I recently decided to ditch everything in my closet and start over. I had finally had enough with a closet that was overflowing with clothing, but contained nothing I actually wanted to wear. So I decided to donate everything to a local homeless relief effort (with the exception of a few designer dresses I couldn’t bare to part with). I reluctantly handed over 5 large bags of clothing, and was thanked with such sincerity that I immediately knew I did the right thing.
So there I was, re-building my wardrobe from scratch, and this time on a budget! So, I decided to seek the wisdom of Lauren Conrad in her latest book Lauren Conrad Style.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Building a wardrobe on a Budget!
In Conrad’s book that she wrote with Elise Loehnen, editor at large of Lucky magazine, Conrad recommends to start building your wardrobe with basics, or what she likes to call “key pieces.” Conrad recommends these nine items to help build your wardrobe: a little black dress, a pair of jeans, a collared button down shirt, a great skirt, a pair of boots, black and white tops, black heels, a blazer, and a coat.
With this in mind, I began to think about what these items meant to me. I began adding pieces to my wardrobe, first a ruffled black jersey dress with layers of crinkle chiffon, then some skinny motorcycle jeans, a black v-neck tee, a navy blue pea coat, and finally a pair of brown over-the knee riding boots, and with the help of my greatest resource, Nectar, I got it all at a bargain! (I was a huge fan long before an employee, so I say this without bias)
Finding a great local place to shop is also something Lauren talks about in her book as well. She emphasized the advantages of shopping at local boutiques.
“There are lots of benefits to localizing your shopping. Once you’re really familiar with a store’s staff and merchandise, you’ll know that you have a place to turn to for any fashion emergency.” ~L.C.
I still have a couple more key pieces to add before I can graduate to the next level which is creating your own personal Style. Unfortunately Lauren can’t help me there; I am on my own! To ensure that I don’t end up on someone’s fashion don’t list, I consulted a few friends whose style I have always admired and they gladly shared what their “top 5 can’t live without key pieces” are.
“My brown tweed coat, black leather riding boots, dark denim jeans, black leggings and of course yoga pants!”
~Sarah, Pasadena
~Sarah, Pasadena
“My purple sequin beanie, black pea coat, black boots, black tights, and my white tank top with a painting of a girl printed on the front.”
~ Amanda, Fullerton
~ Amanda, Fullerton
“My purple silk scarf, black polka dot heels, black skinny jeans, creamy-tan cardigan and my black satin cocktail dress.”
~Alyssa, Riverside
Your go-to basics may look similar to these or completely different! Have fun with it! Getting dressed is only half the fun, the other half is shopping!
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