Keeping up with the fashion world can be time consuming and expensive. Between recuperating from the summer fashion season and trying to figure out what you need for this season, you may be wondering why you keep up with fashion at all! There’s a lot of ways to make the fashion season your friend though, so don’t give up on it just yet! With these ten tricks you’ll learn how to utilize what you have so you don’t have to spend too much on this season’s trends. There’s also a few suggestions that might help you spend a little lesson whenever you do go shopping. There’s no reason you fashion needs should send your budget out the window, so check out these tips and enjoy showing off your fashionista attitude throughout the season!
1. Layers
Rather than packing up your t-shirts and other light weight clothes, keep them out and layer them! Layers are a look that never goes out of fashion, so use the clothes you have waiting in your closest to make your style count. T-shirts make a great base layer for stylish button down shirts, they can also be worn under cardigans or baggy sweaters. If you’re feeling really cool then throw a t-shirt over a long sleeve or turtleneck and then add a light jacket. Tank tops are also great for these styles and will keep you a bit cooler in the early days of autumn. Sheer or light weight sweaters are also great for layering. These pieces look wonderful under a jacket or over a long sleeve blouse.
2. Reuse
When you’re in doubt it might be best to reuse some of the clothes you had last year or even this past summer. For instance, you can keep out those cute blue jean shorts that made you look great this summer. However, instead of simply wearing them out you may want to throw a pair of tights under them for a look that will turn heads and keep you nice and warm. Your favorite sundress is also a must have fashion piece for the autumn months. These can be dressed up with a pair of jeans and a simple cardigan for an autumn look that all of your friends will be jealous of. Style from later year can also be altered to suit this year’s trends, or can be worn as a signature piece to make your newer items stand out even more!
3. Men’s Wear
Believe it or not, but there’s a lot of men’s wear hitting the cat walk this season. This is good news for you though as husbands, boyfriends, friends, dads and even brothers have plenty of these items in their closet that never get worn. To start out this look try borrowing someone’s pea or trench coat. If you pair this item with a pair of boots and a skirt you’ll be ready to rock a savvy style that won’t cost you anything! The best thing about borrowing the boyfriend or husbands close is you’ll be comfortable all day and you’ll get a hint of his smell that will make you feel like home. You may also want to try borrowing a button down shirt. Tuck the shirt in, add a cute skirt or pair of leggings and you’re ready to show off a look no one can compete with! Although the baggy look might not be what you’re used to you may be surprised as to how cozy you feel while you’re out on the town. Of course, the savings are enough to celebrate anyway!
4. Signature Accessories
Everyone needs accessories to look great, but this season you’ll be able to really show off what you already have. The primary trends this year are diamonds, sapphires and bold pieces of jewelry, which are easy to find all over the place. However, if you already have these in your jewelry box then you don’t need to do any more shopping! Another key to remember while shopping for accessories is you should keep signature pieces in mind. That is, pieces that show off your personality while having a versatile use. When you can wear a piece of jewelry with anything then you’re doing good. This will ensure your money won’t go to waste! Try shopping at thrift stores and yard sales for these items as you should be able to find some cool vintage pieces at a price that makes you smile. With the bold looks of this season you may also want to keep in my that less is more. In many cases you should be able to get away with wearing only one piece of jewelry.
5. Stick with Functional
It’s very tempting to splurge on items we find visually appealing. For instance, the five different heels you bought last season that were only worn once. Let’s face it, when it comes to the fall a new pair of heels just isn’t going to last you from the cool days of October to the freezing temperatures of January. Instead of shopping for items that aren’t realistic for the cold you should look for items that will get your through the season. One example would be a pair of boots. Luckily there’s a lot of boots in fashion and they will last you all the way until late Spring when everything begins to warm up again. You should also consider sweaters that can be worn as an outer layer as the cool weather moves in and later on an extra layer of warmth between your coat and clothing. The more use you can get out of an item the more you’re going to get your money’s worth out of it. By judging items with these standards you’ll make a lot fewer frivolous choices and will instead have a wardrobe ready to last you over half the year!
