Men and women who read any kind of fashion magazine will come away with the notion that it will clean out their bank accounts to be truly fashionable. These magazines show individuals the trendiest clothes from the most expensive brands often because these same brands advertise in their magazines. However, with a bit of extra searching, anyone can find beautiful pieces that fit their style, are trendy and meet the needs of their budget. All it takes is some digging, some extra time and a willingness to go a bit out of the way to find the proverbial pot of gold.
Choose Budget-Friendly Fashion Lines
Open up any magazine, and most of the models will be wearing name brands from Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton and more. This can create an impossible ideal in one’s mind. Most average people could save for a year and still be unable to buy that new, designer-brand purse. However, numerous major designers are making their clothing, accessories and shoes more affordable for the average American. The use of bridge lines has opened the door for high fashion to come to the local mall. A bridge line is a line of clothes produced by a high-fashion brand yet sold in discount stores, such as big box stores and discount department stores. Some recent options have included Missoni at Target, Versace at H&M, Simply Vera at Kohls and Isaac Mizrahi for Target. Of course, to stay on budget, one must still consider how often they will wear the piece versus the price. This is considered the cost-per-wear and can help shoppers understand if they have found a great deal. For example, it may still be a good deal to purchase an expensive pair of boots if the buyer plans to wear them several times per week.
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Choose Multi-Use Accessories
Accessories allow individuals to wear the same classic layer pieces while mixing up their looks. By choosing classic clothing, such as plain or neutral-colored shirts, pants, skirts and dresses, shoppers will find that they can have dozens of different looks simply by purchasing an array of budget-friendly accessories. Choose accessories that give you options to customize belts, scarves and jewelry. Choosing neutral base pieces will ensure that all accessories will match and will not detract attention from the brighter colors and vibrant patterns of accessories. Women can consider adding a skinny belt to a dress, a flowing scarf to a plain knit tee or a collar necklace to a scoop-neck blouse.
Choose Discount Stores
While everyone has heard of discount stores, such as big box stores and even thrift stores, many have lost their faith in finding any clothing or accessories of value there. However, newer online options allow men and women to find brand name and even high fashion clothes for a discount. For example, Poshmark and ThriftUp sell only the best brand names in the best of conditions at consignment store prices. Those hoping to shop locally will find the most stylish pieces with the best brand names at thrift stores in upscale neighborhoods. Additionally, try stores, such as Marshall’s and Ross, for brand names that are a season or two off for only a fraction of the price.
By using one’s imagination, an individual can come up with countless more ideas for staying stylish on a budget. Simply hopping on Pinterest can give people loads of ideas for how to take what they already have in their closets, combine them with trendy accessories and create a myriad of new, eye-catching outfits. Shopping major sales, picking out clothes at the end of a season and learning to sew a few finishing touches onto ready-made clothes will help anyone save money while standing out from the crowd.
