YLF is for every budget
April 29th, 2008A forum thread on extreme budget shopping made me think that I should clarify YLF’s focus on mainstream fashion and style.
We have chosen this mainstream approach because it caters to the widest audience. The idea is that you can apply the information, regardless of your budget for clothes, footwear and accessories. We do sometimes talk about maximizing your budget in the Frugal Style category, but there are other bloggers that focus more on this topic. Two examples are the well known Budget Fashionista and the Budget Babe (one of our regulars on YLF), who will help you to stretch $100 further than you imagine.
We never post pictures of designer wear or budget wear because they’re not mainstream. We post pictures that illustrate the point in the best possible way. Pictures from mainstream department stores appear frequently because the details of the clothing are clearly visible, which is helpful to our readers. The intention is not that you purchase your entire wardrobe from Nordstrom!
I believe that having great dress sense and style can be learned and our job at YLF is to help you make informed wardrobe choices. Once I’ve planted the seed, it’s up to you to find the item that suits your pocket. Whether it’s Saks, Ann Taylor, Target, Ebay or Consignment is of little consequence. It’s important that you make savvy wardrobe decisions no matter what your budget or where you shop because that’s how effective and stylish wardrobes are built.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Thanks for this post Angie. It’s encouraging to be reminded that it doesn’t matter where I shop. Following your tips is helping me on my way to looking fab every day, even on my comparatively small budget.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I frequent www.fabsugar.com and it’s interesting to look at the photos in the lookbook area because you’ll see that there are quite a few truly fabulous fashionistas who find most of their clothes at Target, Forever21, consignment shops, and other similar budget places. You don’t need tons of money to look fab.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
The twist on consignment shopping (which I do a lot of) is to find the great ones. There is tons of bad consignment stores out there whose owners are not selective about the inventory they take, so they have stuff that’s badly worn, stained, torn, etc. But then there are the “pearls”, the really good stores whose owners are extremely picky about what they take, and that have a reputation for good wares.
I frequent one in Seattle that carries a lot of high end clothes, including designer items that sell for two hundred dollars (meaning they originally cost a five hundred or something… crazy! I don’t quite buy those ;-)) They also carry brands for the rest of us, including a lot of BR, AT, INC, etc. Their clothes are always in very good condition, well displayed, and priced accordingly. I might pay $24 for a top that originally cost between $50-60; and I’ve often paid $40 or more for dresses, little jackets, or fancy sweaters. So it’s not bargain basement prices, but the pricing is appropriate for the quality and the selection of the items. What I love about shopping there is also that I find items that I just wouldn’t have come across during my usual shopping excursions, like skirts or sweaters from little-known designers (at least little-known to me!), and that I likely won’t see on anyone else.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Antje — Would you mind sharing the name of your fav consignment store? I’ll be moving to the Seattle area in August and starting to look for my new resources!
April 29th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Of course. It’s “Fury” in the Madison Valley neighborhood.
April 30th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I am a longtime lurker here, but I just wanted to pop by and say that this was a great post. I agree that once you’ve got down some style fundamentals, how you choose to build your wardrobe is up to you. You do a beautiful job of highlighting those fundamentals. Thank you!
May 1st, 2008 at 7:26 am
Thank you for the compliment, Jennifer and I appreciate your professional perspective!
May 11th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Thanks so much for the mention, Angie. As long as you know what great style IS, it can be had at any budget… and that’s why I read your blog every day.