How I Afford Contemporary/Luxury Fashion

As a young adult trying to make it as a fashion blogger it’s crucial that I keep a constant stream of the latest trends. This can get pricey at any fashion price- point, but especially when I prefer slightly more upmarket brands that are definitely considered more investment pieces.

There is a way to be able to be trendy while buying nicer pieces which is what I’m going to talk about today!

Plan Around Sales:

We all know that there are end of season or mid-season sales which are amazing for scooping up the best deals on those soon – to – be out of season clothing. However, there are also sales that happen intermittently throughout the season where you can get clothing from this season on sale with a substantial amount of time left to wear them!

My favourites:

Saks Fith Avenue buy more save more

Holt Renfrew 25% back sale

Holt Renfrew Pre-Fall Sale

Revolve Summer Sale

Sephora semi-annual sale

Shopbop Designer Sale

Shopbop Surprise Sale

For the most part, I do try to plan my spending throughout the year around these sales. Now some like the Sephora sales and the Saks buy more save more do have pre-scheduled dates that you can find online. The others tend to be a bit more random so it’s best to simply keep an eye on your inbox or have your local sales associate text you right before they happen.

Here is how I break down my shopping during the sales:

Saks: I find Saks sales to be the best for shoes and handbags. Saks also usually does a pre-sale a week or two before the actual sale starts so you can scope out the best pieces and have the best size range.

Holt Renfrew: Denim, shoes, luxury. Holts is my favourite place to find deeply discounted denim. I’m so particular about the jeans that I wear (Citizens Rocket Sculpt are my all time fav), that once I find a brand that makes a flattering cut on my frame, lasts forever and keeps their shape well I pretty much stock up for fear they will discontinue them… Citizens of Humanity PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS TO ME. I tend to wait on purchasing denim and almost exclusively look when it’s sale time because $300 jeans are simply not feasible. Actually, $300 jeans are just not worth it when you can wait a month or so and get them 40-60% off. I always wait and get two or three pairs during sale times. Shoes again, you can get some brands at Holts for a STEAL. It’s almost criminal how discounted some of the shoes are. Luxury is another amazing Holts sale purchase, especially when it is the gift card sale. What happens is if you spend x amount you get a percentage onto a gift card. The more you spend, the more you get back. It’s buy- more- save- more but it’s not called that so we usually just refer to it as the gift card sale. There are usually more expensive brands like Moncler included and there are very few exclusions, making it the best time to buy those big ticket items because you inevitably get 15-30% back on a gift card. The gift card then, of course, can be used to purchase something else.

Sephora: I buy back-ups of my go-to skincare and makeup products weekend one. Then on weekend two, I go back and pick-up any “fun items” if they are still in stock. These items can be a new eyeshadow palette or something that I wanted to try that I was unsure about. The trick to this these sales are they happen around the same time every year so it’s super easy to plan financially for them.

Shopbop and Revolve: These ones are a little bit harder to know when they are coming but they are always discounting things or giving out promotion codes! I try to buy clothes from brands that are popular on Instagram from these sites. Revolve also has a MASSIVE influencer marketing campaign constantly running, so for me personally as a blogger it’s beneficial to feature their clothing to try to get some visibility from their PR/Social Media Team (Revolve if you are reading this I love your clothing please contact my manager!).

Saving Up:

There are pieces that never go on sale or even if they do they are still $$$. There’s not a whole lot else to do in these situations but save up what’s required.

There are of course splurge items but then there are investment pieces. Before each piece of luxury purchased I always consider the value the item will hold, the brands status in the influencer community, the value my followers place on the item, the practicality and how frequently I will use the item. These considerations are not listed in any particular order.

Why Does the Value of The Item Matter?

I once had a guest lecturer come into a class I was taking at Parsons who talked about the vintage market. What stood out very clearly in my mind are that some luxury pieces will hold their value or even appreciate, while others will be worthless.

Items that hold value: Chanel Bags, Hermes Bags and Scarves, Chanel Jewelry and timepieces.

I think about this on the off chance I ever wanted to resell one of my pieces, I want to ensure that it (like a painting) has appreciated and become more valuable. It’s an odd way of looking at fashion but I’ve found it to be true. If you think about the Birkins being auctioned off for hundreds of thousands of dollars, imagine the increase in value on a rare Chanel bag or even a pristine Chanel bag. I’m thinking about doing a whole post about Investing in fashion, so stay tuned for that!

Practicality and Frequency of Use:

When looking at any luxury purchase I think about how practical the piece is and how frequently I will wear it.

With my luxury pieces, they don’t always need to be as practical as a pair of prescription glasses (if you need them) but they do need a certain functionality ie. bags that can hold more than just a lipstick and credit card, shoes that can be worn more than once etc. With the frequency of use goes back to the “can be worn more than once” statement. There are obviously moments where a pair of expensive shoes are clearly not practical but I do think about how often I can wear them and what they will match in my wardrobe.

Online Rebates:

When all else is considered websites like Ebates or Honey give you a certain percentage of your money back.

Those are all the tricks I use to help me afford more contemporary and luxury fashion!

xoxo Steph