With fashion changing faster than we can blink nowadays, it can be pretty hard to keep up. There's plenty of new products posted on our favourite fashion websites every day, and it's easy to scroll on your Instagram feed and develop some serious outfit envy. I've had to recently learn how to break out of the shopping haul habit, and strongly now believe that bloggers posting such videos and content are encouraging unhealthy shopping behaviours.
You don't have to ALWAYS break the bank to look stylish (and you also don't have to buy all your clothes from Primark either.) Here are a few tips and shopping hacks I've acquired.
SHOP OUT OF SEASON
This is something I love doing, and I almost see it as a challenge. Being a keen shopper with an eagle eye means that year in, year out, you start to notice reoccurring fashion trends, and you soon pick out which colours, textures, and shapes you may be able to rock in around a years time. If you're winter shopping, now is the perfect time to hunt down sequin and velvet party wear pieces for Christmas & the new year, as prices for those items plummet. If you're summer shopping, you may want to look for denim shorts and skirts in the middle of winter, because no one's going to want them then!
INVEST IN TIMELESS PIECES
Let's face it; there are some items that never go out of style. Take the time to hunt down and invest in good quality biker jackets, striped shirts, skinny jeans, a good red lipstick and mom jeans for example. Those items will carry you through the awkward change of the season where you don't quite know what you should be wearing.
THINK BEFORE YOU BUY
We have been labelled the instant gratification generation for a reason! Impulse buys make up a lot of my current wardrobe, and it's not uncommon for me to have bought something I thought I loved and only wear it once... or sometimes not at all.
When you see something you like, try to think about why you want it. I've adopted the wishlist approach. I add it to the website's wishlist, not the basket if I think that I am interested in it. I then, if I am particularly crushing on that item, add it to a wishlist and post it on here so that I can share my style, without investing in everything that I like.
Finally, if I've sat thinking about an item for weeks (I mean, probably it's appeared in my dream or I've thought about it in lectures) then I may buy it. Using this long-term approach also means that I find my want for an item has completely died out, or in some cases, I question why I even wanted it in the first place!
KEEP IT SIMPLE
You must have heard of the saying "
Quality, not quantity" right? Fast fashion retailers are forever updating their websites, with Topshop's website claiming that they push out over 350 new items online every week. That's a heck of a lot to choose from... The overwhelming amount of cheap items and trends that we are told to follow can often cause a lot of confusion, especially if you don't know what your own fashion sense is yet. If you look online at
Pinterest, Tumblr &
Weheartit, you can see that the masses are switching to the minimal aesthetic - and consumers are getting rid of their clutter to match this. Even Vivienne Westwood wants everyone to "buy less - choose well".
A lot of powerful people opt to wear the same outfit every day - see Mark Zuckerberg & Steve Jobs for example. Just removing that one simple decision in the morning can free up your time to get something else more productive done.
However, if you're like me and the sound of wearing the EXACT same thing every day repulses you, then why not build a
capsule wardrobe?
By investing in high quality, versatile pieces rather than a load of one-off statement items, you'll find it easier to build different outfits by mix and matching. Besides - if I am desperate for a completely new look, I either cut my hair or bleach it or perhaps opt for a different makeup look for shock factor.
image - maria bernad
SHOP IN THE MEN'S SECTION
There's a reason that some of us girls don't like to let go of boy's hoodies once we acquire them, right? They're just so comfy!
I started off merely browsing through Forever21's men section to see if I could find anything for those lazy Sundays, and ended up looking at Boohoo, Topman & more. As women, we find ourselves getting charged more than men for the exact same product (like razor blades - shock!), but we have to learn to shop smarter.
Boohoo Man has some really nice jackets and hoodies, which can be worn every day, especially if you like the oversized look. They often offer 40% and 50% off the men's section also, so you may be able to find hats also for a fraction of a price of the women's section!
STATEMENT PIECES CAN SWITCH UP YOUR LOOK
If you have a plain wardrobe and want to spice it up, you don't have to buy a lot of new items! Any outfit can be switched up with a brand new jacket, bag, or pair of shoes. If you find yourself wearing a lot of black, then add a pop of colour to take your outfit to a whole new level. The same rule applies for makeup also!
CHECK FOR DISCOUNT CODES
As a student, there are so many discounts for us to take advantage of. My university left the NUS (lol), but it wasn't as much of a concern as some of us shoppers first thought. Access to websites like MyUnidays and simply handing over your student card at big retail chains can get you at least 10% off.
However, you may want to look closely at some websites as they offer even more... Missguided often offers an extra 5 or 10% extra off your basket if you shop using their iPhone app.
Do you have any student style secrets?
Labels: Fashion, ideas, joksie, joksie fashion, joksie lifestyle, lifestyle, tips
