Reinvent Your Style On A Budget


From watering holes to workouts, it’s well known that relying too heavily on your old faithfuls usually means getting stuck in a rut. Things are no different when it comes to style. It may be easy to overhaul an entire wardrobe with a six-figure salary and a stylist on speed dial, but the question for many of us is how do you go about making changes if your bank account is more lemonade than champagne? Whether you feel the urge to smarten up for the New Year or are just fed up with being asked whose funeral it is every day, here are seven inexpensive ways to look money.

Know the Brands That Have Your Back

The financial risk of a sartorial reshuffle can be buffered somewhat by knowing the brands that suit you. If you’re already happy with the fit of a T-shirt or a particular trouser’s break, chances are you can return to where you got them from for a successful rerun in a colour, pattern or fabric you wouldn’t normally consider.

The high street is well-armed with a breadth of styles, meaning you can try new looks and sample trends without making too much of a dent in your bank balance.

And if a retailer or brand isn’t in your usual line-up of labels, it’s worth finding out what they do well. Knowing where to head for directional cuts and who to trust for timeless basics makes the whole process of starting from scratch significantly easier.

Take It Up (With Your Tailor)

When all else fails, get a few judicious nips and tucks. No, I am not advocating the operating table. Visiting a tailor can take wallowing jackets and trousers from substandard to outstanding, giving a subtle lift to your look in the process.

Most dry cleaners have an in-house tailor that can take on trouser hems and sleeve lengths, but if your aim is to make even the most basic suit look like something you picked up on Savile Row, it’s worth consulting the experts.

Alongside popular requests like changing buttons and letting out garments, tailors can also re-line old jackets and even copy your favourite pieces in a completely new colour or fabric.

Old Can Be New

You’d be forgiven for thinking that second-hand meant second-rate, given that the two went hand-in-hand for so long. But hand-me-downs and elderly offcasts aren’t viewed in the way they once were.

If anything is testament to the thinking that new doesn’t have to be new, it’s the rise online marketplaces like Depop and Vestiaire Collective. The former, essentially a cross between eBay and Instagram, boasts several celebrity users, while the latter makes it possible to score designer threads on a threadbare budget.

Vintage menswear stores can also be a goldmine of must-haves. For bonus points, look for names currently riding high on the retro trend like Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Sport.

For shopping secondhand clothes you can head to a thrift store in Lebanon, TN. If you are lucky then you can find some really good pieces.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Does Sustainable Fashion Really Mean?

Image
Sustainable fashion is a hot topic right now. Not just because the   eco-friendly materials   used are much better for the planet, but because that tends to go hand-in-hand with   better treatment of people making the clothes , too. Not to mention better treatment of animals. But what does sustainable fashion really mean? What Is the Definition of Sustainable Fashion? At its most basic, the word “sustainable” means something can be maintained at its current rate or level. It can be applied to business: Can a company keep going while earning the same amount of money? It can be applied to the way you’re living your life. You’ve probably been admonished at least once by a well-meaning friend about your packed schedule, poor sleeping habits, or workload. “You just can’t keep going like this. It’s not sustainable.”  The same could be said for how we’re treating the planet, and how we make our fashion. We can’t keep going like this. It’s not sustainable.  We’re pullin...
Read more

Fast Fashion and Your Carbon Footprint

Image
    Many of us are aware of the Rana plaza collapse in 2013 that killed nearly 1,134 people. The collapse brought the working conditions in ‘fast fashion’ factories to the attention of the global media. The wages and working conditions for the people making our clothes are some of the biggest motivating factors to shop more ethically. However, another important ethical issue we need to consider is the environmental impact of our garments. We need to consider our carbon footprint. Contributors to the Fashion Carbon Footprint When we think about our carbon footprint we often think about cars, the air miles we clock up, and our household recycling. But what we choose to wear is one of the biggest impact factors on the environment and the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. Fashion is complicated. There are long and varied supply chains of raw material, production, manufacturing, shipping, and retail just to get your clothes to you. There is massive vari...
Read more

National Thrift Shop Day: Celebrate & Save

Image
      National Thrift Shop Day is here! It’s a day to remember and experience all the benefits of shopping at your local thrift stores. Not only can you save money in your day-to-day budget, but there is a lot more potential for your money shopping at thrift stores. 4 Reasons to Support National Thrift Shop Day Have you ever shopped at a thrift store? Thrift stores amass items that people donate, including clothes, shoes, games, books, housewares, furniture and small appliances. Most likely you have gone into a Salvation Army, Goodwill or a Savers at some point, although you may not have realized all the benefits of shopping there. Here are four reasons to start regularly buying at thrift stores. Saving Money at Thrift Shops The most obvious reason to shop on National Thrift Shop Day and beyond is to save money. Everything that goes into the store is below retail price. While most things are used and vary in condition, the deals are fantastic. The merc...
Read more