6. Make Your Own
If you’re feeling crafty then you may already be ahead of the money saving game. Sewing is a great way to keep your fashion sense in check while saving quite a bit of money. Try to find bold prints at a great price, or look for the classic autumn colors or incredible blues. With these fabrics you should be able to create something that suits this season’s fashion trends while adding a fun touch that shows off your personality! If you’re not big on sewing then don’t worry, there’s still lots of accessories you can put together. Crocheting is one of the best ways to create hats, gloves, scarves and socks that will look wonder while keeping you warm during the cooler days. These items can easily be worn with today’s trends and some of the looks may actually suit some of this season’s fashion needs!
7. Sales
Of course, buying new clothes is always a refreshing experience, so don’t miss out on all of the trends just because of your tight budget. Instead of just giving up on shopping try to wait for a sale to find some of the best fashion pieces around. There’s a lot of sales that happen that we just don’t hear about it. One way to stay in the know is to sign up for your favorite stores mailing list. You could also call your local store once every week or so to find out if there are any sales going on. This will put you in the know so you can budget for the clothes you may buy during this time. You may also consider looking online as many stores will put up their surplus clothing before they put it on sale in the store. Following your local ads will also give you a general idea of when to do some shopping. Of course, if you’re looking to save big then you might wait for a big sale such as Black Friday. It might already be pretty chilly before this sale occurs, but you’ll be able to buy everything you don’t already have for the season during this major sale.
8. Stay Off Brand
It’s hard not to want to buy what the celebrities have on, but when your budget doesn’t exactly say A-lister its important to step away from those pricey brands. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to look as good though. Instead, try shopping at your local warehouse, discount store, or clothing department. There are a lot of stores that will sale clothing that looks exactly like what the celebrities are wearing, so you can look the part for so much less. There’s a lot of online blogs that are dedicated to finding a cheap alternative to some of the celebrity looks so browse around to see if you can find an off brand match for the style you’ve fallen in love with. With the lower prices you’ll also be able to splurge more, so you can easily get more clothes to fulfill your wardrobe needs.
9. Keep the Classics
One thing to concentrate on when you’re shopping is pieces of jewelry that are going to be in fashion year after year. This might seem hard, but think back to the last few seasons and work with the items that you’re still seeing in the stores. One great example is the pea coat. You can find this simple design in a multitude of colors and designs so its pretty safe its not going to go anywhere. This is a piece that you should be able to splurge on if you’re looking to buy a new one. You’ll get a lot more use out of it then other jackets that might be a one season only design. You can also shop this way with jeans and other items that you seem to continuously buy. You should especially invest in these items when you can get them for cheap as this will help save even more money. As the years progress as you collect more classic pieces you won’t have to do as much shopping each year because your wardrobe will have a great foundation.
10. Reward Programs
A lot of big name stores, and some small names too, offer a reward program that is absolutely free for your to join. You’ll want to do this as much as you can because you’ll get lots of amazing free things whenever you earn enough rewards. Many of these programs will send you special coupons and discount codes just for joining their rewards program so you have absolutely nothing to lose. However, the great thing about these programs is the rewards you can earn. As you shop for certain items you’ll get a number of points that go towards major discounts on your future purchases. Some stores will give you points for everything, while others will offer special points for items that they may be trying to sell more of. Usually you’ll be informed of this is the newsletter so you can shop accordingly. As you more items you could be looking for $30 to $50 off some of your items, which will go really far in your shopping excursions!
Autumn fashion should be a fun way to express yourself while keeping warm this cold season. However, if your budget isn’t up for the task you could end up feeling less than confident in last year’s styles. With these tips you should be able to make the most out of the clothes you have while saving more money on the clothes you want to buy. So, fashion can be a part of your life once again without making you stress out over the price tag of your new look.
