When I think of all the things that are listed on my bucket list, attending Fashion Week is at the top. I think anyone who truly adores, appreciates, and admires the fashion would feel the same way as I do. Fashion Week isn’t just a week to see skinny, freakishly tall models walk up and down a runway. It’s a week of pure genius; a week to appreciate the minds behind such brilliant masterpieces. As I admire from afar, I think to myself that one day I’ll be able to wear Alexander McQueen’s outrageously gorgeous heels and Chanel’s timeless blazers and pleated skirts; or maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to rock a Hermes Berkin bag on my arm. But my hopes and dreams are quickly shattered once I see the price tag on these items which, for a college student on a tight budget, is completely out of my range.
Many college students just stick to the “cheap clothes that they can afford” when shopping. But that should never keep you from buying quality clothes or accessories. Just because your bank account can’t afford a Fashion Week wardrobe, doesn’t mean that you have to look like you went shopping in the bargain bin. It’s very simple: you can look like you spent thousands of dollars on items that actually cost you next to nothing. There are so many deals, steals, and sales if you just look for them, and sometimes they’re already sitting in your closet.
When all of a sudden you decide you need a new wardrobe or the new season is coming up, as girls, we tend to want to throw everything out and start fresh. DON’T DO IT! The worst feeling is throwing out an item that you didn’t wear as much only to realize that it could have went great with the outfit you planned to wear today. Which comes to my second tip of advice: DON’T throw away everything. You may think that none of your clothes fit the fall trends this year, but they just might. Add pieces that are absolutely essential (and not something that you already own). The only way to avoid buying something you own already is to take inventory of your closet before going on a shopping spree. And you just might save money shopping this way. Even if you have to spend less on certain items in your closet, I suggest buying a few splurge pieces that would be great investments for many seasons into the future.
So for my expert fashionistas, these tips are nothing new but simply what you live by. But for my not so fashion and shopping savvy, hopefully you will now have a new outlook on fashion. Love fashion. Embrace fashion. Enjoy fashion. After all, fashion doesn’t hate you, so why should you hate it?
Remember: Fashion IS your friend.