How to Dress Well for Less

Now that we’re almost halfway through the year, how are those New Year’s resolutions going? If you’re like most people, you probably resolved to lose weight and pay down debt this year. But while there’s no downside to paying down debt, I’ve learned that there is a downside to losing weight.

None of my clothes fit me anymore! As happy as I was to lose 3 inches off my waist, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the impact on my wallet of buying a whole new wardrobe. And anyone who knows me won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t count fashion as one of my areas of expertise either.

I started by consulting a personal stylist but the $2k price tag on the wardrobe she picked out at Nordstrom was a bit too much for me to stomach. (It’s kind of like realizing how much you’re paying for investment advice you may not need.) What I learned was how to determine proper fit and which pieces were more versatile. I ended up buying a couple of dark jeans at discount fashion store H&M for about $20 each and some sports shirts from the same brand that the stylist most often recommended for my fit (Zachary Prell) but for much less (about $60-85 vs. $200) from the “on sale” section of their web site. I was able to get 5 of their shirts for less than the cost of 2 at full price.

In addition, I discovered a blog called Dappered that specializes in providing information and advice on “affordable men’s style.”  The blog has all kinds of useful tips for fashionably clueless guys like me but unlike most fashion sites, the focus is on affordable pieces that can last awhile and shouldn’t go out of style by next season. The site provides lots of options so you can still choose items that fit your particular lifestyle and preferences. In my case, I used it for advice on suits, ties, and blazers.

It’s also a good place to find up-to-date information on sales and coupon codes for online orders. (Don’t make an online purchase without Googling for a coupon code first. You may be surprised at how much you can save with much less effort than it would take to search for and cut out regular coupons.) I was able to use a coupon code to get 20% off an entire order.

It can pay to do your research with other items too. For example, I also needed to buy a new razor. While I was tempted by this clever commercial, I found out that they were simply re-selling high-quality but low priced razors from an obscure Korean company called Dorco so I bought one of their razors directly at a lower price through Amazon.

Are you a savvy clothing shopper? Do you know any other affordable style tips or resources I should know about? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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