Wilmington's Lucy Clemens doesn't want to show up and see someone wearing the same dress

Eileen Smith Dallabrida

Special To The News Journal

WHO: Lucy Clemens, 55, of Wilmington, donor relations manager for The Grand and The Playhouse.

WHY: She was nominated by Roi Barnard, who says, “Lucy has a style that is all her own. She gravitates toward vintage fashions and one-of-a-kind accessories that she puts together in wonderful ways.”

HER STYLE: “I’ve always called it Lucy Eclectic. I love vintage clothes, things that are different. I don’t want to show up somewhere and see someone in the same dress.”

WEARING, at the Ninth Muse Lounge, Sarah Berhardt Room at Copeland Hall at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington:

FIRST OUTFIT — Turquoise blue net shirt with red from Save the Queen, made in Italy, purchased from Shopping by Nat in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France; Fly of London beige, black and red shoes purchased through Amazon; cultured pearl necklace, “my grandparents bought it in Japan for my mother many moons ago"; Art Deco red crystal bracelet channel set in engraved silver, “a gift from my sister Lisa.”

SECOND OUTFIT — Silver gray dress with image of bright colored painting in black border by Sweet Miss, purchased from Shopping by Nat; Fly of London Piat Devil red pumps; antique Georgian green beryl ring with mine-cut diamonds, silver and rose gold, a gift from her sister; milk glass drop earrings from Candy in Vieux Nice.

THIRD OUTFIT — Black and white dress, made in India and purchased at Migale & Les Arts, Vieux Nice; chrysoprase and silver drop earrings from Denver Co. Fly of London; Yaya ankle-strap pumps in red.

WHERE SHE SHOPS: A dress shop in old Nice, France, is her favorite shopping destination. “Everything is handmade and beautiful. I also found some cool shoes in the Mount Salem Methodist church thrift shop near Rockford Park that would go with a gown.”

Lucy Clemens wears a turquoise blue net shirt with red from Save the Queen, made in Italy, with Fly of London beige, black and red shoes purchased through Amazon.

HOW SHE SHOPS: “My girlfriend who studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology had the perfect eye. Unfortunately, she passed away. She is the only person I ever enjoyed shopping with. Now, I shop on my own.”

FASHION ICON: The iconic Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. “I have two of her nightgowns. I would love to have one of her crazy hats.”

MOST RECENT PURCHASE: “Some really cool white canvas capri pants that I got in France. Really fun with cactuses and cars on it.”

OLDEST ITEM IN HER CLOSET: “The vintage dresses my sister gave me more than 25 years ago. I also have a dress just like one that is in the movie 'Rear Window.' Thelma Ritter wore it, not Grace Kelly.”

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MANE, MANICURE AND MAKEUP: “I have been going to Magda at Michael Christopher’s and I really like her. She cuts my hair so all I have to do is comb it and go. My makeup consists of eyeliner, Lancome — the color is malachite — that I have been using for 10 years, and lipstick. I love Chanel lipstick. Mascara for a special occasion.”

BEST FOOT FORWARD: “I love shoes. Fly of London is my favorite brand. There’s a selection on Amazon, a 1940s wedge that is really comfortable. I could probably run after a mugger in them and catch him. I got ballet flats in Nice that fit like a glove.”

FAVORITE COLOR: Turquoise and red. “I love them separately and together, the cool calmness of the turquoise and the passionate fire of the red.”

Lucy Clemens wears a silver gray dress with an image of brightly colored painting in a black border, by Sweet Miss, with Fly of London Piat Devil red pumps.

FAVORITE FRAGRANCE: Eau de Bonheur. “It’s actually a unisex cologne, very sparkling.”

WORTH THE SPLURGE: “Shoes and brassieres. I don’t wait for a sale if it’s what I really want.”

NOT WORTH THE SPLURGE: Premium denim.

FAVORITE FASHION RESOURCE: “Etsy has a lot of great stuff on it.”

WISH I HADN’T BOUGHT IT: “Calvin Klein dresses I got at Macy’s when I really needed clothes for work. I still wear them but I never really got excited about them. I was underwhelmed by them. Life is too short to not feel sassy.”

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THE GREAT PANTYHOSE DEBATE: “I detest them. Although I did spend $20 on an amazing pair of sheer navy hose to go with a cocktail dress. Well worth it.”

ORGANIZATION TIPS: “I organize by color, season and type, shirts with shirts, pants with pants. If I am really feeling red today, I go to that section of the closet.”

FASHION NO-NO: “Black socks with sneakers make me itch. It’s not a good look.”

THOUGHTS ON AGING: “It’s interesting. I feel better about myself than ever. I regret that I didn’t appreciate my youth when I had it. When I was younger I worried that I wasn’t pretty enough. Now, I look back at those pictures and say, 'Wow, I looked great.'”

BEST CELEBRITY HAIR: The actress Diana Rigg, portraying Emma Peel on the 1960s TV show “The Avengers.”

Lucy Clemens wears a black and white dress, made in India, with Fly of London Yaya ankle-strap pumps in red.

GO-TO OUTFIT ON SATURDAY NIGHT: “A dress from Nice with my crushed red velvet Chuck Taylors. I wore them with a gown to the Rainbow Room in New York and was the belle of the ball. With a hat for sure, and an Hermes scarf that was given to me as a gift.”

FASHION EVOLUTION: “When I started school at Archmere, all of a sudden there was a dress code and I struggled to find my sense of style. Then one of the boys said he never saw me in the same dress twice and I felt much better.”

INDISPENSABLE WARDROBE ITEM: A little black dress.

ACE ACCESSORY: “My Cavanaugh hat from the 1960s, olive green felt.”

PANTS OR SKIRTS? Skirts.

HEELS OR FLATS? Flats.

DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? Pearls.

WHY FASHION IS IMPORTANT: “It’s a wonderful vehicle to express your personality, your individuality, who you are.”