An earlier version of this article formerly appeared on Squidoo under the title How to Be Fashionable on a Budget.  As Squidoo no longer exists, I’ve decided to update it and post it here at “home.”

Fashion is Affordable

There’s no need to break the bank just because you want to look good. A few simple tricks – and the right clothing sources – will have you looking great without busting the budget. Keep reading to find out the best places to buy!

Step 1: Know Your Colors

Knowing what colors look best on you can go a long way toward making you look good! Are your best colors warm, cool, or neutral? Dark, light, or medium? Very clear, very muted/softened, or somewhere in between? It might take some practice to train your eye, but practice paying attention to what effect the colors have on your appearance.

The correct colors should act as a frame for the beauty that is you. They will not:

• Steal the show (overpower you).
• Be unduly overpowered by you. (Although this is much less of a problem!)
• Make you look grey, overly yellow, or any other unnatural or unflattering color.
• Increase the appearance of age/wrinkles.
• Increase the appearance of shadows.
• Make people ask if you’re tired or ill.
• Cause you to have a double-chin that isn’t apparent in other colors, or make your jawline seem to “disappear.”

 Color & Style Resources I Recommend

There are a number of tools (and professionals) to help you determine your best colors. I recommend David Zyla’s book (see below). If you’re looking for more of a “seasonal” approach, I highly recommend a system with more than four groupings. (Four is just too simplistic when it comes to colors.)

Color Your Style: How to Wear Your True ColorsGet It

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Step 2: Know Your Style

Knowing your style can be a little trickier than knowing your colors, in my opinion. There are so many aspects that go into this. What flatters your body shape? (It may not be what you think!) What complements your bone structure? And what reflects YOU?

Contrary to popular belief, many fashion “rules” are inaccurately broad. Black is not minimizing if it’s not your color; it draws attention to itself because it’s screaming, “I don’t belong here!” Short people will not ever look tall, regardless of how long or short our garments are. (In other words, give up trying to “dress tall.” It’s a waste of time.) And believe it or not, emphasizing your waist might be super-flattering even if you’re carrying 30 extra pounds — it just depends on your bone structure!

Although discovering what’s absolutely perfect for you might be a bit of a journey, the basic foundation is actually pretty simple: wear what you are. If you’re angular, wear angles. If you’re curvy, wear curves. (I know; “they” always tell us to do the opposite, to “balance things out.” It doesn’t balance anything. It just draws attention, like a foil in literature.) Is your jawline triangular? Mirror that with triangular necklines. Is it oval? Go for oval necklines. If you are very smooth and sculpted, your clothes should be, too. If you’re very textured, your clothes should be textured.

Sometimes this isn’t very obvious — until you put the clothes on. So try on some things out of your comfort zone. You don’t have to buy them! Just try them on at the store to get a feel for what looks (and feels) good and what doesn’t. You may find some surprises! I know I did. (For instance, I learned that my tiny frame doesn’t require tiny jewelry. I’m sturdier than my overall size would suggest, and actually look best with big, chunky jewelry! Who’d have thought? So try to think outside the box when you go to try things on.)

Step 3: Shop at Inexpensive Sources for Great Clothes

Once you have an idea what you’re looking for, you can make the most of sources like consignment shops and discount sellers. Of course there are offline options, like the local consignment shops, TJ Maxx, and Ross. But there are some great online options, too!

I have shopped — or at least window-shopped — at all of the following places and really found some great stuff. (Even better, many of them have referral programs that will enable you to earn credits when your friends shop. Like when you go find yourself some great stuff as a result of my recommendation. 😉 )  The entire outfit pictured above is one that I personally own, and every piece came from one of the following sources.

ThredUP

Online consignment for women and children (including shoes), ThredUP has GREAT prices, and clothing is in pristine condition.  Returns are pretty easy.

Twice

Online consignment for women only. Twice is a little pricier than ThredUP, but still has good deals. They stock top brands only (for instance they carry GAP, but not Old Navy). Offers free returns, including free return shipping.  [Unfortunately, a few of my favorite sources have gone out of business since this was posted.  🙁 ]

Swap.com

Swap.com has awesome prices and, while they have in the past catered purely to children’s products, I’m thrilled that they’ve recently introduced women’s clothing to their offerings.  They make it super-easy to sell, because their acceptance criteria isn’t as stringent as Twice or ThredUP.  Of course this means there’s a greater variety in the condition of the clothing available for sale here, but there’s a greater variety in the pricing to match.  Sellers set their own prices, so some will be a little more on the high side while others are at the lower end.

Returns on items you just don’t like are more limited here: only 3 times a year and up to $200 refund per order.  But the low prices make up for this if you just plan carefully.

Zulily

Zulily is a bit different from most of the other sites in this post.  It’s a variation on the “daily deal site” theme, where individual boutique events run for short periods of time. Zulily’s buyers use the power of numbers (us!) to get steep deals on awesome items.  It isn’t exclusively clothing, but a lot of their deals are clothing, and they have a knack and reputation for boutique-quality clothing for women and children.

Do expect to wait a while for your items, though (they only ship once the shopping event ends), and read item descriptions carefully.  Many items are not eligible for returns, so be willing to keep it or resell it.

Modnique

Modnique is overstock, I think, or something along those lines. There is a huge variation in price range here. As in, you could find a purse selling for $4 alongside one selling for $1400. So don’t go into sticker shock if you see something WAY above your budget; just keep looking. 🙂

I haven’t shopped here much, but I have found one or two great additions to my wardrobe.

Ultimate Outlet

This is the Spiegel outlet. The prices here are excellent. Only Spiegel, Newport News, and Sound FX clothing are available here, so it’s fairly limited, but if it’s what you’re looking for, it’s a great option.

I haven’t had a lot of success with buying jewelry and the like from most of the sites listed above, but I still don’t pay a lot for most of my jewelry.  (I do have some pieces that were bigger investments.)  My favorite inexpensive jewelry sources are Amazon (which is also awesome for wardrobe basics, by the way), eBay, and the following two sites:

2 Dollar Jewelry

As the name implies, all jewelry at 2 Dollar Jewelry is $2. Some of it is better quality than others. It’s a pretty good price for components to work with if you hack your own jewelry, though!  I’ve bought a number of pieces with the express intent of, for instance, painting them.

Paparazzi Jewelry

My experience with the quality of Paparazzi jewelry has been mixed, as well.  All Paparazzi pieces are $5, all the time.  You might have a Paparazzi rep near you.  (If you don’t think you do, ask around on Facebook.  Someone might surprise you!)  If you don’t, you can shop Deb’s Paparazzi store online.

Need fun leggings to go with tunics or under dresses?  Try UniqueCoolYou or Sparckily.
Looking for a great deal on something on another retailer?  Check out the POACH It and/or Shopping Notes extensions for Firefox.