As most girls realize when they age, things that are oh-so-important in high school aren't nearly as significant in the real world. No one really cares if you have the 2 crossing half-circles on the butt of your abercrombie jeans. In order to make up for lost time, I have gone the other extreme, buying much of my clothing from secondhand stores and, heaven forbid, even picking up a piece from Walmart on occasion. I definitely still have my splurges, but the beautiful thing is no one can really tell what I spent bucko bucks on and what I got for pennies. Or maybe they can and I'm just oblivious :) Regardless, life is so much better not fretting about brands and labels, let me tell you.
Now, it's not easy to be a secondhand shopper, it usually takes more time searching and a lot more creativity. But, if you purchase 3 items for 10 bucks, and you only end up loving one, it's still a steal.
A couple days ago, after rummaging through some "pre-loved" goodies, I brought home some beautiful new additions to my wardrobe. And then made my roomie take some pictures to prove that you can dress like a fashionista without spending like one.
His and hers
Lastly, you'll be tempted to disregard all washing/handling instructions because you're not going to pay 10 bucks to get those 6-dollar wool pants dry cleaned. But don't. Because you may end up with capris. Unless of course you like capris. In which case, go right ahead.
Whoops.