Whatever your budget, keeping on trend and having plenty of variety in your wardrobe can end up costing more than you’d like if you don’t have some strategies for getting the best prices, and making what you already have by way of clothes and accessories work a little harder for you. Whether you want to look more successful at work by wearing more expensive looking things, dress up for an important event on a budget, or look like every outfit you have comes from your favorite designers and brands, with some tricks and smart shopping you can achieve it without running up a load of debt!
Here are ten ways to make everything you wear look more expensive:
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Buy a Few Second Hand Designer Items
You can spend very little on designer pieces if you buy them second hand, and there are lots of ways to do this. You can check out second hand shops in your area, which can be a good approach if you aren’t looking for something specific and would just like to find some nice stuff from good brands. Alternatively, you can shop online for used items on eBay. This works better if you want to invest in something particular, for example a party dress, a denim jacket, or a certain type of purse, as there are loads of things to choose from from sellers all over the country. Shopping for second hand items on eBay can also be a good idea if there is a certain brand you love that you can’t normally afford, as you can set up a saved search on that brand and a certain budget, and be notified when new items are added within your price range.
Some people don’t like the idea of buying second hand things to wear, and while there is no reason to feel that way, if you do, then you could still use this approach to buy accessories. Sunglasses, bags, belts and jewelry can be much cheaper when you buy them second hand. And also, because they tend to be things designed to last more than one season, you won’t look dated if the pieces you pick up are a few years old.
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Spend More on the Things You Wear Most
If you have the budget to buy a few higher end things a year, or are looking to get some high end stuff second hand, then think about the type of items you buy. To get the best bang for your buck, your most expensive pieces (at their original price) should be the things you can wear all the time, so these can be worn almost every day and give a sense that you generally dress in expensive clothing. Coats and jackets are a good choice, as you will be seen in them a lot in the colder months. Equally shoes and boots are worth spending a bit of money on. The other things you wear all the time will depend on your style of dress and your lifestyle, but could include jeans, outdoor accessories like gloves and scarves, or suits.
Spending more on these items gives a sense that your general wardrobe is expensive, even if everything else you are wearing is from basic brands.
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Wear Jewelry
Jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive to add an extra dimension to what you wear that makes everything look a little more finished and elegant. Get some nice everyday pieces or start wearing jewelry you have been given as gifts more often. Good choices to pair with casual or work clothes can be a charm bracelet, bangles, simple stud or hoop earrings, and pendants or lockets. The style you go for depends on your personal taste, but no matter what you like, wearing jewelry more often will definitely add a sense of extra quality to your completed outfits.
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Use Scarves
Want to look like you are wearing more expensive clothes for work? One simple way to do it is to buy a designer scarf and wear it with some of your cheaper work outfits. You may not be able to afford a designer name suit or a rotation of expensive work dresses, but adding an expensive looking silk scarf can make your cheaper versions look better accessorized. A chic scarf with a nice pattern or eye-catching color will draw the eye away from the rest of your clothes and also highlight your face, making you look better!
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Immaculate Hair and Makeup
People who look well groomed tend to appear better dressed, too. If you are the glam type who likes to spend time on hair and makeup, this should be no problem for you, but you may want to try some new ways of wearing your hair because this can change how you look and make it seem like you have more variety in your wardrobe than you actually do. If you don’t like to wear much makeup or spend long on your hair, then find a couple of simple hairstyles that look immaculate and can be done easily, for instance just straightening your hair or putting it in a simple, clean up-do. Add some minimal makeup, but make sure you pay attention to things like shaping your brows to get that more expensive, well groomed look.
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Outlet Shopping
If you want bargains on brand new items to add to your wardrobe, try outlet shopping! There are lots of websites that specialize in selling designer clothes for less, and you can also find independent sellers on Amazon and eBay that sell new designer clothes at a fraction of the normal cost. These clothes may have minor defects or be overstock from previous seasons, but in general, nobody will be able to tell. Look for things that you like and which aren’t too trendy, because if a lot of the clothes are from a previous season you may find yourself following old fads if you don’t go for more classic things.
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Buy Out of Season
Another way to get excellent deals on new, higher end clothing is to buy things that are not in season – such as buying winter coats in the spring or summer dresses in the autumn. It may feel a bit weird doing this, but you can take advantage of the end of season sales where there can be huge discounts in all of your favorite stores, and when next season rolls around you’ll have a load of beautiful new things unworn and ready to go!
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Keep Your Shoes in Good Condition
How well maintained and new your clothes look actually makes quite a lot of difference to the sense of quality. These days, a lot of people don’t really bother with things like polishing shoes or putting shapers in boots when they are not being worn, but if you take good care of your shoes they will add a sense of smartness and high end style for years to come. Invest in the right products to protect and clean different materials you have in your shoe collection like leather and suede. Use treatments that preserve leathers as soon as you bring home a new pair of shoes, and then give them a regular clean and polish to keep them looking amazing. If you don’t wear leather then it can still be a good idea to polish and clean your shoes, and make sure you store them in a way that helps them keep their shape, rather than crushing them in piles!
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Mix High and Low End
A lot of people who are experts in looking great on a budget recommend pairing expensive clothes (including second hand, outlet and sale finds) with things from much cheaper sources. This makes the ‘average’ quality level of your outfit higher. Wearing a party dress from a budget shop or site with a designer jacket makes the dress instantly seem less like a mass produced inexpensive piece, and when you add jewelry and some nice accessories, you’ll find what you have is a classy looking outfit, even though the most noticeable part of it was cheap!
You can also match cheap tops with expensive jeans or wear designer tees you picked up in a sale online with your faithful Old Navy jeans. It actually doesn’t matter which features of your outfit are expensive and which are cheap as long as there is a good balance between the two, and you also do some of the other things like having your hair and makeup looking neat and adding some jewelry.
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Follow Cleaning Instructions
For your clothes, even though it is a pain, always follow the cleaning instructions even on your cheaper items. This will keep things looking newer for longer and prevent the effect of cheaper clothes beginning to look worn out after just a few washes.
So, there you have it, ten ways to make your clothing look and feel more expensive in general, without spending a fortune!