Reasonable savings: 5 ways to update your wardrobe without sacrificing your budget.
It would seem that we live in an era of overproductionbut often a new thing is not a whim, but a necessity. Especially in Russia, where the change of seasons occurs rather abruptly, and a set of hats, warm jackets, scarves, socks and additional layers is the truth of life. Clothes and accessories, no matter how carefully they are treated, wear out and lose their original appearance. And there is nothing wrong with buying something new simply because it will lift your spirits.
The bad news is that in recent years we have only become poorer: the salary of the majority does not keep up with the rise in prices. Fresh forecasts from the world of Russian retail sound pessimistic: in 2019, the mass market is likely to rise in price by 5-10%, and luxury brands - by 20%. Even those who used to allow themselves precious things will have to look for alternative ways. We offer tried and tested ways to save money by rethinking your own wardrobe.
Capsule wardrobe
Perhaps in the autumn it is easiest to decide on changes in life, including the analysis of their own cabinets. Capsule wardrobe involves a full audit, which may take more than a day or two. Its principle is to leave a small set of things (in the original version - 37), each of which is combined with the rest. Capsule wardrobe is not suitable for everyone, but before you reject the idea itself, think: do you really need a lot of things? Is it a pleasure to spend time choosing clothes every day? And if the answer is yes - capsule wardrobe is really not for you.
Many are afraid of the very idea: to approach the digging out of wardrobe deposits is really not easy. In addition, it is a delusion to think that a capsular wardrobe should consist exclusively of a gray-black-and-white base and will suit only adherents of the normcor. In fact, it can be adapted to any style - there is a place for elegant dresses and comfortable sneakers. The main thing is to spend time on realizing what you really need - perhaps composing your capsule wardrobe will help our video selection.
Swaps and exchanges
We have already written about swaps more than once. Parties to exchange clothes, did not appear yesterday, but gained popularity in Russia only a few years ago. People are changing clothes more and more willingly - after all, almost everyone in the closet will find a thing that for some reason is not worn at all.
The principle of a swap party is simple: the participants bring things they are willing to part with. Each tells the story of the acquisition and a brief description, and those who wish to pick up pull hand. If there are several claimants to the thing, the right to first try it is for someone who raised his hand before the others.
Swap trips are a kind of science. Often for such parties bring quite specific things, bought in an inexplicable fit and not accustomed to the wardrobe. Many at first want to carry everything from the swap, including the strangest lots. To avoid blunders, it is better to come with an exact request - for example, behind a warm hat or a bright knitted dress, which you probably need in the coming winter. In addition, it is worth remembering that by acquiring clothes and shoes at swap parties, you first of all try to protect yourself from unnecessary and random things in the house, and not vice versa. So even the pink fur coat that you grabbed at such a party almost without looking can later be put on a swap too.
Anyone can arrange a swap in any city. The scale of the event and its theme depend only on you - you can, for example, arrange a "New Year's swap" exclusively with elegant things. The organization of a swap, of course, will take time and effort, but if you are confident in your own enthusiasm - it will pay off with interest. The gratitude, praise and atmosphere of the sisterhood are guaranteed. After all, a swap is not only the acquisition of new things, but also the opportunity to make new acquaintances or support old ones.
Second hand
If abroad you can meet absolutely everyone in second-hand - young families, dandies, and students, then in Russia many still consider going to second with something “dirty” and “unworthy.” The total poverty of the nineties, when there was nothing besides markets and second-hand, had an effect. A very young audience, Generation Z, has no such problem - therefore in instagram and VKontakte you can meet many small projects, the creators of which barely turned twenty.
Buying things from enthusiasts like Strogo Vintage or Mix & Match Vintage (besides the second you can also find vintage here) is often cheaper than in a modern mass market, and the thing will be almost in a single copy. The founders of such projects are looking for things abroad, carefully selecting each, so you need to keep in mind that mark-ups cannot be avoided in any case - yet this is not charity.
If you want to save totally and have time - study the market and communicate with like-minded people. In large cities, there are huge hangars with clothes (like "Megastil" and "Zig-zag luck"), and small camera second-hands at distant metro stations. Carefully study the stock: in the second, almost always arrange sales days. Today, thanks to the thematic channels and publics like “Again you are in fragments”, it is much easier to look for cool things for pennies than five years ago.
A look and then more often clings to something unusual, but in the second there is a chance to meet an ordinary gray sweatshirt, perfectly tailored nameless pants, and a leather trench coat. Most likely, you are waiting for a long search and a long fitting - but it's worth it. Another plus, which is little talked about: now you can meet in the second-hand fashionable things from the era of zero (or very similar to them) like T-shirts, covered with rhinestones, or camouflage trousers.
Sales
The height of sales is the opportunity to replenish your wardrobe and hits that you have long dreamed of, but who did not dare to buy at full price, and with new classics, that is, conventionally basic items. The world is so overwhelmed with things that many online stores run a discount section all year round, while arranging additional promotions of generosity, distributing discount promo codes.
Yet global sales seasons are still two, and every year they start a little earlier (especially in Russia): from mid-June and mid-December. Unfortunately, during sales there is always the danger of losing your head and grabbing unnecessary things. Help here can notorious prudence and an accurate idea of what thing you really need.
Avito, Yula, Facebook Groups
Avito and Yula actually took on the role of Russian eBay. This is where filming producers hunt for the strangest props, and anything can be found from clothes - from the old H & M collaborations with the Comme des Garçons and Karl Lagerfeld to cowboy boots for nothing. The most important thing is to know what to look for and monitor the search string. The implicit rule is that if there is no mark in the announcement that bargaining is impossible, it is possible. For safety reasons, we recommend choosing neutral territory for fittings.
In specialized groups like "Anonymous Shopaholics", Undress or Fashion Bazaar on Facebook or Your stuff 4 cash and Pen Friends "VKontakte", successful discoveries also happen, like Blundstone boots or new Uniqlo sweaters at half price. We advise you to request additional photos, and at the meeting - to measure and carefully inspect things. Special mention deserves the project of the Market, where you can find rare sneakers and clothing of street brands. The site has male and female sections, but we advise you to drop the conventions and periodically monitor both.
Photo: Paloma Wool, Zoe Lee, Marni
