Cheap Outfit Hacks for the Fashion-Forward (but Budget-Conscious)

I’ll admit it— I own very few pieces of name-brand and designer clothing. I wasn’t raised to be particularly materialistic, and I’d rather spend any money I am able to save on travel and experiences, anyways, but occasionally I do enjoy dressing up (and if I can do it on the cheap, that’s even better!)

Recently I got some compliments on a couple of my outfits on Instagram, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on dressing-up on the cheap with you all (and see if you all have any tips to share, as well!) Let’s dive right in—

Gucci belts— get the look without breaking the bank

A Gucci leather belt is something I’d particularly like to own someday (so far, I only own a Gucci bodysuit, and I cannot wait to wear it on a special occasion like Valentine’s Day or my birthday!), but they range in the hundreds-to-thousands of dollars. My solution? Ditch the interlocking-G logo for now and go with a simple, H&M brand knock-off to obtain the same look! I recently wore my own faux-leather H&M belt to copy the look, here:

H&M faux-leather belt for, like, $10 instead of $100s!

Of course it’s not Gucci, but the effect on the outfit as a whole is the same. What’s more, if you actually want to splurge on an authentic, leather Gucci belt, I’ve seen them for just a hundred-or-so dollars (as opposed to five or six) on The Real Real (which I highly recommend browsing for sustainable fashion finds!) All in all? I probably spent $25 on this outfit, as the jeans were thrifted from a friend, the bodysuit was also from H&M ($15), the coat was thrifted from my mom (it was hers in the nineties!) and the belt was hella cheap. Bless up!

Bell-sleeve witchy-vibes (when you don’t have Stevie Nicks money to blow)

This one was another sweet thrifting-meets-knock-off-fashion find, and generated a lot of buzz on my socials. Every autumn I start feeling the Stevie Nicks vibes (don’t we all?) and when I saw this bell sleeve dress on sale at Urban Outfitters I nearly DIED. This is why you should always browse the clearance rack in the summer for your autumn/winter finds, y’all—

You’ve probably seen this one before— a “witchy” fit I threw together from the clearance rack and my own (old) closet finds!

I got this dress for around $15. For Urban Outfitters, that’s a great deal. A dress that was like $75 - $80 while it was in-season was snagged for less than the price of a dinner out with just a little digging in the clearance section. What’s more? The stockings are around ~8 years old, because I never really throw anything away lol, and they were also a cheap find from Aeropostale at the time! The necklace was also Urban Outfitters (clearance jewelry, hell yeah!), and all in all this outfit probably also cost $25 total (but I didn’t buy everything all at once, so really it felt like even less!)

Designer bags without the hefty price tag? Yes, please!

One more tip I give to everyone who asks me “where (I) got that outfit from” is this— THRIFT, shop wholesale, and shop OUTLETS. My first Coach purse (a huge canvas-type bag which I can’t find a picture of, boo) was purchased for $50 at the Coach Outlet (as opposed to $200), and lasted for years. In fact, I still have it— but buying from the outlet store (instead of full-price at a regular Coach retailer) saved me mega bucks.

I also love wholesale/overstock stores like TJ Maxx, Michael’s, Burlington Coat Factory, etc., and have found hella cheap bags, accessories, and sometimes even clothes there, too! Recently I saw a Kate Spade purse (blush pink and black leather exterior, over-the-shoulder clutch look) which retails for $280 on sale for just $60 at TJ Maxx! I may or may not go back for that one soon, if it’s still available, since it’s literally less than a quarter of the price of the regular retail item.

So, what funds-saving fashion tips do you abide by? I’m a certified shop-a-holic but always on a budget, so I’d love to hear more about where you all like to shop on the cheap (while not compromising on cuteness, of course!) Let’s discuss—

Xoxo, MM.