How To Make Inexpensive Clothes Look Classier
Posted by: Lily Q
Filed in:
style
2:30PM, Sunday November 1st 2009
Sometimes it’s hard to understand why designer clothes cost as much as they do. Admittedly, a decent chunk of the price discrepancy between non-designer and designer items has everything to do with the fancy labels. But another part of that astronomical price tag is legitimately deserved. Designer clothes, after all, are simply made well. The finishes are superior, the fabric more expensive and the general quality far and away beyond the average wear-it-once frocks you find at stores like Forever21. That said, four digits for a cocktail dress is still quite a lot to wrap one’s head around. So here’s one for all the ladies (and gentlemen) who are appalled at the idea of spending much on clothes but still want to look classy. Take the jump and you’ll find five really easy tips for making cheapie items look far more expensive than they are.
- Change the Buttons: Perfectly passable inexpensive pieces are given away time and again by their crappy buttons. The good news is that all you have to do is go to a fabric store, buy more expensive looking buttons and replace those junky plastic ones. If you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can even pay someone $5-10 to do it for you.
- Alter It: I’m starting to feel like a broken record, but I really can’t tell you how much of a difference slight alterations make. Shorten the hems on your bargain pants and you’ll look chic rather than vaguely like you’re trying to sweep the streets. Taper your pencil skirt just slightly to give it some shape. Nip the waist of that dress or those pants in and your outfit will automatically look more expensive.
- Belt It: If your cool, inexpensive new dress comes with a sash, chances are that said sash is junky looking. Ditch the flimsy faux-silk ribbon in favor of a thicker, less synthetic one from a craft or fabric store. Or, better yet, lose the sash altogether and add a nice belt.
- Fabric Is Important: Style you can fake, fabric you cannot. Regardless of how great the shape is, cheap fabric is always obvious. Stay away from anything that’s more than 20% synthetic. Shiny things, too, take you down a dangerous road.
- Buy Expensive Accessories: You’ve saved money on the dress and jacket, so buy a kick ass pair of shoes. Not only will they look better now, they won’t fall apart next month. Cheap shoes, much like icky fabric, look obvious. Same goes for bags and belts. Every girl should own at least one nice purse and belt.
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dizzy
wrote on November 1 2009 @ 07:29 pm: [report]
How much does it cost to get someone to alter my clothes for me? I have several outfits that I would love to have tailored but I’m afraid of the cost.
MissQuinn
wrote on November 1 2009 @ 08:34 pm: [report]
When I need to get something altered, I take it to the local dry cleaners. They have a lady who does the alterations. Just go in and talk to her/him and find out the price. It varies on what you are having done. If it is to expensive, just thank them for their time and walk away. But you will find that doing one piece at a time is worth it. Especially if it is something that you love to wear. It is worth checking out!
thickasawhaleomelette
wrote on November 2 2009 @ 01:15 am: [report]
6. Confidence: You know your dress is from Target, but if you wear it with confidence, no one else will guess.
Jessalyn
wrote on November 2 2009 @ 10:17 am: [report]
@dizzy: Depends on where you live, but it’s usually not that bad, depending on the piece. I had a cocktail dress with a complicated skirt in a tricky fabric hemmed for about $40 and a pair of jeans done for $18 at the same place (both at a dry-cleaner I know overcharges for everything - I probably would have saved at least a few dollars on each by going somewhere else). Especially for something like pants that I know I’m going to wear all the time, it’s definitely worth it.
abbylyn
wrote on November 2 2009 @ 10:51 am: [report]
@dizzy - also, if you live near a college, check with their theatre department and see if anyone working in the costume shop would be interested in doing some alterations and making money on the side. I did it while I was in college.
Hurricane KC
wrote on November 2 2009 @ 11:04 pm: [report]
@dizzy - for more formal type stuff, I’d recommend finding a good tailor. It’s well worth it to make something off the rack look like it was made for you when you’ve got an important function. I had a bridesmaid dress altered at a tailor I trust for about $75. He had to take up the bust, the neck strap, the waist, and the hem. (Only part that fit was the hips, bummer). He had me come back to do the hem after he’d fixed all the rest, and it wasn’t nearly as long once they took up the top parts. It was totally worth it. My dress fit perfectly!
Aurora85
wrote on November 3 2009 @ 12:13 am: [report]
Great tips! Fabric is the one thing I always emphasize. I need to start paying more attention to alterations and accessories from now on.
Jillakiss
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 09:01 am: [report]
Great advice. I couldn’t agree more about #3 and #5. Re: #3, I also find that lots of cheapie tops and dresses are using cheap sashes to fake #2. As much as a cincher helps, it can’t just be a quick, cheap solution.