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For a moment, I felt like I couldn't be stylish because I didn't have the latest trendiest items in my closet. But, I quickly realized that I didn't need to have the latest. What I needed was to be sure of myself and confident in whatever I decided I wanted to wear. The first step to doing this was to not compare myself to other people. By no longer comparing my closet to my peers I no longer felt the need to have what they had, but rather focus on the things that I wanted and that best represented me. Which brings me to the next step, shop sales, discount stores (Nordstrom Rack, JCPenney, etc.), and only spend big bucks on high-quality items (these are things that last a long time). and the third step, I never beat myself up about what I couldn't get because all that does is make me feel bad about myself and ain't nobody got time for that, especially since I know a time will come when I can afford everything I want. And now my last step, I don't feel bad about big purchases. Some things just shouldn't be purchased super cheap and so it's best not to feel guilty about those expensive purchases because in reality all it does is eat you up inside and that leads to resentment towards your new addition. For steps 3 & 4, it's important to recognize your means and limits to make decisions that are best for your lifestyle.
Below are two affordable looks that highlight what it means to select pieces that transcend trends.
The same top but two different days and seasons. Graphic tees like this one can be dressed up and dressed down. In these two looks, they're sort of both dressed up but one look is a pinned up and sophisticated while the other is casual and classy.
Look 1 & 2 - Zara Graphic Tee (under $20)
Look 1(Winter 2019) - H&M Co-ord Set (under $100)
Look 2 (Spring 2019) - Forever 21 Pants ($under 20)
To be stylish doesn’t mean you only wear trendy big brand names, instead, to me it means you can work with what you got and still show up looking fire. I appreciate the style that transcends trends. These are the undeniable pieces that can be worn throughout the years and can still hold their own without some big names backing it (much like the top above).
Maybe I’m biased because for most of my life this was my reality. I couldn't afford the big brand names or I simply just didn't have access to them. So, I taught myself how to work with what I had and it turned out that I had a knack for pairing things together and shopping the sale section. So, even though I didn’t have that thousand dollar shopping budgets to buy the lushest and lavish items, I still felt stylish and fire in what I wore.