Building a great wardrobe doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be expensive!
Today we are going to share with you 5 tips to strategically build a wardrobe on a budget.
Let’s begin.
1. Set A Goal For Your Style
Simply put, how do you want to look? What is your style goal?
A question we ask our community members in our interview is :
“Describe your personal style in 3 words or less”.
If your three words are, modern, adventurous, and natural, then your style goal might look like the people pictured above.
Set a clear goal, and then being finding out how you can get there.
A goal without a plan is just a dream.
Speaking of planning, that leads us perfectly into Tip #2.
2. Research, Research, Research
What are the best jeans a man can buy?
The internet would likely respond “Japanese Selvedge Denim” to the above question.
But how do we even get to this point?
Start buy typing “best__________ for men ” or “best______for women” in a Google search.
For my example, I may research “best denim jeans for men”.
Then I would take a look at the search results and begin reading. Things I would look for are :
- What makes this brand so special?
- What brands keep popping up in each search?
- What are customers experiences like with this item?
- Is there a warranty (does the company stand behind their product)?
- Would this last for a long time and be worth the investment?
Before I make any purchase above $50, I will always spend plenty of time researching. Google, YouTube, and asking friends are all great resources to use.
Remember, we are building a wardrobe strategically, and on a budget. So we must take all the proper steps.
3. Buy In The Order That Makes Sense For Your Life
The picture above says a lot. You can look at the picture and see the lady already owns a nice hat. In fact, she wore it into the store.
In her hands is a very similar hat with the main difference being it is a straw hat as opposed to the felt hat she is currently wearing.
So should she buy the very similar yet slightly different hat?
Maybe, but probably not.
If she really loves hats, and will wear the felt hat in the upcoming Fall/Winter months, then maybe she should go ahead and buy it.
But I would also argue she probably should not get it.
If you already have one of a item, do you really need one that’s only slightly different?
Instead of buying that, you can buy a different item that fills a hole in your wardrobe.
Let’s say the lady in the picture would be attending a wedding soon, but didn’t have anything to wear to it.
Rather than buy another hat she should buy a classic outfit for the upcoming wedding.
One more thing before we move to Tip #4.
Buy only what makes sense for you.
Do you never go anywhere formal? Skip the suit and tie. You clearly don’t need it in your wardrobe.
Are you always at work and hate dressing like a high schooler? Then maybe you don’t need sneakers.
Buy in the order that makes sense in your life. You may find that some things you don’t even need.
4. If You Don’t Love It, Don’t Buy It
This one is a pro tip for sure!
If you don’t love a item in the store, you’re not going to love it when you take it home.
ASAS Facts
Using this tip will not only save you money, but it will also keep your closet nice and tidy.
Rather than being full of items you kinda like, it will be full of items you can’t wait to wear.
If you need a second opinion from a friend on a item, chances are you should leave it at the store. You’ll know when you’ve found the next piece in your wardrobe.
5. Always Pick Classic Items Over Trends
The thing about clothes is that certain items go “in and out” of style all the time. Clothing items that fit this description can be considered trends.
Examples of trends include :
- Oversized clothing
- “Nerd” glasses
- Certain brands of shoes (looking at you Croc’s)
Other items that will always have a place in a stylish man or woman’s wardrobe are considered classics.
Examples of classic wardrobe items include:
- Navy suit (gentlemen)
- Black dress (ladies)
- Dark brown dress shoes (gentlemen)
- Black heels (ladies)
Every man or woman reading this post probably has each of the respective items in their wardrobe.
This shows you the far-reaching influence of a true classic clothing item.
And the reason we at ASAS encourage you to purchase classic items is because these items will always have a place in your wardrobe.
Whether it’s a wedding, graduation, dinner party, or even a funeral, the above classic items will see plenty of use.
This is in contrast to trendy items that will only last a few months at most. Once their season is over, the masses will switch to the next trend.
It’s just not financially wise to spend money on clothing that will only be used for a few months and may not be “trendy” again for several years.
Pro Tips
To bring all these tips together, here are a few pro tips for your consideration.
- You don’t need the most expensive item of everything in your closet
- Thrift stores, Poshmark, Plato’s Closet, Ebay, and Target are great places to get great items for less
- Sell existing items in your wardrobe to fund buying the newer items.
- Always buy versatile colors first. Navy, maroon, olive, khaki, and gray are your friends. Black and white can work well also.
All the clothes in your wardrobe would be considered “used” if presented to someone else.
“But I take care of my clothes!”
Fortunately, you aren’t the only person in the world who takes care of their clothes.
With that in mind, don’t be afraid to buy used clothing. Read the laundry care label, and do all the washing you need to!
Conclusion
We hope this blog post has given you plenty of tips to get started on building your dream wardrobe.
If you have any tips to share with the community please share them below in the comment section. We are here to help each other after all!
Until next time, yall have a good one.
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