We all know that person: the one who can rock the outfit the rest of us aren’t brave enough to pick up from the shelves.
Renée Dugas is that person. She can pull off a bold, vintage jumpsuit like nobody’s business. She can dress up an old band T-shirt and still look put-together.
“I know you’re supposed to take one accessory off before you leave the house. I probably put one more on,” the 34-year-old says of her unique style.
And somehow, it works.
Dugas shops with purpose. She bypasses corporate stores in favor of estate sales, vintage boutiques and consignment and thrift stores. Every piece she owns has a story behind it.
On a recent wintry afternoon, she excitedly pulls a vintage leather jacket from her closet. She found it at Goodwill in Lafayette during a shopping trip with her grandmother when she was 12. The cognac leather, accented by big brown buttons, has held up over the decades. It still has Dugas’ name written inside in her sixth-grade handwriting.
“I love one-of-a-kind pieces,” she says. “I’m not one of those people that sees what everyone else is wearing feeling like I need to go out and buy it too.”
And that’s exactly what makes her style so special.
On her look: “I don’t think you have to sacrifice comfort for style. You want it to be effortless.”
On her style icons: “I like Audrey Hepburn for classic pieces like blazers, heels, and Erykah Badu for diverse, eclectic pieces.”
On music and style: “I’m huge into a music. I love pairing a band T-shirt with a blazer and rocking that with work attire,” she says. “I love all my older music. My family always jokes I was born in the wrong decade. I’m drawn to greats like Aretha Franklin, the Doors. [Aretha Franklin] is a powerful woman with a powerful voice and I aspire to be that.”
On where she likes to shop: “Time Warp is my absolute favorite,” she says, adding that Time Warp owner Joshua Holder calls her whenever he sees a piece he thinks she’d like. “I also love Swap on Perkins.”
ON SOME OF HER MOST MEMORABLE PIECES
Scarves: She gained a love for scarves from her grandmother and great aunt, who wore them often. “I have three to four more bins of scarves—those are just the ones I wear on a daily basis,” she says, gesturing to about 20 scarves hanging next to her dresser.
Mantra cuffs: Dugas says she always has something on her wrists. Today, she’s wearing thin, gold and silver bangles with sayings such as “Everything happens for a reason” and “Be present.” The sayings remind her where she wants to be in life, she says.
Cowboy boots: “I have a pretty big collection of cowboy boots. I’ve danced at many festivals with those,” she says, holding up a pair of white and brown snakeskin boots from Time Warp. “They’ve seen a lot of two-steppin’ so they’re kind of falling apart.”
Cork heels: “I didn’t go into Swap one day meaning to buy 6-inch cork heels, but I saw them and they came home with me,” she says. “When you see a shoe made of cork and you love wine as much as I do, you sort of buy it.”
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