I thought it would be fun to make a sort of a list of all of my favorite places to shop for clothes and what I like to buy at each place. My budget is not huge, and I do not like to pay a lot for clothes, but I find that if you are willing to shop the sales, you can go to nicer places and find beautiful things in (almost) any budget. Here we go!
For classic pieces that have that little something special, I trust The Limited and The Loft. They have beautiful fabrics and textures that make you happy to get dressed in the morning (although they do call for a little extra care if you want to keep them looking new). Some examples of some great pieces I have picked up from The Loft include a beautiful black pencil skirt (a Christmas present form my folks), as well as a pretty great “old man sweater” that is grey on one side and fawn on the other (I’m a cardigan girl). From the limited I have a deep blue T-shirt with a pretty droopy bow on the front that I got for only 10 dollars! It is so flattering that I went back and got it in the green too.
For fun, special pieces, my go-to store is Urban Outfitters. You can get so many statement pieces there that will make you feel beautiful and like you are the most well dressed, original looking girl in the room. My one problem with them is that they do tend to like extra baggy and sometimes too short styles (which I am not a fan of), so try everything on to make sure it is long enough, and flattering. My favorite Urban Outfitters buy is my purple dress (you can see a photo of it in this blog if you look below). They are also a great place to find beautiful leather flats, but be prepared to pay full price (usually about 30 to 40 dollars a pair).
I also like Dillard’s for their great shoe sales. I have gotten so many great leather shoes over the years in the 20 dollar price range that have lasted better than any other shoes I have. I have had a great pair of black leather pumps that work with everything and are super comfortable.
Steve Madden is wonderful for its boot sales, although I am not going to pretend that they are exactly cheep. They are something that I need to save up for, but certainly worth it to have good quality boots that you can live in all winter. I am on the lookout now for a good tall black pair.
Forever 21 is great when I need to find something in my price range and can’t wait for a sale. Say you need something for tonight; you have a pretty good chance of finding something you will like without having to shop around. Just watch out because they have a pretty big mix of both good-enough fabrics and pretty shabby ones. They are also a pretty trendy store, which is okay; just don’t ever spend too much money on anything you may not like next year! Still, you can get lucky. One of my favorite tops is a burnt orange well fitted T-shirt with a little bit of crocheted lace on the top that I have had for years. I take extra good care of it (it has never seen the inside of the dryer) to keep it from falling apart of getting covered in pills.
Gap and Target are my go-to places for basics. For example, Target is the best place in the world to get simple, long soft tank tops, and Gap is the king of the basic T. Both stores provide good quality pieces that are so affordable, if you find something you like you can get one in any color (assuming Gap is having a sale of course). I just bought some basic T’s from gap that I adore. They are simple, but often have a little something extra to keep it from being boring. I am wearing a soft pink gap T right now that has a touch of mesh on the shoulders and around to the top of the back. So flattering.
I am a Gap girl all the way for jeans, but you have to try them on. Gap sizing is all over the map. I have jeans in size 4, 6 and 8 from Gap and they all fit perfectly (if not a tiny bit big by the end of the day, including the 4’s). I like them because they are durable, soft, and there are lots of styles to choose from. I like their “long and lean” (runs large in my experience), and their “sexy boot cut” (true to its name), but I absolutely love their “skinny” jeans. The dark ones are extra flattering for curves, but I like their lighter wash as well. I just keep buying the dark wash again and again, just so that I can wear them as often as possible!
In my opinion (which of course is what I am writing about), there is absolutely no reason to get Gap jeans at full price, as they have on-line and in-store sales almost every other week. For that matter, there is pretty much no reason to get anything at any of these stores for full price. I never even look at the full priced items, but always make a B-line for the sale rack. The Limited for example has some truly surprisingly low sale prices from time to time (like my new jewel toned tops).
No matter where I go, I stick to these simple budget rules: spend no more than 10 to 15 dollars on any top, no more than 15 to 20 dollars on a cardigan (unless it is really special and will last forever), 30 to 50 dollars on jeans (and if they are 50, they better be the best jeans in the world), and spend whatever it takes on good bras and underwear! It is worth it for something you are going to wear every day that is going to completely define how the rest of your outfit will look.
So there you have it! Of course rules are made to be broken, and everyone’s budget and style is different, but that is what I like. I’d love to see Rachie’s list next as I know she has her own go-to places, and spends a bit more on each piece than I do (I’m guessing) but always looks so amazing it is worth it!
Happy shopping!
