“Fashion is expensive. Style is not. Some of the most stylish girls I know are certainly not the wealthiest” –Nina Garcia
Fashionistas all over the world have one thing in common: they all love dressing up and most women would attest to the fact that they love playing with styles—especially when there are innumerable and versatile ways to assemble them. However, the path to look in vogue, presentable and highly stylish is not a clear path road, more often than not, this road is littered with little bumps along the way.
We have all experienced this fashion dilemma at least once in our lives: The strong desire to look elegant and stylish without breaking the bank.
Many times and at some point in our fashion endeavors, we have wanted to look absolutely sophisticated and refined yet the contents of our wallet would tell us that we can afford nothing a little more than a ragged dress. In this era where big brands with rather exorbitant prices such as Christian Louboutins and wholesale steve madden get lauded in various fashion magazines and are all the rage in many fashion blogs, it seems ludicrous that these fashion editors can expect most women to afford a top notch looking outfit with a hefty and ridiculous price tag. Let us face it, many of us do not exactly have a thousand dollars to spare just to look on point for a night. In fact, most of us would probably scoff at the impracticality of spending a month’s worth of grocery for a singular ensemble. This is why thrift stores and bargain hunts exist, so that women can find that happy compromise of looking just as great at a lesser and much affordable price. However, some novice fashionistas are under the misguided notion that anything less than haute couture could never look as sophisticated as their expensive counterparts. This article serves to debunk that perception and will show you various ways in dressing up your bargain clothes and making them look not only elegant, but a tad bit expensive as well.
1.) HAVE YOUR CLOTHES STEAMED/IRONED/PRESSED
Quite straightforward, am I right? The thing is, you can make a drastic change in your entire ensemble simply by having an outfit steamed, pressed or ironed. It may seem like a simple and direct process, but it is a reality that a piece of clothing can look so much different and more elegant when it is free from wrinkles. It would look more luxurious than it truly is and gives your overall look a sophisticated touch as without a doubt, wrinkles would look bad on anything–even on expensive clothing and on bargain ones? They look worse. Have your clothes pressed and see the difference for yourself.
2.) REPLACE PLASTIC BUTTONS WITH ELEGANT ONES
Bargain and thrift sartorial items often come with the simplest and most basic fasteners as installing them with more expensive ones tend to make the overall price a bit more expensive than it should be. But that does not mean you have to contend with these simple buttons, you can replace them with something more sophisticated such as metal, mother of pearl or bone or even have buttons with intricate designs sewn on them. Ditch those basic looking buttons and replace them with sophisticated ones you can easily shop for online or any “trimmings” shops. If you want to be extra thrifty, you can harvest them from the old or tacky clothes you have grown out of.
3.) AVOID EMBELLISHMENTS
Sure the bedazzling sequined top looks totally amazing underneath the frenetic lights at a disco club and the intricate beading of that dress certainly adds more to the detail. Yes, sparkle and luster are without a doubt attractive but you have to realize that this is also one way for your clothes to look amazingly cheap. As eye-catchy and attention grabbing as these pieces may be, you have to consider that these embellishments would wear over time which would translate what once looked like a style stunner would be a shameful unintended distressed item missing its beads of details. Another thing to consider is that embellishments do not last as long as a crisp and clean look trend wise. The same goes for logos, these various items may widely proclaim that they came from expensive shops through their logos but remember, you can find almost the same thing in thrift stores for about a hundred dollars cheaper.
4.) GET IT TAILORED
Buying bargain or thrift clothes or purchasing second-hand items tend to have a drawback: they do not always fit you. This is why it is imperative to have a tailor you actually trust, and one you are assured has good workmanship. You may think that having your clothes tailored may seem counterintuitive seeing as you have bought bargain clothes for the sake of saving, but there are simple tailoring fixes such as letting down a hem or a nipping in the waist would not cost you so much and in effect, you would look like a million bucks. Have those clothes fit you right and wear them with an air of sophistication and you will see just how elegant it truly was.
5.) MIX WITH PRICEY OR SOPHISTICATED ACCESSORIES
Just because you are opting to buy bargain clothes and thrift items, it does not mean that the entirety of your item should consist solely of cheap finds. Your accessories can be rather expensive or pricey for one and these will immediately add sophistication to your look–elevating the entire ensemble. However, if you are having a hard time negotiating with your budget, then achieve the same by opting for pricey looking jewelry instead. Accessories do wonders to ordinary outfits and simply the addition of these can do wonders to an ordinary outfit. So, the next time you are bargain hunting for clothes, designate time to hunt for sophisticated and elegant accessories or jewelry as well.
In sum…
It does not matter whether you have allocated a thousand dollars for your outfit or simply a meager twenty for it, what matters is how you style it and how you rock it. Above all, it should be remembered that when people assess an outfit, they do not necessarily see the price tag but rather how it is worn so no matter how expensive a single outfit may be, at the end of the day how you wear it still matters more.