Fashion on a Budget: Dress to Impress on the Cheap
I write in defence of clothes. Clothes make us feel happy. They make us feel good about ourselves. They give us a chance to express our personalities, and occasionally they do trivial things like keep us warm and stop us from inadvertently traumatising the neighbour’s five-year-old kid. They also tend to drain from your non-existent resources.
Any saving plan that functions off extreme denial is a sure fail as far as I’m concerned. Discipline, yes. Self-control, absolutely. Denial? After a week of stringent denial, the inevitable outcome is that I’ll have a quick look at Kmart and come out with several summer dresses that individually might have been affordable, but as a group have left a rather ugly dent in the weekly budget. It’s about putting together a plan that you can stick to, will get you where you want to be and doesn’t make you miserable in the process. Get a bit of street smarts, and you can live a pretty cheery fashion existence for not very much at all.
It was in this spirit that I carried myself off to Rethreads at Carriageworks the other day. Rethreads is a pretty simple premise. Bring the items you no longer wear (as long as they’re of reasonable quality) and swap them for items you would wear. Initially, it was a one-for-one system, but by the end of the day you could take whatever you wanted. I walked out with all these lovely new clothes that will avert any expensive trip to the shops any time soon.
Regular clothing exchanges
Such as Rethreads are happening all over the place, and are fun community events get involved in. Sometimes there’s a cover charge to get in, but considering the amount you would otherwise spend on clothes, it’s well worth it. Head to Clothing Exchange to see what’s happening in your state.
If there isn’t one happening near you, start up one yourself. Or have an evening where all your friends bring their unwanted clothes and everyone trades with each other. But only if you have well-dressed friends.
Other money saving ways to look fabulous is to get into the eBay world. A friend of mine sells everything she doesn’t wear with ruthless discipline and has ended up with a wardrobe of fantastic clothes she wears all the time, without spending any extra money. Everything she spent has been covered by what she sold.
Gird your loins and get out to the factory outlets
I don’t think anyone ever enjoys the factory outlet experience, but it is cheap and will help if you’re saving your pennies. Factory Outlets Australia is a reasonable inventory of the stores out there. Or get charitable. Vinnies and the like can turn up some absolute treasures for next to nothing.
Tap into the old school style
Make it yourself. In this day and age, the Internet has lots of free patterns. If you’ve got the hours, making clothes can be an exciting and stylish way to wear something new.
Check out:
- http://www.burdafashion.com/
- http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyskirts/tp/Free_Dress_Patterns.htm for some of the best online patterns.
Sewing skills also come in handy if you need to update your wardobe.
Remember the most important maxim- no trend is new. So vintage stores, your mother’s or grandmother’s wardrobe or fancy dress collection is likely to turn up something that is so this season it hurts. Or get totally crazy, and start a trend of your own.
Where do you head to restyle cheaply?
Vinnies? Grandma’s wardrobe? We want to know!
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