You’re ready to dive deep into the fashion world and start purchasing those luxury fashion pieces you’ve been eyeing. However, you understand buying high-end clothing is a whole different daunting story. The prices are overwhelming, and you don’t want to make any mistakes. You don’t know where to start. Luckily, we’ve compiled some tips to shopping for luxury apparel the smart way.
- Put Away the Credit Card
Don’t buy luxury items unless you can afford it with your own savings. If you have to make your purchases on credit cards, you can’t afford to buy high-end. Also, don’t put your urge to wear luxury above your needs. Pay your bills first before buying your dream Chanel handbag.
If being a fashionista is what you want more than anything, more power to you. However, there is no point being risky about it. Create a savings account for your hobby and put any leftover money, after bills are paid, into it. Tap into this account when you’re itching to add something lavish to your closet.
- Wait for Sales
Even the fanciest brands will go on sale from time to time. When fall rolls around, the summer clothes need to be cleared out for the autumn/winter lines. As spring arrives, clothing retailers will be clearing out winter clothes for spring/summer lines. The prices will drop as seasons change, so that off-season items fly off the racks faster. That’s your best time to scour your favourite luxury fashion boutiques for great deals on your dream pieces.
- Be Fussy
Unless you’re swimming in money—and even if you are swimming in money—it’s not considered good practice to impulse buy luxury fashion. You don’t want to fork out hundreds, maybe even thousands, on a high-end item that you end up hating after the return window closes.
Know your personal style and own it. Take some time to understand what you’re looking for when shopping for clothes, and stick to the pieces you know you’ll love, no matter how much time has passed. Be discerning as you’re scanning those designer racks. Try on the clothes to make sure you’re comfortable in them.
- Stay Timeless
Staying timeless goes hand in hand with being fussy. You might want to follow every emerging trend, but trends will come and go, and some trends will come to be recognized as fads. Some style attributes are not here to stay.
While it’s not wrong to buy a trendy piece if you know you’re going to love it for a super long time, maybe think twice before snagging something bold you’ll cringe over in three months just because that colour, pattern, or feature is popular for the season. If bold is your thing, go for it; however, if you want pieces that you can always count on, stick to classic styles in neutral colours. Some things never go out of style.
- Mix and Match
You don’t have to fill your entire wardrobe with designer clothing. You may be tempted to do so, but as we all know, high-end comes with large price tags. Only wearing luxury fashion may not be financially feasible for you, but that’s fine. You can take your cheaper clothing and combine it with your designer pieces. Don’t be afraid to pair that Walmart blouse with a luxury skirt and jacket combo.
- Buy Pre-owned.
By some miracle, luxury brand fashion does end up in thrift stores every so often. What you’ll find will probably be odds and ends from previous seasons, but if this isn’t a dealbreaker for you, then give thrift or second hand stores a chance. You might get lucky.
Beware of counterfeits when purchasing pre-owned luxury items, although, you can mitigate against this risk by knowing your luxury brands well. With proper research, you can learn to spot the difference between a fake and a genuine article. Taking more than a minute to examine your finds also ensures you’re buying items in good condition sans rips and loose threads. Bear in mind, however, that being luxury items, secondhand doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, just a bit more affordable than a brand new item would cost.
Jacob Carmichael | Contributing Writer
