Thrift stores are kinda a big deal in NYC. Fashionistas from all walks of life obsess over them. When someone asks a New Yorker where they got their shirt form, it has become cool to say "it's thrifted" because this means it's an exclusive item that not any regular person can get their hands on.
While some girls prefer to stay on trend with the cultural shifts and trends of fashion, others like to dress "outside the box" and collect their own unique items. There are many benefits to thrift shopping.
Check out this article Time Out created on the best thrift stores in NYC.
Have you been to any of them? I'm not a huge thrifter myself considering it takes a lot of time to go through racks and racks of clothing to find one decent item. I prefer online shopping or popping into my favorite stores to ensure I go home with a good find.
One of the upsides of thrifting are the prices. Lots of people are able to find really cool items or even designer items for cheap.
What do you guys think? Do you like thrifting?
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Dress for Success
I grew up in New York, and have always been surrounded by the most fashionable people in the world.
I walk through Soho and find tons of people creatively expressing themselves through the clothing items they choose to wear.
I walk to the deli on the corner and see models strutting their model-off-duty looks with cat eye sunglasses and oversized black knit sweaters.
The same even goes for places like grocery stores, nail salons, and museums. Wherever you go in NY, it's always filled with great fashion.
I used to hear the saying "dress for Success." I now realize what that means and how it applies to our world today.
When you dress well, you can stand out. I admire people who leave their apartments looking put together in cute clothing. It makes me think highly of them versus if they wore sweatpants to work every day.
Growing up, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I realized that it all started with my school uniform. Boys had to wear button down polo-style shirts and tan or navy pants and girls were encouraged to wear the same shirts paired with a navy or tan pleated skirt.
The same went for high school (kind of...). For the majority of my high school experience, the faculty and the students were in a large dispute about the leggings policy. The faculty claimed they, like ripped jeans, were not suitable for school because they didn't look professional. While we did not have a set uniform in high school, we were surely expected to look decent and well-dressed at all times.
Teachers always encouraged my classmates and me to look the part if we wanted to succeed in life, and I think I'm finding out now how true that is.
When going in for a job interview, I think long and hard about what I'm going to wear. When I recently went to interview for a fashion PR internship, it was one of the hardest outfit decisions I've had to make in a while. (Side note: I completely bombed the outfit aspect and chose a simple black dress... that's it. Nothing unique. What was I thinking?!)
How you dress at work tends to put a message out to the world that you take the job seriously. My current internship in the beauty industry serves as a perfect example of this. My boss dresses in heels and a pretty dress every day. She had an unexpected meeting last week and would not go because she did not think she looked put together enough. That's how important her style is to her.
Anyway, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I think part of the reason I love fashion so much is because it can legitimately alter who you are, or at least how you are perceived by the world. Dressing nicely can help you give off a great first impression, which is why I care so much about presentation.
Thinking back to my school uniform requirements made me realize that fashion can seriously serve as a tool to help you in multiple aspects of your life. I'll always hold on to the phrase "dress for success."
I walk through Soho and find tons of people creatively expressing themselves through the clothing items they choose to wear.
I walk to the deli on the corner and see models strutting their model-off-duty looks with cat eye sunglasses and oversized black knit sweaters.
The same even goes for places like grocery stores, nail salons, and museums. Wherever you go in NY, it's always filled with great fashion.
I used to hear the saying "dress for Success." I now realize what that means and how it applies to our world today.
When you dress well, you can stand out. I admire people who leave their apartments looking put together in cute clothing. It makes me think highly of them versus if they wore sweatpants to work every day.
Growing up, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I realized that it all started with my school uniform. Boys had to wear button down polo-style shirts and tan or navy pants and girls were encouraged to wear the same shirts paired with a navy or tan pleated skirt.
The same went for high school (kind of...). For the majority of my high school experience, the faculty and the students were in a large dispute about the leggings policy. The faculty claimed they, like ripped jeans, were not suitable for school because they didn't look professional. While we did not have a set uniform in high school, we were surely expected to look decent and well-dressed at all times.
