5 Rules to Follow When Shopping Designer

Rebecca Taylor dress c/o Clotheshorse Anonymous | Earrings (similar earrings) | Convertible Straw Bag (old; I’ve included some similar bags below at different price points!) | Bracelet (gift from my mom) | Cross Ring (gift from Rachie) | Nude Sandals

Happy Tuesday, loves! I’m so excited about today’s post because today marks an important milestone here on She Sweats Diamonds: my first blog partnership (thank you, Clotheshorse Anonymous)! 

Clotheshorse Anonymous is a consignment store that provides resale shopping here in the Dallas area. They carry brands like CHANEL, Chloe and Christian Louboutin. They started in 1974 and are still going strong today with an online store as well.

If you read SSD often, you know I’m all about quality versus quantity when it comes to fashion. My new-ish post on how to build a wardrobe you will love and wear touches on this topic as well. I’m sure you can agree that the quality of clothes these days is diminishing. It’s so hard shopping for quality clothes at a great price and as someone who is picky about fabrics, the way patterns lay out (for me, for some patterns, they have to line up), that’s why I love shopping consignment stores. You can find quality and well-made clothes along with pieces that were sold out or hard to find.

Another reason why I love shopping consignment is that I also really love finding bargains. Maybe it’s the thrill of the hunt, but I get so giddy when I find a beautiful piece I’m looking for that is both good quality and at great price. I also get bummed when I find great, mint-condition shoes like the Chloe Suede Gladiator Foster Sandals in Camel I came across. Even though they were one size off, it felt great knowing I could come across another pair someday for a fraction of the retail price! One can hope, right?!

Hey, there’s a reason why one of my besties calls me the Sales Queen, haha!

A huge part of having a great wardrobe you love is investing in it. Less really is more. When investing in your wardrobe, make sure you follow these rules:

Go for classic colors. 

Black, white, grey and nudes will go a long way. Mixing and matching is so easy that I’m sure you would agree that getting ready in the morning is less stressful and a time saver, right? I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t see myself wearing bright colors as much anymore. It’ll have to take a lot for me to love a bright-colored piece these days.

Choose classic styles with a twist to add some uniqueness and interest.

Shopping for basics can be boring. To stand out, even if you’re a minimalist, make sure to find classic pieces that are special. It can be a crisp button up shirt that has a ruffle back or small gold details. If you go for a trend (like I did), look for a print that’s classic. Whatever your taste is, make sure to look for uniqueness!

Remember, cost divided by times per wear. 

Shopping for your wardrobe can take a long time. If you plan to invest in anything high-end, take your time to research, read reviews and try it on in-store before you take the plunge. If you buy a $1500 handbag, remember that if you wear it every weekend for a year, it’s under $30! Just think about that and it won’t hurt as much. Or you can be like me and find second-hand items without the hefty pricetag. Speaking of, most items I’ve found still have the original tags on them!

Go for versatility.

While trends can be fun to shop for, make sure that more of your wardrobe consists of pieces that you can mix and match. Look for pieces that you can create multiple outfits with and can be worn at least for two seasons. That’s my rule of thumb when I buy something for sure! I styled this look for wedding purposes (tis the season, right?), but can totally see it with a black leather jacket and some booties this fall! 

Like vs. love

Don’t, I repeat, don’t add anything to your closet you don’t love. Just because you like a dress doesn’t mean you will a month later. Choosing pieces that are a “10” will help keep your closet well-curated and save you money in the long run. Oh and don’t buy anything just because it’s on sale either. 

For this look, I wanted to go way outside of my comfort zone. So, when I came across this dress, two thoughts came to my mind: 1) Where can I wear this dress? and 2) I just love the color and the print! I was very hesitant until I tried it on and when I did, of course, I loved it! Remember that just because it doesn’t look good on the hanger doesn’t mean it won’t look good on your body. You never know!

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed today’s post! I love it when I get to work with brands who see eye to eye with me on certain things and I felt like Clotheshorse Anonymous and SSD were a great fit. Get ready because there’s more to come!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Stay tuned for another fashion-related post this week! It’s not going to be an outfit, but I promise it’ll be a fun one! Thanks so much for reading! 

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Clotheshorse Anonymous for partnering with me on this post! As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

P.S. Ignore my legs. I really need a fake tan bad and am looking at trying out Loving Tan, but I have no clue how to self tan and seriously don’t trust myself, haha!