Everyone loves a bargain, but not everyone can find them like my friend Giselle. Every day she comes to work with a different imaginative outfit.

One day it’s a striped sweater and tube skirt from Lilith, the quirky (and pricey) French brand we coveted first at Amaryllis and then Calypso. Price: $45 on eBay.

Taryn Rose, Cydwoq and Arche shoes? She found them, like new, at Goodwill: $2.99-$5.99 each.

Giselle in her Libertine dress and Mossimo shoes

Today she rocked in a crepe dress by designer brand Libertine that Karl Lagerfeld and his friends adore. The price: $39. The store: Target in Biddeford.

She's a budget fashionista, and proud of it. Here's her story:

"Usually, I would never spend $40 on a dress.

"Goodwill is my fashion secret, where dresses are closer to $4. I learned the
fine art of thrift store picking from my mother, who always liked to encourage my fashion needs with a supportive: 'You paid how much for that?'

"Many years later and things are just the same. With two young children, house payments, car payments, etc., the 'clothing budget' of which I dreamed when I was all grown up is non-existent.

"Yet, I've always secretly desired the life of a fashionista. I am a child of the '80s, after all and loved my Fashion Plates kit.

"So, imagine my delight when I learned about Target, excuse me, 'Tar-jzay'
(say in French accent), and their partnership with designers who make clothes I could never before afford.

"And the latest, the Libertine line, just sent me into a frothy fashion frenzy. Finally, I thought, I might be able to dress nice, without wasting too much money. Did you hear that, Mom?

"I learned about the line thanks to our Monday Magazine report from July 23 and that night, ran to Biddeford to snag the 'piece de resistance' (again, French accent): A crepe black dress with a cream-colored scalloped neckline. The dress, by the way, was nearly sold out.

"So what if the $40 price tag sent my husband's eyes rolling in that 'we really don't have the money right now' kind of way? So what if I'm getting caught up in a trend? The dress is – how do you say? – da' bomb. I want to sing 'I Feel Pretty' at the top of my lungs on the top of the Press Herald building.

"Now, to figure out how to pay for it... Visit eBay soon for a well-used, not so new, box long gone, Fashion Plates kit."

Don't worry, Giselle has left some Libertine clothing for the rest of us. Sharon Hagan, team leader at Target in South Portland, says the line is selling well but she still has a good selection in stock.

What’s next? Vera Wang, just in time for fall shopping at Kohl’s. It is coming to Maine, and Aaron St. John of the Westbrook store says the "Simply Vera" line will arrive the first week in September. Stay tuned!

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