Musings on life.: Bounty on a budget (Fashion for the people)

I have had this idea for some time now for a book I'd like to write. A sort of self help, confidence boosting, fashion guide. Within the first month of 2015, in which I resolved to dedicate time to create, I began. I am well aware writing a book is a massive undertaking. I am absolutely unsure if I have the dedication to actually finish it, but I'm riding the wave of determination as far as it will take me. The idea is one that I am truly an expert on, building a fashionable wardrobe on a very tight budget. I have never known what it was like to spend money without careful consideration. Most of the people I know are in a similar financial state, and therefore I must assume that my years of knowledge, trial and error could be beneficial to anyone who desires to be stylish without going into (more) debt. My dear friend advised me to write a blog to help flesh out what I wanted to say, while gaining feedback and potential readers along the way. I had such a blast writing about my capsule wardrobe failure, that I am taking his advice and working out some of what I have written so far, and sharing it here. I invite your feedback, good bad or otherwise.

For those of you readers who don't know me or care for my personal story, I have highlighted the main ideas in bold. No need for tl;dr.

Here's to creative endeavours!

I love fashion. I wish I could spend the kind of money on my clothes that my taste deserves but my salary leaves something to be desired and I know that I am not the only one trying to keep my style fresh without reaching for the credit card. In this series, I will share with you easy to remember tips and practical advice to help you achieve the confidence that will help you change your life and look great at any age, body type, or budget. Furthermore, I will give you the power to change your look as often as you want, and show you how to shop yourself happy (without the buyer's remorse)! I’ve spent the last 20 years combing through thrift stores and second hand shops and I have learned the hard way, but you can choose the easy way by simply adopting my tried and tested methods. I have the secret to staying out of financial trouble, while being admired for an expensive looking and current, even unique wardrobe and I want to share it with you!

I have never been wealthy, I grew up a Missionary's kid, the third one along at that. I was raised, lacking nothing but without excess. We did not have extra money for stylish wares and more often than not I was clothed in hand me downs and second hand fashion, not ideal for a budding fashionista but when I was small I was more concerned with how many times I could rollerskate around in circles while holding my breath. What impressions I did have of second hand shops were good; I remember walking away with a lot more items than what I could get with the same amount of money at a department store. As I got older though, and began to realize that all the cool kids dressed a certain way and as fitting in was a pretty major goal for me, I spent what little money I had at the mall. (distain) Finally, around sophomore or junior year, someone who I considered super cool took me to a thrift store and I re-discovered the joy of the hunt. For two or three years, I bought mostly funny T-shirts and ill fitting jeans but I was on the right path.

Somewhere during high school, when I discovered my desire to express myself through my attire I began experimenting with wacky pieces that I thought would define me as having “my own style”. More often than not, I failed miserably (I’m looking at you cow pants and pink sweatshirt with the faux fur trim). Thanks to the nudges of fashionably conservative best friend, I learned to make outfits that actually worked and occasionally I quazi-achieved my ultimate goal to be a trend setter. It was in those moments that I realized that I had a sixth sense for fashion. I wore things that would not be popular for months and I while I personally had no bearing on it's appeal, I was ahead of the curve. It would be another five years until my confidence improved but I was never afraid to be different, even when I believed I was ugly and fat. Well after highschool, one of my classmates whom I was never close with, but I liked contacted me out of the blue on facebook to say that she remembered how different I chose to dress and how it had been so impressive to her, considering our ages. I was taken aback that anyone even noticed I was trying, and touched that she chose to share with me. What she didn't know, was that I had no choice. I could be the discount version of everyone else or the glammed out version of myself, and given the choice I will always choose glam.

It wasn’t until college when I had a car, a job and free time that I truly found my fashion voice. As you recall, I’d been wearing recycled fashion for most of my life but after attending high school in one of the wealthiest towns in America, I found myself with a newly acquired skill for finding designer threads among the tattered and torn donations. I began to develop a clairvoyant calling when to visit a specific thrift store and even what specific section to search to find those Gucci shoes or Burberry raincoat. To this day, my favorite Vera Bradley bag cost me .99c at what came to be my second home, Red, White and Blue in Paterson, NJ. I will admit, this skill is in part instincts but it is in a large part to paying attention. You don’t have to shop at SAKS to sport high end brands, simply paying close attention to the labels will lead you to clothing that will last longer and look better. If you like fashion magazines (I don’t) pay attention to the ads. You can check on the fly using your smart phone but it’s better use of your shopping time to ask google ahead of time who makes the highest quality clothing and look at all the designers and take them in. People who can afford those clothes, feel good about donating them to charity and often you will find beautiful, well made staple items with the tags still attached. Just before Christmas, I scored a BCBG silk layered crop top from Goodwill with a Neiman Marcus tag for $198. My price, you ask? $6.99. I hadn’t even seen the OG price tag I simply knew the brand to be of high quality so It was an added bonus to find out I had saved myself $191!

Knowing brands will only take you so far, you need to figure out which styles and materials flatter your body and the best way to do this is try try try it on! Take everything off the rack that jumps out at you and looks like it might fit, even if you think it’s not going to look good. I can’t tell you how many times I have tried something on fully expecting it to look terrible and been so wrong! Likewise, I have loooooved things, longed for them to be perfect and they just didn’t work on me. If it’s too big and you are willing to spend a little extra money having it taken in, or up, you can buy it but you absolutely MUST take it to a tailor. Don’t try to get away with wearing it as is because the whole point of this exercise is to present your best self and ill fitting clothing expresses laziness and lack of confidence, the very opposite of what we are trying to achieve.