Teachers always encouraged my classmates and me to look the part if we wanted to succeed in life, and I think I'm finding out now how true that is.
When going in for a job interview, I think long and hard about what I'm going to wear. When I recently went to interview for a fashion PR internship, it was one of the hardest outfit decisions I've had to make in a while. (Side note: I completely bombed the outfit aspect and chose a simple black dress... that's it. Nothing unique. What was I thinking?!)
How you dress at work tends to put a message out to the world that you take the job seriously. My current internship in the beauty industry serves as a perfect example of this. My boss dresses in heels and a pretty dress every day. She had an unexpected meeting last week and would not go because she did not think she looked put together enough. That's how important her style is to her.
Anyway, after hearing that phrase over and over again, I think part of the reason I love fashion so much is because it can legitimately alter who you are, or at least how you are perceived by the world. Dressing nicely can help you give off a great first impression, which is why I care so much about presentation.
Thinking back to my school uniform requirements made me realize that fashion can seriously serve as a tool to help you in multiple aspects of your life. I'll always hold on to the phrase "dress for success."
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Cheap/ Fashionable Clothing Stores You Should Know About
I've managed to talk about cheap clothing stores that are fashionable without actually mentioning my list of them! I promise you I am a true "expert" on this topic. Let me prove it. Below are the places you have to check out if you want trendy/ cheap clothing. I've linked each of the stores below. Simply click on the store name and it will redirect you to their website.
- Misguided →I'm not going to elaborate because I mentioned in my last two posts how wonderful this store is. Definitely check it out ASAP.
- Boohoo → Very Similar to Misguided. There's currently a 40-80% sitewide sale. FYI they recently collabed with Paris Hilton.
- Pretty Little Thing → Similar to Misguided and Boohoo. I group these three together because they are verrrrrrryyy similar.
- Asos → They are super popular because they have many different brands. Their prices are higher than the websites above, but you can always find solid options here. Free shipping and returns always.
- Forever 21 → Everyone knows about Forever 21. They have extremely cheap clothing options, and expanded to accessories, shoes, home goods, cosmetics, etc.
- Nasty Gal → They have unique pieces. A bit pricier than my other websites, but you're sure to find some cheaper cute things. I like this store, but I like the story of how it was started even more. Watch the Netflix Documentary GirlBoss to see how it was started.
- Zara → I love Zara for basics. You can always find the perfect white t-shirt and pair of jeans. I prefer shopping at Zara in stores vs online.
After you check out these sites, you're sure to do some damage to your credit card. Remember to always utilize their discount codes and check online for promo codes people post. Happy shopping!
Monday, June 11, 2018
My Take on Discounted Fashion
Coming from the discount/ coupon/ clothing sale expert, I'm here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with discounted clothing. If you look at my last post, you'll see that I did a bit of research on the topic. Today's fashion industry (keep in mind I'm speaking from a New Yorker perspective) is obsessed with high-end, luxurious name-brand labels, unique clothing pieces, and staying on top of trends.
For those of you reading who are female college students like me, a $600 Gucci shirt is not in your budget. I'm a 20-year-old living in NYC, one of the most expensive cities in the US, so the majority of my money goes to rent, food, and money for social activities. Don't even get me started on tuition...
Anyway, something that is important to me is how I dress. Fashion is such a great way to represent yourself, and keeping on top of trends is always fun. I've gathered a list of some really great trendy stores that won't break your bank, which I'll share in a few posts from now.
Don't get me wrong, if you have the money and enjoy spending it on luxury fashion, that's great and you should go for it. But for the rest of us who love new clothing but don't have thousands of dollars laying around, I'm here to share my opinion on discounted clothing.
I'm 100% for clothing on sale, stores that have major weekly/monthly discounts, or simply cheaper stores. I absolutely don't think there is anything wrong with buying cheap clothing.
