During my no new clothes year, I got pretty good at hunting down clothes nice enough to wear to work that were still affordable. My work wardrobe needed a breath of new life once I started my new job in September, and I've been adding to it since then using some of the same principles. Read on to see where I buy affordable, name brand clothes to wear to work...
Thrifted: I buy lots of gently used clothing from thrift stores like Salvation Army (especially good for work pants – I have two pairs of Banana Republic slacks that I got for about $10, plus the cost of having them hemmed) and Savers. If I'm looking for something more specific – for example, I recently thrifted an Ann Taylor blouse that fit me perfectly, and wanted to buy a couple more – I search on thredUp. (Use this link for $10 credit!)
Outlets: This is a rarer stop for me – usually around Christmastime when I'm home and can go to Clinton Crossing while they're running sales. I usually visit the Gap, J.Crew, and Banana Republic stores there, and invest in items I'd consider more of wardrobe staples (like the black wool skirt, above, which was $30 with sale and coupons).
Sales: Who doesn't love a good sale? The clearance section is my first stop whenever we pop in to stores like Old Navy (where I found these last-season ankle boots for $12) or H&M.
Gift cards: I struggle with not spending gift cards right away. It's hard when they're burning a hole in your wallet! I'm going to try to hoard them in the future, figure out what I need, and then wait for a sale. But anyway, I usually end up using them on the jewelry in the sale section at Madewell.
Forever 21: Ugh, I kind of hate including this because their clothes are so cheaply made (and the company's history of evangelism gives me the weirds), but that's where my favorite leggings are from. (I need to find new leggings.)