I try not to be biased against brands that can be found at bargain stores such as KMart or Walmart because I don’t like to rule anything out but be wary, they are not known for their craftsmanship (or ethics). Similarly, juniors clothing are not made to last as kids grow quickly and their styles change just as fast. If you are tiny, you may be tempted to shop in the juniors section to save money but you should generally avoid this as you probably have enough trouble not looking like a teenager and you won’t get more than one or two seasons out of your purchase. If it is simply a trend you are following, go for it as long it fits well because by the time it wears out, the trend will be passe. What I desire for you though, is for you to create your own style and build your wardrobe with high quality pieces that show the world who you are and what makes you special.

Down to brass tacks! Begin by googling thrift stores, second hand shops, goodwill, salvation army, using as many descriptive words as you can. You’d be surprised at how many hidden gems stay hidden because they haven’t quite caught up with the modern age. Yelp is a good tool for researching. Map them all out so that if you happen to be in the area you can stop by and check it out. By visiting every shop you find, will discover which ones are well stocked and which are lacking. This isn’t always true but many times a Goodwill in a wealthy neighborhood will be stocked with better quality donations. Once you know which thrift stores have the highest quality, best selection and generally suit your style, you will begin to develop a sense for where to go when looking for something specific. This will save you a ton of time which you can use to go out and show the world your new wardrobe!

I recommend giving yourself a 2+ hour window for larger stores and up to an hour for small shops. I know that seems like a long time but think about how long it takes to get from one end of the mall to the other, only in this situation the whole mall is in one place! To ensure you feel well enough for a marathon shop, make sure you are properly hydrated and if you haven’t eaten, bring a snack or grab one on the way in. Walk up and down every aisle because things get moved around and hung in the wrong place constantly. At first it might feel frustrating, even boring but you’ll get faster with time and begin to identify things by touch (material) rather than having to view each item separately. High end designers tend to use silks, and other more sturdy and flattering materials making them easy to find. Similarly, you can quickly identify items you might like by color. If you look amazing in baby blue, ruby red or kelly green, look for those colors and if you like the style and it looks about your size, try, try, try it on!

Regarding sizes, don’t follow sizes as law because they’re arbitrary and after a bit of trial and error, you will be able to look at something and tell if you will be able to fit into it better than any label. Consider how long you have been trying on and buying your own clothing. If you are in your twenties, maybe only a handful of years. If you are in your thirties or forties, it's been at least a decade and so on. You know, generally, what is going to fit over your head. Don't be afraid to try something on that you like but might overlook for being too small or too big, because you could miss something that is surprisingly flattering. My friend recently came over to look through the clothes I had cleansed during my capsule wardrobe experiment and when I showed her a dress in my closet that had made the cut, I could see the skepticism in her face. I understand, I felt the same way when I first saw it. It's a mini, white, mod style dress with a huge butterfly with sequins front and slightly off center. I put it on right then and there and she was blown away! It looks like it was made for me, not too tight, or too loose, the right length to show off my toned legs, with a modest neckline to keep it classy. That is a great example of something that I wouldn't have even known if I missed out on but I am so glad I didn't. Try, try, try it on!

I mentioned fashion rags as a tool earlier and some people like to use them not only to familiarize themselves with designers but to watch the current and more importantly upcoming styles. I personally find them to be boring and outdated however I admit there is something fun about flipping pages over a glass of vino and picturing yourself in the latest styles. My personal methods for keeping up with current trending styles is to browse online retailers that suit my style, and simply just looking at people’s clothing, and noticing what items lots of people are wearing. If I start to think about something (sometimes obsessively) I will look for it until I find it. But not just it, the right it, the one that fits ME more than it fits me into the it crowd. If everybody is wearing it, I want to wear it better! Let it be known, I don’t exclusively shop second hand, if there is something I really want and I have spent at least a month searching for it second hand, I will occasionally bite the bullet and buy it retail.

I am so grateful for the lessons that being a frugal shopper has taught me, I genuinely wouldn't have it any other way. Do I covitt Louis Vuitton shoes?, Absolutely. Chanel handbags?, You bet! But if and when I make a massively expensive purchase such as those, I will have done so by saving and sacrificing and up to this point in my fashion journey, that is not a choice I have felt compelled to make. However, If you know what you are looking for so well you can picture it in your head, you will find it eventually at the right price. For some of you, perhaps making a fashion board (similar to a vision board) with cut outs of what you are looking for would help. The key here is understanding what you are looking for and not giving up until you've added it to your collection. Today I stopped at my local Goodwill to celebrate passing my written drivers exam and found a pair of pants I've been wanting for months! They're wide legged, soft, comfortable yet classy and so so cute. I have almost bought similar pants on Modcloth half a dozen times but stopped at the price tag. After all that waiting and looking, I found mine for only $4.99! They are the embodiment of my three favorite things; fashionable, comfortable and affordable!

I hope that you have enjoyed reading as much as I have writing! The next instalment will feature staples every woman should own, dealing with specific body types and questions you can ask yourself when you are unsure whether or not to commit to a piece. Please "follow" the blog to ensure you see future posts and feel free to share it with anyone who might be interested!

XO - Mallory

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