Being fashionable can be an expensive hobby. Trying to stay one step ahead of the trend curve may well lead you to have an unfortunate relationship with your bank manager, and with every new season comes the possibility of renewing your entire wardrobe and driving yourself into further debt. But hell, at least you’ll look chic as you are left counting the dollars and cents left in your account.
But take a deep breath. There’s no need to panic. There are ways to keep the costs down while also maintaining your stylish lifestyle. As with all things, moderation is key but so are valuable practices and planning procedures.
Use Accessories as the Key Part of Your Outfit Selection
Is your use of accessories too much of an afterthought? Is it something you leave to the last minute when the rest of your outfit is laid out and ready for your attention? If so, you are probably doing it all wrong.
A good selection of accessories can help rejuvenate a tired wardrobe and potentially act as a catalyst for a new array of clothing options you may be lining up. The key here is to use these as a way to give your clothing choices more chances to shine.
For instance, a stylish personalized name necklace is enough of a statement item to brighten up an ensemble in your existing wardrobe. If it’s that much of a winner, then it can be paired with other outfits, and your approach to them may change entirely.
In other words, maybe there’s an item in your wardrobe that you didn’t think too highly of but might now be the ideal accompaniment to an accessory you purchase. Turning your approach to accessories upside down will always be better value than buying a whole new range.
Shop In Thrift Stores and Second Hand Clothing Retailers
Much of fashion is cyclical, and therefore doing your shopping in thrift stores and second-hand outlets may be the best way to stay on point. After all, if you want to dress retro, what better way to do so than wearing the styles of the very era you are attempting to replicate?
Shopping in thrift stores is much more fun than going to a stuffy upmarket boutique and more real than visiting a dime-a-dozen outlet that has branches all over the country. That’s because these stores have character, and you never know what you’ll come out with.
Above all else, as far as your wallet is concerned, it’s much better value than buying elsewhere, and there’s an additional benefit. Clothing from the past is often far better quality than what is available today, which leads us nicely to the next item on our list.
Avoid Fast Fashion
In 2022 far too many of us are buying clothes for the sake of it or just because it’s so inexpensive. Often we never wear these items, and when we do, we see why they cost so little.
Fast fashion is mainly predicated on the assumption that we spend more than we expect to as we march through the relevant chain store, picking up items just because the price tag seems worthy and not because we even necessarily like the clothing itself.
On top of this, the environmental damage of fast fashion practices makes the entire ethos questionable. You may think you are helping your budget by buying inexpensive items, but if you didn’t want them in the first place, their apparent value is mitigated entirely.
Shop Online
There re pros and cons to shopping online, one negative being the relative ease of completing a purchase, ending up with a dress in two clicks before you’ve even really considered if you like it or not.
One major tick in the box for online shopping is that it’s infinitely less expensive than shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. You just have to be very reasoned and careful in your overall approach.
Plan Before Your Shop
In relation to the point above, and also when shopping on the high street, always plan before you shop. Make a list of what you want and then maybe a list of what you need. See if something hits both columns; if so, that’s what you should buy.
Some people just like to shop and are especially addicted to doing so online. There’s a neat trick to reining in your spending here. When you visit your online store of choice, by all means, go through the items that catch your fancy, even going as far as lumping dozens of items into your cart.
Then at this point. Step away from the computer and leave it for a day or two. Go back, take a look at what’s in the cart and think in a dispassionate manner about whether you want or need the item. You’ll be surprised how your impulse leads you to make choices that you reassess on second glance.
Then, before you actually hit buy, perhaps set a particular date of the month when the transaction will take place. This doesn’t have to be your payday; this is all about delaying the pleasure of making the purchase.
It’s another great way of slowing down the entire process and lets you truly think about the merits of each purchase you are considering making.
Colors Over Prints
This is an interesting and rewarding tip to take on board. Prints, while perhaps looking fashionable at one particular point in time, do not age as well as solid colors and have less adaptability.
This means the opportunities you have to wear garments with prints are limited, and the longevity you’ll get from the item is severely reduced. So keeping it simple and sophisticated is often the right way to go.