Some may disagree. Take someone like my sister. She and I have similar fashion styles, are similar in age and economic status, but often prefer different stores. She has expensive taste, and rather buy one or two nicer dresses that cost a bit more.
I, on the other hand, rather have double the amount of new dresses that cost way less.
To put it simply, she is turned off by the idea of a $20 dress, while I think it's absolutely great.
When you find cute clothes that are on a major sale, you must remember a couple of suuuuuuppper important things before you buy:
1) The quality is not going to be the best. There's a reason these designer stores charge so much. Their products normally last a while longer than that of a less expensive brand. As long as you're okay with this, go for the cheaper option!
2) There's tons of controversy which I plan to write about, regarding brands that rip off designers and sell look-alikes for much less. There is a lot of debate over this, and I have conflicting opinions. For now, we're just going to assume that it's okay.
Overall, if you're trying to budget your money, don't let others force you into spending your entire paycheck for one single new Prada bag. Unless this is something you truly want and need, follow my blog's later posts and try shopping at some of the places I recommend. You'll be able to buy a lot more new things and will end up not spending too much money. No matter where I shop, I always try to get a discount. Whether that's scouting out the sale rack, going to cheaper stores, or applying an online promo code to my checkout chart, finding discounts is something I love doing and encourage everyone to do the same.
For those of you reading who are female college students like me, a $600 Gucci shirt is not in your budget. I'm a 20-year-old living in NYC, one of the most expensive cities in the US, so the majority of my money goes to rent, food, and money for social activities. Don't even get me started on tuition...
Anyway, something that is important to me is how I dress. Fashion is such a great way to represent yourself, and keeping on top of trends is always fun. I've gathered a list of some really great trendy stores that won't break your bank, which I'll share in a few posts from now.
Don't get me wrong, if you have the money and enjoy spending it on luxury fashion, that's great and you should go for it. But for the rest of us who love new clothing but don't have thousands of dollars laying around, I'm here to share my opinion on discounted clothing.
I'm 100% for clothing on sale, stores that have major weekly/monthly discounts, or simply cheaper stores. I absolutely don't think there is anything wrong with buying cheap clothing.
Some may disagree. Take someone like my sister. She and I have similar fashion styles, are similar in age and economic status, but often prefer different stores. She has expensive taste, and rather buy one or two nicer dresses that cost a bit more.
I, on the other hand, rather have double the amount of new dresses that cost way less.
To put it simply, she is turned off by the idea of a $20 dress, while I think it's absolutely great.
When you find cute clothes that are on a major sale, you must remember a couple of suuuuuuppper important things before you buy:
1) The quality is not going to be the best. There's a reason these designer stores charge so much. Their products normally last a while longer than that of a less expensive brand. As long as you're okay with this, go for the cheaper option!
2) There's tons of controversy which I plan to write about, regarding brands that rip off designers and sell look-alikes for much less. There is a lot of debate over this, and I have conflicting opinions. For now, we're just going to assume that it's okay.
Overall, if you're trying to budget your money, don't let others force you into spending your entire paycheck for one single new Prada bag. Unless this is something you truly want and need, follow my blog's later posts and try shopping at some of the places I recommend. You'll be able to buy a lot more new things and will end up not spending too much money. No matter where I shop, I always try to get a discount. Whether that's scouting out the sale rack, going to cheaper stores, or applying an online promo code to my checkout chart, finding discounts is something I love doing and encourage everyone to do the same.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Millennial Shopping: Driven By Prices
I'm happy to learn that a surprising amount of money is spent on clothing, seeing as I definitely add to this statistic. As the online shopping world expands, so does the amount of money spent online. Millennials make up a large amount of consumers in the online shopping world. According to Nielsen.com, "shopping for apparel is a regular and frequent activity for most U.S consumers."
