I got requested to talk about this by a follower on tik tok who was below the poverty line. How can you be fashionable with a limited amount of money? Many people believe the misconception that fashion is some sort of elite club when it really isn't. You don't have to always follow the latest trends or wear the most expensive designer clothing to be considered "fashionable". If you know what style you want then its all about knowing how and where to shop and getting creative with the clothes you already own. Here are my tips to achieve the style you want without spending that much:
Knowing where and what to look for when thrifting
Now this is an obvious one for a lot of people but you have to know how to do it. I always bring up thrifting as a cheap and sustainable way to shop but there are some downsides. Thrift prices have been going up recently due to the downside of depop resellers who sell clothing at a ridiculous prices. Some thrift stores are also not as cheap as you'd expect them to be. So you have to know which kinds of thrift stores to shop at.
So if you have a little extra money to spend you can definitely go to the more higher priced thrift shops. But if you don't have that extra money going to a more affordable thrift or second hand store is the best. Goodwill is a large chain that has good prices for second hand clothing. I have found some great finds there. I suggest when shopping at thrift stores like goodwill look for your statement pieces for your style.
If you do not know what statement pieces are they are basically the part of the outfit that is the most focused on for example a colorful sweater or a big rhinestone necklace.(I elaborate more on this in my style glow up article) Goodwill carries all kinds of fun items so you are bound to find a really fun statement piece for an outfit. They have basics too but they are harder to find so I suggest to shop for accessories and fun statement pieces there. I have found the cutest bags at Goodwill as well. But remember when you do purchase a thrifted item from anywhere wash it before you wear especially in these times.
Finding basics
Basics are a must have for your closet and the building blocks of an outfit. There are many stores that have good basic lines such as Brandy Melville and Pacsun. But they can be a little pricey. I don't think you have to spend $32 dollars on a plain white tee. Walmart and Target both have affordable basics and surprisingly the dollar store carries some basics as well. Just pick up some plain colored tees and you can mix and match and style them however you'd like. Here some links to some basics sections:
Walmarts basics section:
Targets basics section:
Dollar general basics:
Working with the clothes you already have
Getting creative with the clothes you already own is not as hard as you might think. If you know what kind of style you want go through your clothes and try to find similar or kind of alike clothing. Fashion DIYs is great way to turn your clothes you already have to your perfect style. Youtube is filled with videos like these and most of the time you don't even need to know how to sew. I have saved so much money just looking up a super easy tutorial rather then going out and buying a product.
Pinterest has a bunch of these to and most of them you can make with household items. One of my favorite DIY fashion youtubers is Amber Scholl her style is very Chanel chic like mine. But there are plenty of DIY fashion youtuber's so you can find your specific style. I have even seen easy DIYs on my for you page on Tik Tok.
If you don't know what your style is yet that's fine just think of a certain fashion trends or items you like and look up an easy tutorial for it. I can say I am not a super crafty person but some of the ones I have found aren't that hard to do. Watch some tutorials and decide which DIYs you can pull off.
If you aren't feeling the DIY route try styling your clothes a different way or pair them with different items. Play around with your clothes a bit you'd be surprised how much your clothes can change just by styling them different.
Just remember style isn't about how much money you have or where you bought your clothes its about expressing who you are and making you feel like the best version of yourself.
Lots of love,
A B I