A Glasgow Girls Guide to looking good on a budget
We all know that true beauty comes from within, however, there’s no denying how amazing that feeling of KNOWING you look absolutely belting, is.
That special feeling is sometimes hard to come by, especially if you’ve not got the funds to be constantly updating your wardrobe with the newest of trends - most of which will be fizzled out of style before you get your money's worth from them. Recently, with the cost of living crisis, everyone has felt the pinch, and not many of us are left with buckets of disposable income to invest in our wardrobes. But fear not readers because after years of spending way too much money on plane tickets and pizzas I’ve found ways of updating, producing, and sourcing clothes that will not break the bank!
Top of the list has got to be charity shops. I remember when shopping in second-hand shops was the biggest social no-no, yet now, if a hidden gem is found in one it is proudly proclaimed. As it should. Not only does shopping in these wee treasure chests uncover high-end items with a lower price tag - the money spent goes towards a great cause moreover it is way better for the environment than micro-investing in fast fashion pieces. The west end and the Southside - mainly Partick and Shawlands both have a fantastic, almost route-like, scatter of charity shops that make for great leisurely bargain browsing.
Next up is a somewhat trickier feat to master but can be well worth the time and patience. Upcycling. You’ll have probably heard of this term, maybe even upcycled a piece of furniture in your home and gave it a brand new lease of life, so why not transfer the thought to your wardrobe? There’s a limitless amount of opportunities or ‘hacks’ to breathe new life into your already overflowing wardrobe. For seasoned seamstresses, looking at an old dress you no longer fit into could easily become a sparkly new co-ord, but for the ones that got chucked out Miss Mauchlan’s textiles for chatting away to your pals - bringing a wee bit of colour to an old T-shirt with a classic tie-dye technique, replacing the buttons on your shirts for shiny new, expensive-looking ones or simply switching out cheap looking laces on your shoes for thicker ones, All of these are minimum cost but bring a fresh dash of energy to the items you thought you could never fall in love with again! Plus, who doesn’t love a project?
Lastly, again we’re looking at what you probably already own. Accessories! Nine out of ten outfits can be brought up a notch with the right accompaniments. If, like me, you have tonnes of random pieces like a houndstooth flat cap you bought on a whim because it looked cute in the shop, don’t worry. We’ve all been there. Start by finding out what you actually suit, what you feel comfortable in and what you will actually wear. Then, play around and mix up your usual ‘belt and a bag’ routine, put on that hat you know you look good in but haven’t had the confidence to wear out, tie a pretty scarf in your hair or around your wrist! Another simple way to step up your accessory game is to polish your old jewelry, you’d be amazed at what a good clean can do for your pieces, bring them up to sparkly new and have you feeling a million dollars!