Being A Fashionista Doesn't Have To Be Expensive
You probably read the title and were intrigued, but several thoughts probably popped in your head. Were these some of them?:
“In order to keep up with all the latest trends, I need to get to the stores right after they hit the runway.”
“The designer brands are better quality”
“How can that be? All of the good clothes are so pricy.”
“I just saw [insert favorite celebrity] wearing it and have to have it”
Well, believe it or not you can wear the same trends as your favorite celebrity, get the looks from the runway, and go for those designer brands without spending your whole paycheck in one shopping spree.
Alright, are you looking at the computer screen even more confused now?
I stand by that statement. The reason why is because of consignment shopping. No, I’m not talking about those stores that take just any old thing you want to get rid of, but there are many stores out there that will buy your old clothes and in choosing their stock they base what they buy off of if it’s:
Stylish
Only a couple years old
Not over worn or too well loved
Properly laundered
Yes, I will admit I work for one of these stores which is why I’m not using the names of any of these types of stores. I can also tell you that if you give yourself time shopping around one of these consignment or resale boutiques you will come up with some high-end deal. I’ve bought brands like BCBG Max Azria, Lilly Pulitzer, and Alice + Olivia for less that $20 bucks each.
So yes, the designer brands might be better quality than some of the cheaper store brands we go to as a fall back, but that doesn’t mean that you have to spend full price on these items either.
As far as the current trends are concerned, that’s another focus these stores pride in when they are searching through your old clothes. They may not take those old tracksuits that you loved bumming around the house in, but they are searching for the hottest trends like skinny jeans, rompers, and even ways to color block.
By consignment stores’ fashion guidelines alone, you can guarantee that you’re paying at least 70% less than the original price for high-end, high quality clothing.
Also, some of these stores will carry designer purses. Now, are you looking questionably at the computer screen again? My thoughts are that you’re asking “how do you know that they are real and not fake”.
Here’s how I know. There is special training and certain aspects to look for when it comes to deciphering a real designer purse vs. a fake one (maybe those rules will show up in a later post). The pressure is on the employees of each of these consignment and resale shops even more, because for a person to sell a fake/knock-off designer purse to a commercial venue it is around a $7,000 fine for both the store and the person who sold the fake.
Does that make you feel better when you walk into a consignment shop and see a discounted Coach or Prada bag?
So, don’t write off the consignment and resale shops because they are taking in clothes that were technically preowned, because they make sure it is the best of the best and the most stylish and trendy to sell to you.
HAPPY SHOPPING!
