Looking fabulous on a budget
Who said that you have to have a lot of money to look fabulous?! I’m here to tell you that you can be brokety broke like me and still look like a million bucks. I have quite literally mastered the art of looking chic, elegant, and expensive all on a tight budget.
Growing up with out much money, my mother and I became pretty darn resourceful. This resourcefulness rooted itself in many places, especially in thrift shopping. I started seriously thrifting in Middle School and have continued my love affair with it till the present date; that’s almost 20 years of thrifting! Wow, time flies when you’re having some bargain shopping fun.
An incredible outfit, in my opinion, is all in the way you style it. I think of a look as a whole package; something that has elements waiting to be molded together to form something wonderful and complete. Thrifting is so much fun because you can find the most amazing accessories to take your look to a whole new level for dirt cheap! Remember that a dress is just a dress, but paired with the right jewelry, shoes, hats, or even eye ware, can take it to fabulous just like that.
I have been shopping at Thrift Town for a LONG time and can say through my experiences that they have not only amazing clothes, but shoes and accessories as well. The beauty of a big store like Thrift Town is that there is a lot to choose from and the prices are just incredibly reasonable. I have necklaces and belts that cost me $1.99!
Lets come back to the idea of looking fabulous on a budget. I started my looks off with two pretty simple black and white dresses; they are my foundation. If you really want to impress and look chic and elegant I suggest a beautiful black and white print like the two dresses shown here. I am a BIG fan of black and white prints and think that it’s the perfect print to have fun with when it comes to accessorizing the rest of the look.
The dress with the red hat is a simple J.Crew summer dress that cost $2.99 and the dress with the black hair piece is a Liz Claiborne dress still new with the tags on for $15. What I loved about the J.Crew dress was taking it from simple and casual to elegant with the vintage red wool hat. The hat was purchased at Thrift Town for $24.99 – a little pricey, but 100% worth it because it’s a collectable and it mint condition.
As for the Claiborne dress, how fantastic are the shoes I paired with it?!!! I almost screamed when I saw them and especially when I realized they were Salvatore Ferragamo’s! I love nothing more than a beautiful pair of Italian leather shoes, especially designer. Ferragamo’s can run well over $200 and I got them for $24.99.
So as you can see my fellow Thrift Town friends, you too can look fabulous on a budget. When you are wearing pieces that cost in the hundred’s for under $25, you’ve got yourself a fabulous find worth bragging about. I told you that you didn’t have to have a lot of money to look fabulous…
Remember the next time you are out thrift shopping, pick up a few extra accessories to add to your collection. It is with these pieces that you can take your outfits to a whole new level and develop your true authentic stylish self. I mean, how cool is my red vintage hat?!
Love,
The Dress Fiend
Phoebe Verkouw is the brain behind the thrifted fashion blog, The Dress Fiend. She’s a bona fide thrift store junkie obsessed with finding the most amazing items for next to nothing and can be seen monthly on Good Day Sacramento showcasing some of her favorite thrifted finds. When she’s not out searching for the next hidden treasure thrifting, she’s at the Crocker Art Museum working in the Special Events department. Aside from her passion for thrifted fashion, she also enjoys photography, art, running, and gelato. I mean, doesn’t everyone love gelato?
