Everyone knows that fashion can be expensive. If you want designer clothes and the best shoes, you need to pay for them.
But is that actually true? Well, it turns out that it might not be. These days, there are plenty of affordable alternatives out there worth exploring. And many look absolutely great.
Shop For Thrifted Items
One option to reduce your fashion expenses is to buy thrift items. Charity stores often have the most incredible discounted designer clothes on their racks, just waiting for you to take them home.
In many cases, thrift stores don’t actually look at the label or know how much a garment originally retailed for. Because of this, you can often find incredible bargains: high-quality clothes with beautiful cuts, available at bargain basement prices.
It’s not just clothes that are cheap in these stores, either. Many receive donated accessories and jewelry, too, helping you lower the cost of being a fashionista even more.
Start Online Bargain Hunting
Another option is to become a self-style online bargain hunter. Instead of rifling through physical racks in a store for discount items, you’re searching online for the same thing.
Stay away from the biggest marketplaces. Bargains are rarer here because everyone is looking for them. Instead, search for items available for sale locally as these tend to offer the best rates.
Commit To A Capsule Wardrobe
Another way to be chic on a budget is to commit to a capsule wardrobe. Minimizing the number of clothes you own lets you focus on quality over quantity.
If you’re not sure how to plan a capsule wardrobe, there are plenty of guides online. These talk you through how to arrange your clothes and choose garments that will complement each other.
Ideally, you want a few high-quality pieces you can mix and match. Having ten to twenty items in your wardrobe total is usually enough to allow you to create variety without feeling like you’re spending a fortune.
Make More Designer Dupe Discoveries
You might also want to experiment with designer dupes, or clothes designed to look like the original garments made by the designer label. Sure, they might be a year out of date, but they are perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy last season’s look at a 95 percent discount.
Switch To Lab-Grown Diamonds
If you’re a big fan of jewelry, you might also want to switch to lab grown diamonds. Structurally, these are the same as regular diamonds but are “grown” instead of forming naturally in the Earth’s crust.
You can also reduce the cost of gold too if that’s something you enjoy wearing. Gold vermeil is essentially a thin layer of gold on top of silver (or another base metal), giving the appearance of solid gold but without a high price tag.
Of course, when it comes to jewelry, you don’t need to spend a fortune to look fashionable. Silver and other less expensive precious gemstones are always alternative options to try.
Make DIY Accessories
If you want to lower the cost of your accessories even more, you can make them yourself. These days, there are hundreds of online guides showing you how to craft jewelry, bags, scarves, and headbands and make something that will go with your favorite outfit.
Look For Sales And Clearances
You might also be able to get big discounts on chic fashion via sales and clearances. Retailers often need to shift large volumes of unsold clothes at the end of the season to make way for new lines. In many cases, reductions can be significant – as much as 70 percent if you know where to look.
The downside is that the garments on sale are usually the least popular. This can work well if you have eclectic tastes or love trying new things, but it’s not so great if you are more middle-of-the-road in your outlook.
Start Repurposing Old Clothes
You might also want to try repurposing old clothes. Upcycling your former outfits can breathe new life into them and remind you of your stylish roots.
Open your wardrobe and take out any clothes you haven’t worn since college. Then ask yourself whether you can adjust or adapt them to your present needs.
Upcycling clothing can be a lot of fun and is relatively simple to do if you have the right equipment. You can change the cut, size, and embellishments, or even chop bits off to make it into a completely new item of clothing. For example, you might take those old denim pants you haven’t worn for over a decade and convert them into hot pants for the beach.
Use Discount Codes And Coupons
If all else fails, you can also try using discount codes and coupons to get money off fashion items. Nowadays, websites offering cut-price options are everywhere. You can even get apps that will automatically enter discount codes on sites you visit for you.
Depending on the time of year, these discounts can be considerable. Some retailers may let you combine price reductions from seasonal sales and coupons, giving you even more money off.
The downside, of course, is that you can sometimes find yourself waiting a long time to take advantage of these opportunities. It could be six months before your favorite retailer kicks off its big sale.
Use Fashion Swaps And Exchanges
You might also want to become a member of a fashion swap or exchange collective. Here, you share your designer clothes with other people, pooling resources so you always have a new, fashionable outfit to wear.
Multiple fashion swaps and exchanges will operate in your area if you live in a big city. They tend to be a well-kept secret and explain why many of the most fashionable people always have something new and exciting to wear.
Read Penny-Pinching Experts
Finally, it’s a good idea to read advice from penny-pinching experts. These individuals can often tell you how to find the cheapest designer brands and construct your wardrobe to always look stylish. Look for advice in fashion magazines, money-saving columns, and newspapers.
