the pretty year

Here’s my stab at What I Wore Today’s Recession Challenge.  Hey– better late than never!

• White tank from Guess? via an outlet, circa 2004– $3.99
• Black sweater-knit skirt from Semplice via Filene’s Basement– $2.50
• Polka dot headband from H&M– $4
• Ring belt (worn as necklace) from an Amsterdam market, circa 2001– 2 fl. (~$1.40)
• Black and white platform peeptoe slingback from Steve Madden Girl via FB– $7.99

Grand total spent?  $19.88.

The Recession Challenge required a top and bottom (or one-piece outfit) and shoes, all for less than $20.  And boy– was it a challenge.  Theoretically, I could have included hand-me-downs or gifts, but instead, I strived for Bargain-Hunting Purity.

I really didn’t think it would be as hard as it was.  Sooo many of my outfits are less than $40.  Virtually all of my outfits are under $100, which is why those “Get The Look for Under $250!” and “100 Great Pieces for $100 or Less!” articles that populate Lucky and Marie Claire never impress me.  I mean– I get it.  These are fashion magazines.  They’ve got advertisers to coddle.  They’re not trying to tell you how to get anything but this season’s clothes for full retail, which is why the rare OMG $100 Outfit! is a $20 Wal*Mart top, a $30 JC Penney skirt, a $15 pair of H&M shoes, a $12 Wet Seal necklace, and a $19 bag from Somebody 4 Target.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

It’s just not what The Pretty Year is (necessarily) about.

We’re about getting the most we possibly can for our hard-earned cash, and we figure you are, too.  Sometimes that means snagging an impossibly fabulous deal (these shoes were so cute and so cheap that I actually bought them in two colors).  Sometimes that means paying a little more for something you’ll wear a hundred times, or something that just makes your heart sing.  And sometimes that just means actually wearing the stuff that’s already in your closet.

I’m still figuring this out myself, but by forcing myself to come up with 250 outfits this year, and participating in challenges like this one, I’ve begun to step outside my “comfort” zone.   And coming up with this outfit (and seeing the other $20 outfits) brought me to yet another realization.

I know how to find a great deal on the clearance rack.  I am the Queen of Filene’s.  But, uh…  I don’t have that much more cash to spend this year, and I need to start getting a little more creative.  I’ll testify on it– I’ve barely ever set foot in a thrift store.  I don’t break for yard sales.  I’ve made limited use of eBay, I’ve never participated in a clothing swap and I STILL haven’t taken my dang sewing machine out of the box.  I’m so ashamed, Internets.  But you can help me.  Tell me, what are your favorite places and techniques for getting fabulous clothing and accessories on the cheap? Teach me!  I can learn!!!

Related posts:

1. My Pretty Year Challenge
2. 31 of 250
3. 33 of 250
4. 65 of 250
5. 2 of 250