Due to the increased use of social media, fashion trends are ever-changing, and it can seem impossible to keep up! However, I’m here to share that you can partake in various trends and stay fashion-forward even on a college student budget.
invest in your aesthetic
TikTok is the best way to gauge what clothing items are currently trending. People are constantly posting about different aesthetics like coquette, Y2K, clean girl, and dark academia. Still, you may get overwhelmed by how quickly these trends go from dominating the For You Page to complete internet obscurity. The key is to only invest in the clothes you feel particularly drawn to. If someone tries to have a complete wardrobe for every TikTok micro-trend, their clothes will soon overtake their room. “Wait, isn’t there supposed to be a bed in here?” A great way to save money is to make sure you’re truly drawn to a certain style before investing in it.
thrifting
Once you’ve decided on your newest obsession, it’s time to start on the path to discovering a new wardrobe. However, most of the brands social media influencers recommend are on the more expensive side and the ones that aren’t are usually involved in environmentally destructive practices. It can seem impossible to balance not investing in fast fashion brands while not spending a ton of money on clothes!
This is where thrifting comes into play. Thrifting is the act of going to a thrift store (or multiple thrift stores) and finding clothes that fit your style for a fraction of what they would normally cost. Some popular thrift stores in the Tallahassee area are Savvy Salvage Thrift, Curio, Goodwill, and City Walk Urban Mission (which is half off on Wednesdays!). Many of the clothes at thrift stores are vintage or even handmade, so it’s nearly guaranteed that you won’t find anyone else wearing exactly what you have on. If you have the ability to find potential in even the weirdest-looking clothes, you’ll be able to discover hidden gems that align perfectly with your chosen aesthetic.
local businesses
However, with the increased popularity of thrifting, it can be hard to find exactly what you may be looking for. If you have a certain, specific piece in mind, I recommend taking a look at local small businesses, so you can feel more fulfilled by investing in the community. Some that I would recommend are Quarter Moon Imports for the hippie aesthetic, Bows and Arrows Boutique for preppy FSU gear, Divas and Devils: House of Style for the ’60s and ’70s style clothes, and The Other Side Vintage for rare vintage pieces. These articles of clothing will probably be a bit on the pricier side, but you’ll be sure that your money is going into supporting local curators and designers along with receiving something extremely unique.
To budget effectively, you must be purposeful with your purchases. Let’s say, for example, you have become obsessed with the coquette aesthetic. This style calls for lace accents, bows, pastel colors, vintage dresses, and, of course, a lot of pink. First, you scrounge through the Goodwill bins to find cute pastel clothes that someone’s grandma probably gave away (Who cares? This is on trend!). You find yourself surprised at how many items you found for so cheap! Then, you comb through the racks at Curio and Other Side Vintage to find some genuine vintage dresses and accessories that you couldn’t find while thrifting. At last, you return home, taking pride in how you found so many wonderful pieces and stayed under budget!
By keeping these tips in mind, you can easily prevent yourself from ordering pounds of clothes from fast fashion sites that will not last as long as items found in local stores, where they’re treated with care rather than cheaply constructed in a factory. Using this strategy will guarantee that you have the most unique wardrobe while saving money.
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