Oftentimes, we think that the key to great style is the next outfit that we are going to buy, but actually, the key to having a great personal style is clothes that are sitting in your wardrobe right now, waiting to be worn. In this article, we are exploring how to upgrade your wardrobe without spending any extra money. If you feel like you have a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear, if you feel like you are in a little bit of a style rush, if you just feel like you want a bit of a refresh, a revamp, then this article is for you.
Less is More
The first tip for how to look expensive on a budget is to follow the rule less is more. Always have in the back of your head “less is more”! If you really want to look expensive, which is fantastic when it comes to addressing the word budget because we like to hear less, so we get to spend less! If you want to upgrade your wardrobe and look more expensive as a whole, steer clear of crazy patterns and colors, keep things neutral, opt for neutral colors, earthy tones, lots of creams, and black; monochromatic outfits often have a really expensive feel to them. Avoid neon colors if you want to look really expensive unless they kind of make your skin tone pop and they really work for you. That is a great thing, but they tend to look a bit cheaper and not as expensive as your neutral palettes.
Thinking about less is more, opt for minimal jewelry. Things that are kind of dainty, not too loud and over-the-top. Get a lot of small kind of cheap pieces that people could think are from anywhere because they are just very plain and simple.
Get Clear on Your Personal Style
This is where some people struggle because we can pull influences from so many different areas for our style. We are constantly bombarded on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, social media, magazines, and TV with lots of stylish people, and we can sometimes look at them and think, if I wear exactly this outfit, then I too will be stylish. But unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work like that. So when you are defining your style what you need to do is to ask yourself some very simple questions. You need to look at your own personal lifestyle, what you do day to day, where you are living, what your job is, if you are someone who loves the Bohemian relaxed style but you are a corporate girly who has to do formal presentations every week to clients, then your wardrobe and kind of idea of your personal style might be a little bit mismatched. You have to go back to basics and get clear on where you are currently and what you need from your closing.
Go Through your Existing Wardrobe
Go through your existing wardrobe, but you are going to look at this with fresh eyes. We can often get really jaded when we look at our wardrobes, and really, there is so much potential in there that we are not seeing day-to-day. Oftentimes, we think that the key to great style is in the next outfit we will buy, but actually, the key to having great personal style is sitting in your wardrobe right now, waiting to be worn. So, with all this in mind, this is when you will go through your wardrobe. Try on everything as much as you possibly can. This is where you are going to see if your wardrobe needs a little bit of a clear edge, and oftentimes, it usually does. You should ask yourself how I have worn this recently. Am I going to wear it in the future? Does it fit me? Can it be altered? Does it look tatty or worn? Does it actually need to be repaired?
You might find some items are occasion wear, so you might not wear them very frequently, but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of them. You can keep your occasion wear and your special pieces. It’s your core basics that you should be wearing regularly. Now, as you go through it, you are also going to have a pile of maybe items, and these are items that you are just not sure about.
Put Outfits Together
While you are going through your wardrobe with that fresh mindset from your mood boards, getting clear on what you want to need from your style is where you will start to put outfits together, which is the key thing. So many great outfits are sitting in your wardrobe right now that are just waiting to be combined. Sometimes, you need some inspiration from Pinterest, and sometimes, you need to just play around with things. This is what really makes such a difference. Something that is incredibly helpful is photographing outfits that you like. Create a folder in your phone where you pop in photos that you’re just taking in the mirror outfits you love. You won’t believe how helpful this tip will be for you. It is like building your own catalog of outfits that you have ready to go.
Good personal style is like a muscle and you have to work it to develop it. You kind of just have to show up every day and get dressed to be able to dress better, and you will find that the more you do it, the easier it is, and the more natural it comes to you to put these outfits together. Having that folder of outfits that you know you love is so helpful and then you can also go back to your Pinterest board when you need more inspiration.
Style
Try our items and take pictures of ones that you like flexing those style muscles and styling those items. If you can style for the next few days into different outfits, it’s going to show you that you can keep it. But if you really are struggling to style it, then you are going to know it’s time to let it go! Your personal style is not about buying the perfect outfit that you are seeing online or staying up to date with the latest trends. It’s about getting into your wardrobe and maximizing it, and actually developing your own personal style from getting dressed every day. Great style is all about outfit repeating, re-wearing, restyling, and maximizing those basics that you have.
Bottom-line
With these tips, you have successfully reset your style for 2024 without spending any money. You will probably be able to spend a little bit smarter and wiser about shopping. With this article, you are going to be clear on what you need, and when you are in the shops browsing online, you can always refer back to your Pinterest board, which is going to be your holy bible for your style reset. You can also refer back to your photos folder for all of your outfits. You will be able to see if this particular item that is catching your eye is actually going to work in your wardrobe and if it is going to be worth the cost per wear.
