Weekend Fix – Affordable Style Is Not An Oxymoron

By Brian Maynor
October 18, 2013

Last week someone asked me if there was a minimum price point for style.  The question came from a young professional who has a set budget for wardrobe and recognizes that by looking at every pieces as an investment piece her wardrobe will grow very slowly.  Yet she needs and wants stylish and trendy clothes.

So this week I took the challenge of pulling together stylish inspiration looks that were comprised of items under $100.  Here is what I found and some tips to remember when balancing budget and style:

1.    Do you really get what you pay for?  This is one of the most asked questions and as a general rule the answer is ‘yes’, but not always.  In the past there was never a question that a higher price meant better quality, but that standard has slid in recent times. 

Price and quality are relative and not mutually exclusive.  Many people mistake the correlation to mean they are the same thing, but they are not.  We know what to expect from a $5 t-shirt or $20 dress.  You buy it, wear it, washed it and thrown the misshapen, tattered remains away shortly there after.  While it is possible this cycle will happen with a more expensive item, the likelihood is very slim.

2.    So what is quality?  That word is used a lot and a key characteristic of building a wardrobe, but what does it mean?  Generally speaking quality is based on the material, cut, stitching, hem, buttons and overall construction and craftsmanship all work.  

3.    No price on style.  How many times have you purchased an item simply because of the brand, knowing it was a mistake?  We all have at some point in time, but my hope is that the occurrences are few and far between. 

A label or brand alone does not make an item stylish or right for you.  If you look like a hot mess no one is going to say, ‘Wow, that outfit is all wrong, but at least it’s designer.”  Showcasing your sense of style is all about how you put pieces together for an overall look, not how much it cost.

4.    Slow and steady.  While we all like buying and wearing something new, when you look at your closet is that all you see?  A miss-matched amalgamation of random pieces you picked up on impulse simply because you wanted something new.  When you start purchasing quality items it will be a slower process because you will weigh the importance and value of the item to you much more carefully.  No one thinks twice about picking up a $5 item, but does it really speak to who you are and the image you want to present.

Bargain shopping is not a bad thing, but it can lead to bad habits.  It is very easy to become caught up in the instant gratification of inexpensive clothing without consideration of how it is affecting your closet and overall wardrobe budget.  I will continue to advise that it is not the number of items in a closet that is important, but the quality and number of items you actually wear.
 

Click on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

Click on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

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