Establish Fashion Confidence on Any Budget

Have you ever taken a moment to think back to your interests as a child? It can actually be quite an enlightening exercise because you will find that many of the desires and hobbies you had when you were young, actually correlate to your current career or even how you spend your free time. I have always been a writer. Ask my parents. I was known for my short stories, song lyrics, poetry, and even speeches. You see, my father is an author, motivational speaker, song writer, artist, etc. So I definitely got his creative gene. But I think many of us were inspired by our parents as kids and followed in their passion footsteps.

When I take a look at all of my current interests; fashion, beauty, photography, writing, etc, I can actually pinpoint an instance in my childhood when I also loved those things. But if you have been following the blog for a while, then you know fashion was not always my thing in this internet space. 

If you remember, in the very beginning this blog was all about beauty and makeup. Many of you were actually able to witness my fashion journey as I developed my own personal style. But the interesting aspect is that I can actually remember being a kid and loving fashion. I traveled a lot due to my father’s career and we would buy a lot of magazines to keep us children preoccupied. My sisters and I would take permeant markers and draw new outfits, cut out the pictures, and even create mood boards. I was subscribed to Seventeen Magazine and Teen Vogue in my young adult years, always learning and peeling over the beautiful images in the magazine.

The thing is I didn’t have a whole lot of money when I was growing up. That $25-30 top just seemed like a whole lot of cash that I just didn’t have. So I disregarded it. I put fashion on the back burner. It’s sad really because so many of us have grown up with the thought that you need money to achieve certain things in life, but it honestly isn’t true. 

I’ll be real and say that this outfit is one of the pricer ones I have done on the blog. But I also have numerous posts that are super budget friendly.  I linked these items below to show you how you can also create this look for less. Fashion does not need to be determined by a budget. Follow these tips to find out how! 

Shop the Look for Less 

1. Gain Style Inspiration 

This is the most key step in dressing on a budget while still appearing stylish. If you have a goal in mind or you have narrowed your style into a specific category, you will know what it is you need to look for when shopping. Create a mood board by cutting out photos of styles you like or you can just do it the digital way via Pinterest.

2. Know What You Want

Now that you have had some fun and narrowed your field of vision, it is time to get serious. Spend time really looking through the images you cut out or pinned. Do you really want to look like that? Narrow your field. Do you love florals? Do you hate color? Really figure out what it is you like. Because once you know what you want, you can shop for it. 

3. Does It Pass the Buy Test?

Before you buy any new item, ask yourself these questions. Does it look like the images I have pinned on my inspiration board? Can I see myself wearing this confidently? Will it fit my lifestyle appropriately? Are the colors true to my personal brand or personality? If you can answer yes to all of those questions, it passes the test! 

4. Who Gives a SH**

Gain a new perspective. It’s call, who gives a sh**. At the end of the day, you are dressing for you. So it doesn’t even matter what I say. I am here to give advice if you want it. But you should be dressing for one person only. YOU. As long as you are happy, REALLY happy with your clothes, that’s all that matters. Read my post: Dressing for Happiness for more on that subject. 

What interest did you have as a kid, I would be super interested to know if you have done that little exercise I discussed in the beginning. Once again, thank you so much for reading. Stop back again soon for even more style tips and inspiration!