How are people affording fashion?
"Hacks" from a girl with expensive taste and a finite budget
I know I am not the only one who has wondered how the fashion people I follow can afford to continuously splurge on high-end items. Almost every link I click on ranges from a $500 to $1500 price tag. I am coming from a natural place of curiosity, not judgment, though I do sometimes ask myself, are we living in the same economy? If I’m being honest, maybe I am a little jealous.
This embarrassing thought process led to self-reflection. I am someone with expensive taste and a finite clothing budget. My husband said it’s like my taste is a size 8 and I have to squeeze it into a size 4 budget. Without reading into the numbers, I thought it was sweet how he was trying to speak to me in my language. These are some ‘hacks’ I have used to ‘squeeze’ and acquire pieces I treasure in my closet, without breaking the bank.
Always check eBay before paying full price, especially if said piece has been around for a long time. I have found the Jenni Kayne Cooper Cardigan for $255 (originally $525), Nili Lotan Shon Pants for $210 (originally $375), and a brand new Longchamp Le Pilage tote for $50 (originally $155). OH and a Doen silk slip dress for $179 (originally $400). In my experience, eBay sellers don’t know what they have in the way that Poshmark or Vinted sellers do, so I can get a better deal. I realize saying that isn’t a great look, but I won’t sugarcoat it for you.
It’s worth noting for the sake of transparency that these eBay prices are still a high investment to me. But more do-able than the original price tags which were honestly never in the question.
Know how to navigate The Real Real. I have talked on my Substack before about TRR fatigue, and opening the app still immediately overwhelms me. However, I have saved a pretty penny and found some beloved gems. I was recently ISO of a basic black blazer to elevate my casual work outfits. I wasn’t necessarily excited about the purchase because blazers typically feel a bit too mature for my style, but I knew it would be worth it to have. I also wasn’t eager to spend much, but a poorly made blazer is worse than no blazer at all. Cutting to the chase, TRR was the perfect spot to score a well-made blazer at H&M prices. I got a Giorgio Armani one that is 100% wool and 100% silk-lined for 60 bucks. I also set saved searches so I don’t have to scroll past anything not part of the plan. I am checking daily for a pair of Jamie Haller loafers and Freda Salvador flats- both have previously sold for under $100, so you could say my hopes are high.
*Katie Casper’s Instagram has the best tips for saving money shopping second-hand- I highly recommend following!
Etsy for accessories. Nothing is better than finding unique, handmade pieces at reasonable prices. I have a jewelry and accessory round-up coming soon, and 75% are sourced from Etsy. The key to finding the gems is knowing what you're looking for and using keywords in your search. I was swooning over a jasper necklace at a boutique jewelry store and was able to find a similar one made with all-natural stones on Etsy for less than half of the price. I even asked the seller if I could get a custom length, and she was beyond accommodating. I’ve been able to find fabulous evening bags that I love to wear, and love that I didn’t have to spend much to acquire. It is worth including that Etsy is my go-to place for graphic tees as well.
Patience. Everything that I have bought in the last year was on my wishlist for MONTHS beforehand. I see something I love, and I save up for it or wait for the opportunity to buy second-hand. I think this is the part of the cycle that we don’t see from influencers, perhaps because they don’t experience it. For me, I have very little instant gratification when it comes to shopping, it is always a long game. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to buy a $500 sweater, I had it screenshotted on my phone for a year and finally found it on eBay.
Spend shamelessly on what you want, save ruthlessly on what you don’t*. There are areas of my life where I am frugal, so I don’t have to be so much so with fashion. My makeup is minimal, my shampoo bottle runs me $1.94, I make my coffee at home, and I am very mindful while grocery shopping and typically skip the ‘fun’ items (thinking of the Ollipop and Siete chips I passed up). My husband and I usually don’t get each other gifts on holidays, try not to order in very much, and often have road-tripped when a flight would’ve been more convenient. My point in sharing these things is to squash the notion that anyone ‘has it all’. Nobody thought I did, but I’ll still take the opportunity to humble myself. This saved money doesn’t translate directly to a larger clothing allotment, but it is representative of our general finance mentality of saving money on anything we don’t feel strongly about, so we can invest in what we do. That last line is for my husband if he is reading, he knows I would girl math that passed up Ollipop into a new pair of shoes if I could.
Understand the implications of composition. A little bit of synthetic isn’t ALWAYS a deal breaker. It’s a hot take in the fashion world, and one I see both sides of, so here’s my anecdotal explanation: I was debating whether I should get a pair of GANNI flats or an adjacent Steve Madden pair. Spoiler alert: the Steve Maddens are in my closet*. In most circumstances, I would’ve scoffed at the synthetic used to cut corners on the Steve Maddens and waited it out until I could buy the real deal. However, the Steve Maddens are only synthetic on the outside, which is patent anyway, so it would be impossible to tell, and still makes them extremely durable. The lining, where it matters most, is genuine leather- no sticky feet here. By thinking through all aspects, I got the look I longed for for 1/4 the price.
*I very recently read HMS’s substack about dupes, which I know was thought-provoking for a lot of us, myself included. If I were to go back, I think I would find a different edgy flat that isn’t a direct knock-off of GANNI’s design. Still, I think my story can help explain why a man-made material doesn’t always mean you have to turn and run.
This concludes my ‘hacks’ for squeezing into your clothing budget. This isn’t a topic I see discussed often here. Sometimes I wonder if we aren’t all pretending that a few hundred dollars on an article of clothing is no big deal. Or maybe my perspective is even less relatable, in which case, I love that for you!!
I’ll leave you with one last reality check… the outfit I’ve worn most of this week. I can’t publish fashion ‘advice’ without reminding you this is who it’s coming from, take it all with a grain of salt… LOL.
You are articulating a thought that's been in my head all week, as my other Substackers are earnestly dropping $960 on High Sport cropped kick flare pants & $5000 on Margaux bags from The Row. I sit there and wonder 🤔 if they feel they're getting good value out of these and also what they're doing for work that funds this lifestyle.
Well said, Elle. As someone here mentioned, so much gifting is happening — and in other cases people have major overspending issues whether they can afford it or not (I should note that the over 50 set have major spending power; with $15 trillion in purchasing power, we’ve been coined “super consumers”).
But even with financial freedom, I am always surprised how much people shop. I worked in-house for a designer and write about fashion and beauty now, and have never seen the consumption at the rate it is today. It’s worrisome to me.