My best friend is a style star. Lanvin, Collette Dinnigan, Botega Venetta, Lisa Ho, Kate Moss for Top Shop, Prada, Josh Goot, Gucci. You name it, she has it. But most importantly, she knows how to wear it.

So when we recently caught up after an extended absence I naturally complemented her on her exquisite new bracelet. That faceted clear bangle banging against her wrist bone? Diva, apparently. You know, the bargain-basement accessories store in every mall across Australia. The adjacent solid black bangle that set it off so well? Lanvin. A gift from her husband, direct from Tokyo.

And that, dear reader, is how the modern woman rolls. A little bit of shhhh, shhhh, a little bit of OMG, did you really pay that?

It’s no secret that the world’s best dressed chicks like to mix it up. Gwen Stefani, Kate Moss and Mischa Barton will shop wherever their cards work. But it’s a great reminder to have a bestie who knows there’s no harm in shopping at Target (after all, well-dressed mums know that’s how they’ll end up with well-dressed kids without breaking the bank) as long as Marc Jacobs, Chloe and Mulberry are there for back up.

Fashion right now is not so much about where you shop and what you buy as how you put it together. Label slaves in their head-to-toe ensembles have never looked lamer. As for the truly eclectic – the hunter-gatherer of shopping, not some boho throwback – the time is now.

Grandpa’s beaten up felt trilby? Great for preserving a blow dry on a cold day. A box-fresh Best and Less flannelette shirt? Awesome with skinny black jeans and patent ankle boots. Your ex’s silk bow-tie? Saucy if you team it with your favourite LBD. That shrinky-dink, trashed band T-shirt from a decade ago? Amazing over a white button-down shirt that will double as a dress with leggings.

Fearless fashion has never been more appealing if you’re prepared to put in a little effort. And own it, of course. Because the best hunter-gatherers always have a story to tell.

Where do I get? The Marc Jabobs bag from net-a-porter.com; Wave Resin Bracelet from ModaMuse.com (which we really love!).