Rock the Runway With These Budget Friendly Fashion Tips

By Lauren Stacey
Spectrum Staff Writer

       Being a lover of fashion and a college student I quickly had to find a solution to be able to upgrade my closet each season without emptying out my bank account. Luckily with the help from Google and social media and I found several solutions to my dilemma.

       Starting off with my favorite way to add new pieces to your wardrobe without breaking the bank is “up-cycling.” In the fashion industry, the term “up-cycle” refers to the transformation of clothes, accessories and textiles waste into new products. In layman terms it’s using items you already have to create something new. Up-cycle creates an infinite number of ways to create new garments for your wardrobe. From taking fabric from an old dress and making that into a new shirt or turning worn out jeans into a fresh skirt, up-cycling is a cost efficient way to make sure your wardrobe is updated regularly and your pockets don’t have to suffer.

       If you are not the biggest fan of having to “make” or reconstruct your clothing to achieve new items and prefer buying new ones, then I would recommend thrifting. Thrift shops can be seen as stores that are solely for older people and all their clothing is out of date but in reality thrift stores are hidden gems. Not only are they super budget friendly because their items are always priced lower than they would be in a retail store but there is always a wide variety of items in stock so you are guaranteed to find something you’ll love. Youtube content creator “BestDressed” dedicated an entire video on how you can thrift like a pro and gives helpful tips to have the best experience when shopping at thrift stores.

       Another way to add new items to your closet without having to worry about spending hundreds of dollars is to shop during sales. This solution works for both online shopping and in-store shopping. With the fashion industry constantly pushing out new trends, sales are always happening. This solution is also useful because no matter what season it is you can always find a sale whether you are shopping in the winter or the summer.

       Like me, I know a lot of us love clothes but don’t love how expensive it can be to get new items for our closet. Up-cycling, thrifting and shopping during a sale are three great solutions to this problem. With these three tips you can have new items in your closet every season without having to worry about draining your dollars.