Frugal Fashion.

I have been buying.

Now, then don’t jump down my throat friends.

I needed some clothes. My work is very customer facing and after spending nothing on work clothes for about 2 –3 years. My office wardrobe had become very spartan. Plus my go to weekend jacket at 6 years old now looks very tatty. My Mum even said so (and we all know Mums know best). The pockets have been repaired so many times that now I cannot even patch them up as there is no solid material left.

Gone are the days of blowing £100-200 every 3 months on a new suit. Quite frankly, I have decided to stop wearing a suit to work. They are just too expensive, and everyone seems to be a little more casual now in the office.

I have one good suit left, but I only wear it now when I have an important client meeting.

So how to dress frugally ?

I turned to eBay. I have only bought clothes from eBay once before and it was not a wild success. I think the term “abject failure” would be more accurate, but as the suit only cost £4.50, I just donated it to a local charity shop and chalked it up to experience.

This time I went in and searched on specific makes in my size 0, ok I am lying size 12. :o)

I started off getting this.



A Joules jacket second hand. It cost £21. Joules clothes are beautiful. I bought a jumper and tshirt of theirs about 5 years ago and they just wash and wear wonderfully. A jacket like this is going to cost between £89-100. So I think it was a bargain and the colour is so beautiful. It really is in immaculate condition, and the lining looks (and smells perfect) 

Then I picked up this.

It is a Boden Wrap dress that would retail at about £69. It came in all the original packaging but the  label cut out. This particular seller seems to have a lot of end of lines of Boden. Again Boden is a name in the UK synonymous with quality and I could not normally afford their items, even in the sale. I paid £14.99.

I also picked up this M&S dress.

Again it was second hand, but a good sniff and intense review of the fabric, showed no sign of wear and tear. It really is brand spanking new. I reckon a dress like this would cost upwards of £70 off the peg. This cost me £8.50, and it fits like a glove. I really felt so smart and sexy in it and nearly everyone at the company commented on how nice I looked and a about 50% asked where I had got it.

And, finally...

This was the cheapest, and I am wearing it right now. It is a NEXT dress that I think would cost £29 - 35 to buy. Again, it was second hand and I can find no sign of wear and tear. The price? £5.51. Again my college “G” was waxing lyrical about it with a little vest top underneath and a plain black jacket, I really do feel very smart.

So total spend was £50 exactly on three dresses and 1 jacket, all excellent quality that I would never be able to afford at normal retail prices.

Excellent!

Frugally yours

Abigail

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