by What is the secret of shopping on a strict budget if you are looking for quality and price performance ratio, and for an excerpts? The truth is that most of us mix in our wardrobes all the time and combine parts that we have owned with new purchases for one or two seasons, so that we can rarely buy a complete look from head to toe.
The challenge of one of our Telegraph readers – How would we put together an outfit for £ 100 or less? – was one that we wanted to address.
Of course there are always great high street finds there when you buy with different assistance. Even the clothing areas for supermarket came bound. The rise of resale platforms and the distribution of modern, well-curated charity on our high streets mean that the stigma, which was once tied to second-hand purchases, no longer exists (as you can see, I and my telegraph colleagues have taken our shopping budgets).
Interestingly, I have looked at the business somewhat differently since researching this feature – call it a new sense of purpose to look for parts that really justify the price tag, as well as an openness to different fashion hunting areas. Only this weekend I was in my local gift shop (Susan Wainwright in Hampstead, since they asked), where I noticed cute pajama shorts for my own label, which were made from Indian cotton for only £ 45. Too good for the bed, they looked like perfect beach holiday coorders for me. Simply add a few spaghetti belt-Teva sandals, as from Mary-Kate Olsen for £ 35 and voila: a vacation outfit with change for £ 100.
Let us know what you think – we would also like to hear about your tips for fashion of less than 100 pounds.
Sarah Bailey
Total: £ 95.85
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Especially leg jeans, £ 35, Uniqlo
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Cotton-T-shirt, £ 14.90, Uniqlo
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Jacket, £ 16.45, Vinted.com
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Slingback Kitten Heels, £ 29.50, MS
The way I go on is very high/low – I always pull things out of my closet that I have kept for years. If I go to my wardrobe (whether a high street find or a special designer piece for which I saved), I want the things I buy as a goalkeeper. For this challenge I wanted to put together a simple day look that I am confident enough to carry myself in the office without affecting the personality. I planned to train my budget with a few basics and hopefully bring in a small pizza seed with a vintage find.
I started at Uniqlo with these JW Anderson Collaby jeans. If I am honest, the straight leg cut felt a little simple, but I could hardly argue for the bargain price. However, the Uniqlo Airism T-shirt was a revelation-I loved the modern, box-shaped cut, and since I have now bought two of them, I am glad to report that they were to wash brilliantly.
I am a confident vintage buyer. I searched for years from used hand shops, so I was sure that I could find a statement jacket on Vinted if I looked hard enough. I typed different search terms in “Boucle”, “Tweed”, “Chanel-Type Jacke”, “Vintage” and finally struck with this beauty of Betty Jackson in pollen-yellow structured tweed with sweet, black top cladding.
Shoes? I knew that that would be the most difficult part. I was attracted to the design of this m & s woven kitten heels – a snippy bargain, but they seemed to call when walking. If I repeated the experiment, I would end my look with spaghetti-strap-black-tevas.
Sophie Tobin
Total: £ 95.60
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Cotton-T-shirt, £ 14.90, Uniqlo
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Fold -cos -Rock, £ 21.70, Vinted.com
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Leopard Block Heel Shoes, £ 59, MS
I buy most of my clothes from COS, so was the first thing I did when I gave this challenge to look for a COS skirt on Vinted. The experienced Vinted professionals are looking for certain brands and articles to narrow down the offer, which can be overwhelming if they are a relative newcomer to how I am and cannot be on the scroll for hours.
I know what size I am and which parts that fit me in COS, so with this pleated skirt, which was offered for only 21.70 GBP, hit a good piece of the original price of £ 65 and in perfect condition. I chose it with one of my T-shirts from Uniqlo and chose a boxer shape with shared hems to complement the shape of the skirt. The staple clips of Uniqlo are of great quality and the T-shirts have a good thickness despite their low price.
When I grew up, I was drilled into myself that shoes should be supportive and durable (no trendy ballet apartments for me in the school yard), so I was careful with the flimsiness of High Street shoes. I was impressed by these Leopard-print shoes from M&S and they added an urgently needed interest to my two-color outfit, but I think I will stick to something more stable if you consider how much I do.
With a few additional pounds I would like to add a jacket and I am inspired to find a used bomber that would get this outfit up and running for cooler temperatures. I have a leather option of COS that I set up on Vinted notifications. We hope that I can track it down.
Jessica Burrell
Total: £ 97.48
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Mesh pearl skirt, £ 44.99, HM
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Cotton -poplin shirt, £ 22.99, Zara
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Arch ballet pumps, £ 29.50, MS
To put together an outfit for less than 100 pounds was more of a challenge than I expected. For me, the key was to find a piece of hero in the High Street: a decorated skirt from H&M, which I look more expensive than the affordable price.
It is the kind of rock that I would like to stumble in a vintage business or look for hours for hours of second-hand platforms, but unfortunately I can rarely find the time for such efforts. The H&M piece is a good alternative, and I have worn it with an oversized white shirt with nothing.
The problem with this outfit is that the shirt alone exceeded our budget of 100 pounds, so I exchanged a cheaper option here. To be honest, you can say that you can say it, and the problem with scrimping on staples is that the quality is simply not there, the shirt felt transparent and not the relaxed silhouette that you get from investment options. Some of the others that I have not tried from other high street shops.
The rest of the outfit convinced me, especially M&SS brilliant “ballet teacher pumps” – as we baptized them The Telegraph Fashion switch – I have been wearing for months. It is not a surprise for me that we all chose M&S shoes for this challenge, as they feel like the best on the high street this season: comfortable, trendy and decisive, inexpensive.
Hansveni Dave
Total: £ 84.90
I usually use my basics as I see them as investments and keep everything else high street, so I wanted to find these brands that I spoiled myself with Vinted. One of my most purchased brands is Massimo Dutti, so I turned to the second-hand app to hunt the brand for a fraction of the usual costs.
I came across this white vest, which I see as a high-quality basic wardrobe food, and I combined it with an Alchemy London Maxi linen skirt. Alchemy London makes some of my favorite pants and my-coords, but I chose this linen skirt from one of her sample sales.
While I love apps like Vinted and Depop, my preferred way of finding incredible pieces at a cheaper price is to scot the sample sales of my favorite brands. The trick is to follow the brands on Instagram. They tend to announce their sample sales only via social or sometimes via their mailing lists. I know that registration for these e -mails can lead to a bombed inbox, but these e -mails for sample sales values are worth it to me.
Some may find the idea of going to a huge or stressful sale, but I find it exciting to track down the best articles – it always ensures fun Saturday activity. This task confirmed my love for a sample sale via apps such as Vinted, because you can actually see the products and try it on instead of taking the risk with a second hand -app. Although this does not mean, Vinted is not astonishing to find articles that you have already tried on, or in brands in which you know your size.
