Any fashion lover knows that dressing well doesn’t necessarily have to mean spending big. Even so, we’re all likely very familiar with the feeling that comes alongside stumbling upon a gorgeous handbag or other piece that’s just a bit too removed from our price range. So how do you recreate all those more luxe looks on a reasonable budget?

Today, we’ll be sharing all of our best fashion hacks and tips to help you look runway-ready without maxing out your credit card. Read on to learn how you can transform your look and wider wardrobe with minimal investments.

How To Look High Fashion On A Low Budget

 

Shop sales and special offers

First and foremost, it’s important to stay spend-savvy whenever you’re looking to add new items to your wardrobe. The best way to do this is not to opt for fast fashion, but actually to shop sales and take full advantage of special offers. For example, you can earn Qantas Points when you shop at David Jones and other high fashion retailers via Qantas Shopping. Imagine being able to earn rewards that you can put towards your next holiday as you revamp your wardrobe!

We recommend also following your favourite fashion retailers on social media or even to sign up to mailing lists, just to stay in the loop regarding upcoming sales and discount codes. You’d be surprised by how much you can save during peak sale periods.

Before we move on though, let us reiterate that being ‘spend-savvy’ doesn’t mean that you should shop at fast fashion outlets. In fact, you may actually find yourself spending more in the long run when wearing fast fashion, just because of the poor quality that’s so typically seen across these products. And let’s be honest, who’d want to wear polyester when you could wear pure cotton?  So treat yourself! Shop your favourite brands, because you deserve nothing better. Just do so strategically!

 

Create a capsule wardrobe

Speaking of fast fashion, it’s no secret that conscious consumerism is a trend that’s certainly here to stay, and for very good reasons. The fantastic thing is that fashion labels are also embracing this eco-friendly mantra that ‘less is more’, with many moving towards prioritising quality over quantity wherever they can. Some labels have even expanded their range to include highly durable essential wear, just so you can enjoy superior quality and longer wear across your entire wardrobe, from your plain white tees to your denim jeans.

Because your essentials are lasting for a lot longer than they may have done in the past, it stands to reason that you need a smaller wardrobe now than you would’ve ten years ago. Enter the concept of the ‘capsule wardrobe’.

As its name suggests, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing items that are virtually all interchangeable with one another. This means that your wardrobe doesn’t consist of just static outfits, but a collection of versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to create a wide variety of different outfit combinations.

By investing in a few versatile, high-quality pieces of clothing, you can create an elegantly luxe-looking wardrobe that’s built to last. It doesn’t get any more spend-savvy than that.

 

Get thrifty to snag some vintage finds

Even if you do have a capsule wardrobe at your disposal, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still feel free to add a few statement pieces to your rotation. After all, sometimes a girl’s just gotta invest in a neon pink faux fur coat, we get it. Even so, you don’t necessarily need to buy your statement pieces from an upscale boutique store, especially not when your local thrift store is guaranteed to be packed to the rafters with unique pieces.

You’d be surprised by just how many hidden gems you can find in any thrift store, from vintage shirts to second-hand suede boots and everything in between. In fact, if you’re on the hunt for a specific item to complete your wardrobe, chances are you may very well be able to find it at your local thrift shop. So put on your go-to shopping outfit and hit the streets to visit all your favourite second-hand stores. Who knows what you may be able to find?

 

Go monochrome

Monochrome looks are very much in at the moment, and we’re here for it. Wearing clothes that are the exact same colour and shade can help you create a classy coordinated look that could’ve been pulled straight from the pages of Vogue, or perhaps even from the notes of a Kardashian stylist.

To make a monochrome outfit work, however, you need to make sure that the colour of each item in that outfit is perfectly matching across the look. For example, wearing something that’s off-white on an otherwise all-white ensemble is guaranteed to make you stick out like a sore thumb. You’re better off wearing something darker to contrast the white in this instance.

On that note, if you do decide to wear a different shade to what would otherwise be a monochrome look, then consider playing around with textures or fabric materials. That way, your accent item will be distinct from the rest of your outfit in multiple ways, not just by colour alone.

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As you can see, looking high fashion doesn’t have to come at the expense of all your hard-earned savings. That, and there is a lot more strategy to staying ‘spend-savvy’ than you may have imagined. And truth be told, these shopper skills can take a little time to hone too, so don’t be discouraged if you feel like your dream wardrobe is taking longer to come together than you’d like it to. 

Just be sure to use all of these fashion tips and tricks, and you’ll find that your wardrobe will indeed begin to organically change over time. In just a few short weeks, you’ll find yourself with more higher quality garments in your rotation, meaning less frantic shopping trips to try and replace something that tore at an inopportune time.