Clothes maketh man…and his self-esteem.
Our clothes affect who we are and what we are feeling on a particular day. When you dress like a slob, people may judge you negatively and may think low of you. Meanwhile, if you want to be respected, then dress up like a million bucks! People call it ‘power dressing’ or the ability to communicate power, authority, and competence through one’s clothes. Want to turn the day around? Some people dress up to invite good vibes and level up their energy for the rest of the day.
Dressing up is part and parcel of our existence. But don’t you know that you can still dress up even with little money? Yes, you can! Here are some basic considerations to help you.
Change how you look at clothes.
Stop buying clothes that don’t look good on you.
Before thinking that you are broke to buy new clothes, try to examine your closet and you will be surprised to find clothes that don’t look amazing on you. We make shopping mistakes, and one of them is buying clothes that are not your style. Also, we buy clothes only to wear them once or twice before dumping them in a distant corner of our closet. With this, make it a resolution to stop buying clothes that don’t look good on you. Sometimes, we buy clothes because celebrities wore them. This doesn’t seem right. We are individuals and surely differ in terms of fashion statements.
Clothes will not solve your problems.
People often go on a shopping spree when depressed or not in the mood. Outfits may make you look and feel good. However, they don’t solve your problems. Deal your problems head-on and spare your money for breaking the bank for impulsive shopping.
Consider visiting secondhand shops.
You may be used to visiting several women’s clothing stores; however, the current situation may have prevented you from dropping by your favorite shop or boutique. You can try visiting women’s secondhand shops instead. You will discover interesting finds there as long as you know how to navigate the place.
To find more clothing bets, consider going to thrift stores more often. They change displays as much as they can and thus, visiting them often will also increase your chances of finding clothes that you like. If you don’t have the time and patience to wait for new clothes, go for thrift stores that display items in a well-organized manner.
Some people go to thrift stores to look for preloved branded clothes. You can also do this practice. However, remember that outfits that hold up well may be priced higher than the usual. Whether you are secondhand looking for pants, jeans, jackets, and skirts, the ones priced higher usually have better fabrics and quality.
Be economical and adapt the practice of capsule wardrobe.
A capsule wardrobe is an act of minimizing clothes in your closet until you are left with your favorite clothes that fit your lifestyle and current body shape. To add variety, you can mix and match these pieces daily. Before mixing and matching them, you have to make sure that the items are of the same family, cuts, and style. So, for example, you will only be keeping three pairs of jeans or yoga pants. To complement them, you can keep several tops of different patterns and colors that will still go well if interchanged with the available pants.
You can make the pairing more fashionable by opting to wear accessories such as cute chunky necklaces, a scarf, or a choker.
Clean up and organize your closet.
So, you have decided to let go of clothes that don’t look good on you. Congratulations for not being too sentimental! Now, to speed up with your closet overhaul, you need a list and classify which clothes you would like to keep, donate, or discard. Then, set up a timer to motivate you to finish the act of cleaning and organizing your clothes. It is only when you organize your clothes that you can see what you still lack if there’s any. This is the time when you have to prepare another shopping list before going to the thrift store.
Plan the wardrobe you want to buy next and prioritize quality above anything else.
After doing all the rituals of downsizing your closet and making a list, you may have already realized how many shopping mistakes you had in the past. You don’t want to make the same mistakes again, do you? Thus, you have to plan your wardrobe considering future important occasions and their importance. If you are staying most of the time indoors, consider buying the basics but with quality.
Being stylish on a budget is possible. Before you can do this, you have to adapt the minimalist mindset to prioritize and keep only the clothes you need. This does not mean, however, that you will entirely forget your sense of fashion and style. Be creative in your mixed and match attempts, and you will discover that you still feel good and stylish wearing these clothes.
