Fashion Tips on a Budget

Well, despite me being on a saving mission, I decided to splurge out a bit
on a suit – as it happened – it was not a bad deal for £42 getting a suit jacket,
trousers, and shirt. Obviously, we’ll see what it’s like before making any further judgements but it was nicely discounted.

I suppose that the reason to purchase is derived from the utility gained from a product – if the utility is sufficiently bigger than the price, then the decision is easy. For example, even if someone was broke, and a house was cut to half the price, then they would bust a gut to get it.  The credit crunch has cut this perceived utility though which explains why people are not longer as willing to part with their cash.

My wardrobe is still in development; I’ve thrown away or donated loads of clothes to charity since last year. The sad truth was, I was a bit clueless and a fashion victim. Let’s take a suit; of which I own perhaps one now;  subconciously I would fall into the trap of that more expensive = better. This is just not true and doubly more so when we are talking about the low to mid-ranges.

When you have limited cash, the most important consideration is fit, not brand. A cheaper suit that fits well is far better than any suit that does not. If you live in a city, then you can see by looking at guys just how many people have suits that don’t fit properly. Jackets that are too long or loose, trousers that are too loose. You’ll also see guys who have got it right; a guy in a well-fitted suit looks confident and powerful. The effect is something that money can’t buy.

Honestly – something well fitted will draw compliments; then when you tell people that it was cheap, they might say ‘oh’. But this is a symptom of the society we live in, that cheap = not good. Let’s not fall into that kind of trap.

Here are my tips that I’ve learnt:

1) Know your size. It’s surprising how many people don’t know what theirs is, or base this on a mixture of estimates or wishful thinking. Get the tape measure out and do it. Baggy is not a good look; if you look at the celebs that dress well, things verge on the edge of tight.

2) Play to your strengths: If you’ve got a defined phyisique, then get stuff that is tighter. Muscular arms, then show them. It is really amazing the difference that fit makes, even a simple white t-shirt can look vastly different when correctly fitted.

3) Know value. With a lot of sales on now, there is a lot of decent value in clothes. With fit as your first criteria, this opens up a lot of options. For example, I refused to shop in shops like Primark because it was cheap. But having rescinded this, there is a lot of acceptable stuff in there that fits great. If you see something you really like, then go for it – but bear in mind the usage factor. I find that it is always best to reserve bigger purchases for things that will last – suits, jackets, shoes – the longer the life, then the more you can spend.

4) Accessorize. This is a dead cheap and effective way of making different outfits look different. Belts, bracelets, chains, hats, the list is endless. Subtle touches, like matching your belt colour to your shoes, really go a long way.

5) Don’t go too fast too soon. Sales and the internet mean that it is often quite tempting to splurge and buy loads at one go. This is usually a mistake – resulting in extra clothes bought in ‘gag’ mode, that you realise won’t be worn. If you shop on the internet, go for someone with a good returns policy. And buy little at a time, consider each piece you buy and whether it will complement what you have got at present. This reduces those kind of clothes that you have in the wardrobe that don’t seem to suit anything, and therefore never get worn. I was an absolute sucker for sales, I would just add loads of things to the basket, thinking what great value it was.

6) Don’t be afraid to chuck things out. You see those dormants clothes – all they do is take up space in your wardrobe and make you think you have more clothes than you really have. You say in your mind ‘I’ll wear it one day’, but never do. Get rid of it; and you’ll motivate yourself to get some decent replacements.

7) Balance. Don’t go bananas on one type of clothing, for example, t-shirts, at the expense of jeans, or even the essentials, such as underwear or socks. Quality, not quantity is the way forward. You may get paranoid about seemingly wearing the same clothes, but believe me, other people care less than you think. I see pretty girls that dress quite similarly a lot of the time, and I sure don’t laugh at them.

A good site for men (sorry, I don’t know women’s) is www.kinowear.com. Check it out.