staples • Fast recipes for one • What

to buy generic • Long-lasting storage secrets

chapter ten: the only five spices you really need 153

Five spices you really need • Spice substitution charts • When bad

meals happen to good people • Modern Girl cooking maxims

chapter eleven: entertaining for less 165

Avoiding the unequal restaurant bill-split scenario • Ordering tips • Downsizing your diet •Dinner party prize-winning recipes • Cash-saving co-op dinners

section four: wear

chapter twelve: the Modern Girl's look 183

Glam, ghetto-fabulous, or genteel—who is the Modern Girl? • On

not getting hemmed in • Essential items • Unlikely inspiration

chapter thirteen: weeding in your closet 197

Ditch the nostalgia • Fashion face-lifts • When more isn't better •

Style signatures and spicy accents

chapter fourteen: behind the seams 205

Lengthen clothing lifespan • Dry-cleaning dos and don'ts • Stain

removal solutions • Supermarket stain removal recipes • Laundry

mishaps and saving solutions • Piecemeal maintenance

chapter fifteen: shop 'n save 219

Cozy up to the calculator • Price-per-item values • Speed shopping

and coy one-liners • Reasonable measures • Clothes inspection 101 •

General shopping strategies • Shopping by calendar—season, month,

day • Sample sales • Thrift scores

chapter sixteen: style staples 243

Itemizing what's important • Piecemeal shopping • Splurges •

Trends: Invest in the best • Looks that last

chapter seventeen: satisfy without spending 261

Walletless shopping • Clothing swap parties

Editorial Reviews

Editor in chief of Budget Travel magazine and the author of Wedding Chic, Willdorf has updated her delightful guide to living well on a dime. Although aimed at women in their twenties and thirties, women in other age brackets will also appreciate the author's hints for saving money in many realms of their lives, including home furnishings, make-up, entertainment, and laundry. Money-saving ideas range from exercising at home to storing food properly. The book's appealing layout includes bulleted lists, appropriate quotes, and drawings. A natural selection for public libraries.

—Deborah Bigelow

Library Journal

"This book is great to have around for a fun read and reference in case a certain tidbits slip the mind. I am happy I have had the opportunity to spend a fun 2 hour afternoon reading this." — Savvy Mode

"This book will be handy at the times you least expect it!" — Pretty Little Things Blog

"i mean, especially with the economy... living large on less.. should be everyone's motto!" — We Wear Things

"If you’re a cosmopolitan gal with shopaholic-like tendencies who yearns to embrace frugality, then this is the boost you need. Nina writes in such a way that makes City Chic both entertaining to read from cover to cover, and handy as a reference tool to dip your manicured hands in as you wish! A great and comprehensive lifestyle guide that will stand the test of time from student to career girl." — Student Charade

"Plain & simple, City Chic by Nina Wildorf, is an insider's guide on how to squeeze the most style out of a small salary! I read this book this past weekend & recommend it! " — Made By Girl

"Nina is the editor-in-chief of Budget Travel and Girlfriend Getaways (my favorite) so if she can teach me how to snag a deal at five-star resorts I know she can help you live large on less. " — All About the Pretty

"Even if you don't live in the city, this book's got something for every woman on a budget. I think City Chic would be the perfect summer pool or beach read too!" — Style Klutz

"I think this is a must read for anyone who's looking to recession-proof their life because it's packed with tips for just about everything- from decorating your place on the cheap to "walletless shopping". " — The Cheap Chica

"I just started reading yesterday and can't get my paws off of it. " — Being Red

"Amazing book, especially considering the times we are living in - love that Nina re-released her book just in time to help us fashionistas out!" — The Style Rules

"This gem of a book is the ultimate resource for all you recessionistas out there. It is a savy and smart go-to guide for a city girl living on a budget. If you have been following our "Recessionista Tips" you will love "City Chic." — Culturistas

"I wish I'd had this book when I was 22." — Oh My Thats Awesome

"The book is a smart buy (a mere $10 investment on amazon) and addresses the issues a lot of us will be facing in the months ahead. " — I Am A Greedy Girl

"what a perfect time for the book to debut....a recession where we all need to start thinking of budgeting and sqeezing the most style out of a small salary!" — Rantings of a Fashion Addict

"It’s now my bible, my guide to LIFE." — Lovely Disco

"You'll love its flair, sensibility and down-to-earth common sense advice. It's chock full of money saving tips that preserve your cents and your fashion sense." — LA’G Magazine

From the Publisher