High ho, high ho, it’s off to work and school we go….
Heading off to thrift stores or swapping clothes with friends is a lot of fun, but what else can you do to save on your work wardrobe this year?
Choose basic items so that you don’t feel compelled to buy, buy, buy! Black pants go with any number of different tops. So do white shirts. If you’re staying home with the kids or in a more casual job, jeans are a great standby and go with just about everything.
Avoid dry clean and hand wash only items. Have you ever gotten a sale or thrift store deal, only to take it home and discover that it’s dry clean only? You’ll soon spend the amount you paid for that clothing item on the dry cleaning bills. Avoid dry clean only items to save money.
Work from home. No, this doesn’t mean that you only need to wear pajamas, although it’s fun to do that once in a while. It does mean that you can be a little more casual and care less about looking professional and more about doing professional work.
When you’re planning your wardrobe, think about what people actually see. I work outdoors for most of the year. A few years ago, I realized that it didn’t matter what my shirts looked like: people only ever saw the sweaters that I wore. This was fashion liberation! From then on, I’ve worn whatever shirts I like underneath the sweaters, and I’ve searched the thrift stores for a few good-looking sweaters to wear.
Get durable clothing. Yes, fashion is fun, but if you’re fashionable in your work wardrobe you will be buying clothes very frequently. Buy clothes that last. Frilly, lacy, see-through bits do not tend to last very well. They need to be hand-washed and babied. Instead, choose lovely, classic items in natural fibers that complement you with their lines and make you look fantastic.
As we move into the fall, what are your plans for a minimalist work wardrobe?