I like to watch the Academy Awards. I'm hoping my favorite actor will win the nude gold guy, but I really want to see what the stars are wearing. This is their night to shine and communicate a bit about who they really are through their choice of clothing.

Remember Bjork's funky swan dress, Cate Blanchett in her stunning crystal mesh gown?

The big Oscar contenders are outfitted by the top designers--often for free. The rest of us would have to pay big bucks to look like that, right?

Wrong. One U.S. company has made its mark copying those dazzling red-carpet gowns for a fraction of the price you would have to pay for the designer version. Allen B. Schwartz (A.B.S) stylists work around the clock at Oscar time to duplicate these looks and ship the dresses to retailers within four weeks of the award ceremony. Priced at $220-$350, you really can have the celeb look on a prom-queen budget.

Knocking off designer duds is common-place. There is a saying in the fashion biz: "Nothing is new, just recycled."

Speaking of recycled, you may have noticed that more than a few starlets have been showing up on the red carpet in used gowns; wonderfully made, gently used clothing, worn proudly by the likes of Charlize Theron, who, when asked what she was wearing, smiled and said "Vintage Gucci."

So if Charlize can do it, why not us? Every season, millions of fashion mavens spend small fortunes on new clothes. Much of last season's duds end up in consignment, or resale, shops. Some are donated to thrift shops which benefit charities. Some still have the tags on them.

I wear used and vintage clothing, but, more often then not, the clothing was mine to begin with. Some of my best pieces never get donated. They are stored in a large garment bag and kept for years. Remember those cowl-necked tunic sweaters you wore in the late eighties, and the leggings with the slouchy suede boots? Well, they're back.

I even have a pair of kid leather pants from that decade. They fit me perfectly. They were my husband's.

You may have noticed, in the paparazzi photos of movie stars, a casual elegance. Gwyneth Paltrow, in her yoga gear. Nicole Kidman, in jeans and dusty boots. Some how they pull it off, they manage to look good. How? Their posture, their smile, their presence...their sunglasses. What would Elton John be without his signature specs? Sometimes it takes only one striking accessory, and the attitude to carry it.

Shortly after I met my husband, well before I met the leather pants, I noticed he wore a pair of Sperry Top-sider boat shoes, the right shoe red, the left shoe green. I thought this quite odd until he explained that when a sailor comes back into port he navigates by the red and green buoys that mark the channel. The red buoys should be kept to the right when returning.

The fact he wore these shoes even when off the boat impressed me. He's not timid, I thought. He has the strength of character to risk the perception he's just a dork who mistakenly walked out of the door with mismatched shoes. That's the kind of man I want to be with.

Style is more that just stuff. You can fork over a couple thousand for clothes and a makeover and still feel less than. Besides, it's much more fun to get the same look for a hundred or less. I spent ten years in the fashion business and came out of the experience with an appreciation for good styling at wholesale prices. When you've bought beautiful silk blouses direct from the factory in China for $5 it is hard to go back to paying $90 for the same thing. Take my advice: don't.

That new cropped wool hound's-tooth jacket you love is marked up to twice or three times its cost. Wait three or four weeks and it will likely be marked down at least 25% off retail. Better yet, bypass the racks of new arrivals and head straight for the clearance racks at the back of the store, were you can buy clothes closer to the retailer's cost.

Don't want to wait? Go to a discount retailer like T.J.Maxx. They don't advertise the designer lines they discount, but I will: Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren Polo, BCBG Max Azria, Guess, and Echo Unlimited, to name a few.

One caveat: don't buy something just because it's cheap. Buy something cheap because it makes you look and feel like a million dollars.

That's living large.

TOPIC: Travel and Lifestyle
Review: Seadream Yacht Club
Published: Unscripted, January 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott

Croatia: The Best Place You've Never Been
Published: Unscripted, September 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott

Twenty Things To Do Before I Die
Published: Unscripted, October 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott

TOPIC: Childless by Choice
Single White Female, No Kids
Published: Unscripted, April 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott

The Delinking of Marriage and Parenthood
Published: Unscripted, August 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott

No Kids and No Pets
Title: No Kids and No Pets
Published: Unscripted, July 2007
Copyright: Laura S. Scott