College students are no exception. With modern technology expanding, online shopping can be as easy as a click of a button (or screen in the case of iPhones.) Online stores make the purchasing process user-friendly and they allow consumers to simply select the items they want, and check out in a matter of seconds. You can store your address and credit card number in your phone's memory to make purchasing your items easy and convenient. Companies are figuring out ways to make online shopping exciting and something consumers want to do frequently. Perhaps this is why shopping is so common these days!
College students are no exception. With modern technology expanding, online shopping can be as easy as a click of a button (or screen in the case of iPhones.) Online stores make the purchasing process user-friendly and they allow consumers to simply select the items they want, and check out in a matter of seconds. You can store your address and credit card number in your phone's memory to make purchasing your items easy and convenient. Companies are figuring out ways to make online shopping exciting and something consumers want to do frequently. Perhaps this is why shopping is so common these days!
Richard Kestenbaum, a contributor to Forbes.com, wrote an article explaining why millennial shopping is so important. As of June 2017, there were 80 million millennials. Together they spent $600 billion dollars annually. The prices of clothing is extremely important for millennials because "almost 80% are influenced by price. Even as much as they are looking for other values from their products" some of which include, "authenticity, local sourcing, ethical production and a great shopping experience, nothing beats a discount no matter how old you are."
According to Kestenbaum, the topic of brands is very prevalent in this day and age, "A majority of millennials follow brands on at least one social media platform" because they want discounts. "Two-thirds of millennials say they will switch brands if they are offered a discount of 30% or more." Discounts are frequently used when purchasing clothing. Kestenbaum notes that 72% of millennials spend an average of 3 minutes looking for a coupon before making an online purchase. While "that may not sound like a lot" of time, "online shopping is meant to be fast, simple and easy, three minutes of searching for coupons is significant and clearly an important motivator."
The main takeaway here is the millennial shopping habits are something to pay attention to. We want shopping to be fun, easy, quick, and most importantly, cheap!
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Fashion on a Budget: The Intro
Welcome to my blog, where I talk about fashion from a female college student's perspective. Join me as I help young women budget their money while staying fashionable.
Growing up in NYC, I've always been surrounded by fashion. New York is the fashion capital of the world (or at least one of them) and throughout the past couple of years, I have come to recognize and appreciate fashion as a tool of self expression and as a creative outlet. Expressing yourself by wearing unique clothing helps you become an individual/stand out.
Attending college in Manhattan really changed something for me. Cool, intricate, and distinct clothing swarms not only the streets of New York, but also the hallways of my school. I love clothing, and nothing excites me more than to pick new pieces out, try them on, and bring them home to my already way too overflowing closet.
While high-end, luxury brands are fabulous and highly desired, I'm here to talk about buying fashionable clothing on a budget. I've gathered quite a bit of knowledge on different stores, and want to share my recommendations for where to shop, what trends are going on, and how to budget your money and find the best sales.
Join me on this fashion journey as I hope to create a supportive community that is in constant conversation about the overwhelming world of fashion. Let's delve into how to look stylish without going broke.
Growing up in NYC, I've always been surrounded by fashion. New York is the fashion capital of the world (or at least one of them) and throughout the past couple of years, I have come to recognize and appreciate fashion as a tool of self expression and as a creative outlet. Expressing yourself by wearing unique clothing helps you become an individual/stand out.
Attending college in Manhattan really changed something for me. Cool, intricate, and distinct clothing swarms not only the streets of New York, but also the hallways of my school. I love clothing, and nothing excites me more than to pick new pieces out, try them on, and bring them home to my already way too overflowing closet.
While high-end, luxury brands are fabulous and highly desired, I'm here to talk about buying fashionable clothing on a budget. I've gathered quite a bit of knowledge on different stores, and want to share my recommendations for where to shop, what trends are going on, and how to budget your money and find the best sales.
Join me on this fashion journey as I hope to create a supportive community that is in constant conversation about the overwhelming world of fashion. Let's delve into how to look stylish without going broke.
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