7 tips for looking chic on a budget

Simonette Boekel
Apr 20, 2018
6 min read

So in case any of you were unaware, I work at Jo Mercer and I'm at uni full time, so I only work 1-3 times per week, plus I am also trying to save to move overseas in a couple of years. So once I've paid for petrol and gone out for food a few times, I'm really not left with a lot of $$$ to spend on clothes. I'm sure many of you can relate, so I thought I'd just throw around a few tricks and tips on looking chic and put together on a budget.

1. Minimal colour palette

This is just a personal preference, I'm in no way saying that colours don't or can't look expensive. But for me, not having access to all the clothes in the world, I find that neutrals such as cream, white, grey, black and beige, work best as it makes pairing items together super effortless. I also find that neutral colours look slightly more expensive than they are! I tend to wear my neutrals a lot more than any of my other more colourful items, because I can wear them over and over again without it being obvious. (very guilty of outfit repeating on the regular).

2. Mix & Match

This brings me to my next point. Wear items multiple times!!!! I feel like there's so much stigma around wearing items more than once. I also find it really unrealistic when bloggers are wearing a different thing in every post, or will wear a designer item once. Like ????? If I buy something, I'm going to wear it as often as I want. (ever heard of a washing machine?). For this reason I loveee a piece that is super versatile! For me, the ultimate versatile piece is a pair of black wide leg pants or culottes, for example, the trousers I've styled in this post. I've worn them to uni with a sweater and sneakers, to a party with heels and a wrap top, and I have also styled them up with a knit and boots for this blog post. A piece you can wear multiple ways is definitely a winner in my book. I also like pieces that add an element of style to any outfit. I have a pair of black and white animal print slides from Senso. I've had them for years and I've worn them so so often! They add a little pop of print to an otherwise really basic outfit! Printed or coloured accessories are definitely a must have, and something you can wear over and over again.

3. Thrifting

Op shopping is honestly one of my favourite pass times. It's so rewarding and you are helping the environment, and a good cause at the same time. I always find that white, black, grey, cream and camel, will look more expensive than they are, and this is true for most materials. The fabric doesn't need to be luxurious for a simple item to look expensive. However i always tend to prefer more natural fibres such as cotton, silk, linen, wool and cashmere. I always make sure I search through the t-shirt section (you can never have too many white tees), the shoe section and the bag section. Of course, spending a good amount of time searching through every section is ideal, but if you're short on time, they're definitely my favourites and I'm almost always guaranteed to find something. Some of my most worn and most complimented pieces are from the op shop, and I guarantee you will be able to find plenty of on trend items there, you just have to be open minded. Plenty of items I've found are really similar to zara, mango etc. I always like to have a little scroll on instagram and check out fast fashion websites just to get a bit of inspiration for what to keep my out open for. In the past I've come across a basket bag, a beaded bag, some leopard print boots, all of which are super on trend and super inexpensive.

4. Accessories

Accessories can certainly transform the simplest of looks. The bag I'm wearing in these photos was $3 from ebay, and the sunnies are super inexpensive from zaful. Ebay have a tonne of net bags and vintage frames, and even statement earrings, all of which are really inexpensive additions to your wardrobe and will definitely elevate any outfit. Also, following on from thrifting, I find that I love finding cool, quirky accessories at the op shop, especially more trend based items. This is because they only cost me a few dollars so I'm able to dip my toes into a trend, before investing too much money into items that are only going to be in for a short period of time. I find it also makes your look a little more unique, as you're not wearing the same zara bag that 50 other bloggers on instagram have ahaha

5. Fast Fashion

Okay, so I want to make a real quick point about fast fashion. I know it's super accessible to all of us, and the perfect way to get cheap, on trend clothes quickly. Personally, I'm trying my best to steer away from purchasing too much fast fashion, and focusing on utilising what I already have in my wardrobe, or on supporting ethical clothing companies, and thrift shops or flea markets. I'm not super educated on the matter, but it's safe to say that after a few bloggers and youtubers brought awareness to me about the working conditions where these fast fashion garments are made, I began to think twice about purchasing such items. Not only that, but it's also so bad for the environment. This is definitely an area I want to do some further research on, so if any of you have any tips or resources for me, please message me & let me know! I might even do a blog post in the future updating you guys on this topic.In saying that I do have some good pieces from the likes of h&m, zara and mango, which I love, and will continue to wear and love. I'm just going to try to limit my purchases from these stores in the future, and if need be, I will search the likes of depop, ebay or gumtree for these brands, before buying new items.

6. Investment pieces

My all time favourite blogger and youtuber Lizzy Hadfield wrote a blog post all about this topic and how the term 'Investment piece' is thrown around quite a bit. For her, an investment piece is something that impacts or changes her style significantly. However, for me personally, an investment piece is something that I get my cost per wear down to pennies (or cents i guess, just doesn't sound as good). For me there are 3 items I don't mind spending a little bit extra on, because I know I will wear them for years and years, and all year round. They are; a denim jacket, a pair of black pointed ankle boots and a pair of culottes. So don't be afraid to spend a little extra on the pieces you wear a lot, in the long run, it's less expensive (and less wasteful may I add) to buy one good quality item, rather than multiple cheap ones that will fall apart over time!

7. One in, one out rule

I always try to keep my wardrobe as minimal as possible, as much as I love clothes and styling, I feel very stressed and overwhelmed if I have too many items (not to mention it is also not good for my bank account). I sell a lot of my clothes using depop! It's honestly so easy to use, I absolutely love how it's set up in a very similar way to instagram, plus all payments are through paypal, which is perfect. It's a great way to rotate my wardrobe and keep it feeling fresh and new without accumulating too much stuff. It's basically online thrifting, so it's also amazing for the environment, which is another plus!

I also would like to add a quick side note; fashion isn't all about having the latest thing, or the most expensive clothes & accessories. It's about how you style a look, and the confidence you bring to an outfit. I hope at least one of these tips was helpful to you, happy styling !

Until next time lovelies, Sim x