The Art of Styling on a Budget

By Claire Weston

Edited by Taylor Morgan

JUNKO NAKASE / Unsplash

The pursuit of personal style can be difficult, but the struggle intensifies when you have to do it on a tight budget. We live in a fast-paced world, and the fashion industry mirrors this. Building a closet of clothes you love can be tough, but with the right approach, you can curate your perfect wardrobe on a budget.

Before you begin shopping, identify exactly what you need to ensure every purchase has intention. Create a list of the staple pieces you need, and then limit yourself to only buying from that specific list. The cheapest and most sustainable way to shop is knowing when to say “no” to something you don’t actually need or want. 

Finally, when it's time to find your new fashion pieces, you can go about it in a few different ways:

Online Secondhand Stores

The best way to shop on a budget online is through resale markets, like Depop and eBay. On each of these websites, customers can be buyers and sellers. You can capitalize on your wardrobe by selling clothing, handbags and shoes for a profit. This money can become the “shopping funds” that you use to turn your dream wardrobe into reality. 

Some other sites to peruse: Facebook Marketplace, ThredUp and Poshmark.

Pro Tip: Send offers to sellers (most will accept your cheaper price or will counteroffer you).

Secondhand Shops

ALLISON CHRISTINE / Unsplash

If you prefer in-store shopping, secondhand shops are your best option. It’s quite easy to find local thrift or secondhand stores in your area. If local shops are unavailable to you, the commercial thrift stores are also a great option. 

Secondhand stores are abundant within the Oxford-Cincinnati area. There are staples like Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul, but local stores exist, too. Some small-business shops around the Cincinnati area include Flow State Vintage, Casablanca and Pixel 19 Vintage. 

Additionally, stores like Plato’s Closet allow you to sell clothing pieces in return for some cash; however, note that this amount is likely to be quite low (in comparison to selling via an online secondhand store). 

Another secondhand option is to find local estate sales. One easy way to hunt for sales is to utilize social media and simply search “____ area estate sale.”

Repurpose Clothing

Another avenue for new clothing on a budget is to repurpose your current wardrobe with personal creativity. Adding new details to pieces revamps them and adds excitement to the clothing. A few simple ways to repurpose could be cropping a shirt, cutting jeans into shorts or simply cutting the collar off a top. 

Pro Tip: Miami University students can utilize the Makerspace in King Library, where sewing machines, embroidery machines and t-shirt printers are available for use.