(via jak&jil)
Lately I’ve gotten some e-mails and comments from readers asking how I can afford designer clothing considering that I’m a student and not in the least wealthy. I don’t really like talking about my economy but since you asked so kindly, I’ll give it a shot.
To be frank, I’ve never had a proper job as in I haven’t been hired by an employer. When I was fifteen-years old, I was quite fortunate and got the opportunity to tutor two children piano. I earned far from 100 bucks a month. Until I turned seventeen, I realized that my closet was packed with useless, low-quality rubbish, which I obtained on sale at H&M. Additionally; I was utterly determined to stop drooling over luxury items. Rather, I wanted to get hold of those items. Such a puzzle! How can someone like me afford luxury, which is simply out of my league? Evidently it didn’t take me long time to figure out how to be able to afford high-quality clothes, particularly because I experienced this nightmare:
I remember the four weeks I spent in Paris a couple of summers ago. I managed to save the money I got from tutoring, roughly 800 euros, which took me almost a year to save up. At that point, I didn’t care much about quality and prioritized quantity. Accordingly, I spent half of my savings on cheap, secondhand or poor quality clothing that I didn’t try on before buying, because they were so cheap. I was a maniac and impulsive shopper, and my days were spent in thrift stores merely to find steals. My over-consumption resulted in two enormous suitcases bulging with clothes that had a funky smell. Most of the clothes did not even fit me. That said, I spent 3 euros here and 3 euros there, which eventually turned out to be the same price as a pair of high-quality designer boots. The worst part of this summer was the surprise trip to London after I came home from Paris. To my surprise, I didn’t spend every penny in Paris, so I could continue the futile shopping in London. I spent the rest of my savings on clothing from Primark. Period.
That’s how my new era started. With my savings, I could have afforded a designer bag or a delightful pair of quality shoes. Instead, I wasted my entire savings on… yes, clothes that I ended up donating to charity shops after I’d thrown 800 euros out of the window. One year later, I obtained my very first designer item in London: A Balenciaga city bag. My first designer purchase was a result of saving my monthly earnings, avoiding the shops, and overhauling my closet. I resold practically everything in my closet, which resulted in money for the bag I had been dreaming of ever since I was fourteen.
Nevertheless, it’s all about prioritization. Most people have this idea that buying heaps of cheap high-street clothes is way more economical than purchasing a luxury item that is made of the best quality material. Through trial and fail, I acknowledge that it is attainable for even a young student to wear designer clothing if she prioritizes it. I swear I’ll never ever go back to being that kind of consumer I used to be.
On the other hand, I’m not fifteen anymore. I just turned nineteen and I feel wiser, already. It wasn’t before last year that a lot of parents wanted me to tutor their kids. To answer your question: That’s how I afford designer clothing combined with prioritizing – not that I own a great amount of designer pieces. I rarely ever walk into high street stores – and if I do, I am completely capable of resisting buying rubbish. In fact, I’ve developed a fastidiously picky behavior, so I don’t really need to worry if I visit a store.
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So, the very first step to afford designer clothing is to stop purchasing clothes every week. Every time you’re about to purchase something because of your shopping habits or because it’s cheap, on sale, or you think you’ll save a great deal of money, etc – put the money in a box and see how much money you manage to gather in the end of the month. Voilà, perhaps you’ve gathered enough money for a designer item you’ve coveted for months.
From left: Isabel Marant shirt, Isabel Marant knit, American Apparel cardigan, American Apparel sweatshirt, my grandmother’s silk shirt, COS t-shirt, breton top from a thrift store in Paris, Vanessa Bruno wool sweater, American Apparel sweatshirt, my grandmother’s shirt, Zara shirt, COS sheer t-shirt and Zara shirt.
I don’t wear this jacket as often as I should, because of the silver details. I don’t wear silver, simply because gold looks better with my skin tone and silver jewerly looks so Erin Wasson or something.. I cannot wear my gold watch or gold anker necklace when I wear this jacket. So, sometimes I want to sell this jacket because it doesn’t harmonize with the rest of my wardrobe and jewelry collection.
