A case can be made for “looking expensive,” IMO. Those who look high-end may not even intend to do so — when they dress, they look crisp and clean. The clothing cuts fit, and the colors harmonize. Items aren’t overly trendy, and materials don’t appear cheap. When what you wear is understated and simple, you may look expensive as a result. It can also make you feel more confident, improving numerous areas in your life. Keynote, it’s not about being flashy, but rather confidence.
So, I flipped that on its side by posing looking high-end as a byproduct of dressing crisp and clean.. I always talk about the importance of fit, the effect of wearing monochromatic clothing, not latching onto trends, and wearing understated accessories. These all, in turn, create an appearance of looking high-end — without perhaps footing the expense. And dressing this way gives you the added benefit of feeling confident — like a million bucks.
Now, upgrading your wardrobe and keeping it fresh can be expensive. You may see an item that you love when you’re shopping, but the price tag may be too much when you compare it to your bank account. If you buy it, you’re going to be looking good sleeping on a park bench. No matter what, don’t EVER go into debt over something that you want right now. Debt sucks! So, I am here to give some tips this week on how to look stylish for less. Here’s how to find fresh and stylish bargains.
Keys to the kingdom here — with each of these options I am about to fill you in on, you must check them frequently even though most times you won’t buy anything. Simply pop in every now and then, preferably checking out several stores in a row. You’ll get a sense of which stores are expensive, which are overpriced, which have good deals and which never go on sale.
And now a word of caution with these money saving options for clothing: no matter how cheap an item is, do not buy it if it doesn’t fit you perfectly. The key to dressing sharp is keeping it simple, adding some contrast for pop, and only wearing clothes that fit your body. Too many people buy really nice clothes from outlets (for cheap) that do not fit them and they just shoot themself in the foot. If it doesn’t fit, don’t buy it.
When I was younger, I was stylish but didn’t have much money at all to spend on clothes, and even so, I was selected as the Best Dressed in high school. I frequently shopped at secondhand stores (thrift stores) like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Plato’s Closet, and Buffalo Exchange. But with any of these thrift stores, if you’re willing to hunt and not afraid to wear somebody else’s discarded stuff, you will save some serious cash!
You can find deep discounts — I’m talking 50-75% off of normal retail prices — at discount racks, especially at the end of a season. A lot of times you may find weird sizes, BUT you may be able to find something you absolutely love in your size. Just hunt!
A place where I find great deals is at the outlet stores. Now most brands have a retail store, but they also have the outlet equivalent with a deeper discount than you’ll find in the mall. A polo at your local mall is going to be pricier than if you find that same polo at the outlet. You may also find last year’s or last season’s stuff at a super price.
Lower price point retail stores like JCPenney are other places to shop. In the past, I have purchased an entire new wardrobe for an alpha m. Project participant for only $600. Also check out Uniqlo, Old Navy, Forever 21, Target, and H&M. I’ve also found some sweet dress shirts at Costco — so don’t leave this option on the table either.
Discount department stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack are also awesome places to find deals. These discount department stores essentially go to brands and purchase extra inventory that couldn’t be sold in their retail establishments. The shopper then gets to buy them at a discount. The issue with these stores is that you will have to hunt, so if you hate to shop, this is not the place for you. For instance, you may find a sweet shirt but it’s not in your size causing to you to have to hunt through racks for your size.
Hitting up the daily deal and flash sale sites is another option to find discounted clothing. These include Groupon, Amazon, Overstock, and Zulily. You will find brand-name items mixed with some unbranded items. Be a little creative and step outside of your style box as these sites are a notable way to save some cash.
I always sign-up for my favorite stores’ mailing lists for discounts. Simply visit the websites and sign-up – from there, you’ll get emails for sales they are having. These online deals are not sales found in stores. Keep in mind that when you buy online and it ends up not fitting, these stores typically have easy-to-return policies.
Abandon your cart for a money-saving hack. After you create an account and shop, add everything to your cart and then leave it. The company will come back giving you a deal to incentivize you with coupons or deal discounts to complete the purchase. If you want to easily have the internet scoured for the best deals and discounts, install a browser extension that will aggregate and apply discounts for you. Examples are Honey and Capital One Shopping (Wikibuy).
Getting creative can save you money – DIY (do it yourself). Buy a sewing machine and learn to sew in order to modify your old garments. Some of my best outfits and items I absolutely love are ones that I upgraded myself. For example, I’ve dyed my boots, cut off my jeans to shorts, created headbands from undies, and distressed my shoes. Also I replaced buttons on my old sport coats and jackets as well as changed buttons to give a little bit of a funkier edge. You can find a lot of tutorials on YouTube. Recycle and upcycle by taking the old and wearing them again.
And one last tip that’s very important – SHOP SMART. Stay away from trendy items. If you buy things that are stylish now, make sure that they’re going to be in-style for the next few years.If you stick to the basics (solids, timeless, classics), you’ll be wearing items for a longer period of time than trendy items.
See! At the end of the day, you don’t need to spend a ton of cash to look like a million bucks! And if you made it this far, here’s a gem of a resource for you that should save you a ton of cash: https://www.reddit.com/r/frugalmalefashion/
