Bargain Bins and Balenciaga Blouses

I’m not that ideal blonde, my hair is a dirty blonde, border line brunette in the winter. I am far from a size two, I’m a proud size 8. I don’t have a cool chic apartment anywhere cool like New York or LA, matter of fact I don’t even have an apartment. I live I completely ordinary life in the house I grew up in, representing the suburbs of Virginia. I don’t have a collection of designer shoes or clothes to post on my Instagram. I am much more about that knock off game. I have a terrible habit of buying cheap and more, rather than quality and less pieces. I am all about the look for less, having on trend looks without being a cut out of what everyone else is wearing. I’ve noticed in a lot of articles in Cosmo and InStyle, they frequently do a look for less section showing you where you can get the designer looks for a fraction of the price. However the only issue with their suggestions is that the items that are “less” are commonly like 60$ plus…I don’t know about y’all but when I say I’m a bargain hunter that means rarely do I pay over 20$ for a single piece. I’d like to say I’m a little more creative than the average thrift store shopper. My advice would be to keep an open mind about where you shop. It isn’t about brand, labels or size! It’s about what looks good and what feels good to you. I could go on and on about what the key pieces are you need to have in your wardrobe but that’s for another day. For now I will give you three bargain hunter tips

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1. Don’t fear the consignment shop, this is one of a fashionista most untapped resources. I worked for years in a consignment shop, seeing, examining, studying the beauty and quality of garments not only inspired me as a up and coming designer but filled my fashion fix for the designer closet. A common fear in consignment is that the pieces are all old, worn and dated. Yes most have been worn before but the majority is things that were worn once or twice and some still even have the tags on them! Also most shops are very strict on what they accept so the pieces are most of the time no more than 2 years old.
2. Knowing the key trends and the trendy pieces you are looking will make a world of difference when shopping. Most of the time there are two or three pieces that can be added to your current wardrobe that can bring your style up to date. For example the military trend, an army green cargo style jacket, combat boots, and a gold statement piece of jewelry would most likely be all you need to be on trend. These pieces are then paired with wardrobe staples such as a black Tee and dark wash jeans. Being smart and buying one or two pieces instead of the entire on trend outfit new will save you so much money in the long run.
3. Do not be ashamed of Goodwill or hand me downs. If it’s right it’s right! Look for Goodwill’s located in nicer areas like cities or Upper East Side type of living. These are people who give away lots of nice clothes that aren’t worth their space but are more than happy to find home in your closet. Some people say I should be embarrassed by the fact that I get clothes from Goodwill, but unless I told you where it was from, you probably wouldn’t know the difference. If it really does bother you though, look at the label and Google “where can I get_______” then tell people you got it from one of those places.

I take a lot of pride in my style and closet. I love my clothes and the wide variety I have. From discount DVF wrap dress to the 7.00$ jacket I get from Goodwill. My tight budget allows me to play with different styles and trends while I’m still trying to find my set style. There is nothing wrong with variety and the clearance rack.

-ML