How to look put together on a budget

Like I have said before my fashion style is much more simple and classic since the beginning of the year and my style influences have changed as well. Most people who live for the capsule classic wardrobe always say invest in your wardrobe because they will last longer and I totally see where they are coming from but not everyone can buy a Sezane jumper for £80. 

I would consider my wardrobe as a collection of classic and versatile pieces which all suit every other and all get a lot of wear now but my wardrobe is also full of Primark, Newlook and H&M with a few Zara pieces thrown in. 

Now I like to think I look put together (most of the time) and so here are some of the ways I think help make an outfit look put together with any pieces from any price point. 

1. Build outfits around a key piece 
I find when I make outfits that if I start with a really get piece like some leather look leggings or a great shirt, the rest of the outfit comes together nicely because I am building pieces around this great item. Normally in the mornings I have some idea of at least one item I want to wear so I usually build my outfit around that and make it the star attraction. I have a leather skirt which I bought from Newlook about 5 years ago and whenever I style that skirt, I remember why I love it so much. It works with everything and people always compliment me on it. 

2. Keep it simple 
When I was younger I always used to buy the funky items with the funk patterns and then fast forward a few years, I would be throwing them out because I only wore them once. Although I used to love a pattern I always thought it drew attention to me and when I was a teenager, I did not want any attention at all. Now I have a predominantly plain wardrobe with a few key patterns thrown in here and there, with a few patterned shirts to add some print where I need it. I find nothing is more shic then a animal print top with a all black outfit but I do feel like If you want to look shic and effortless you can't go wrong with block colours. 

3. Stick to the base colours
Now this tip can be interpreted very broadly as some peoples base colours are pink and blue whereas my base colours are cream, brown and black. It all depends on first what colours you already have in your wardrobe and what colours you know you will never get bored of wearing. I tend to stick within the earthy neutral colours for many reason - they suit my olive skin colour, they look great together whatever the season and they are colours which you can find in all shops at any time. I find when I create an outfit using my base colours I don't have to add anything else to make it look like I threw it together with no effect needed. 

Any little point to add to this tip is to try monochrome outfits. Now monochrome outfits don't have to mean all black (which I live in right now) they can mean a all cream or camel or white outfit. I find when I wear a monochrome outfit it makes my body look longer and the pieces I'm wearing look more premium. 

4. Accessories 
When I make an outfit which to other people may look boring, all I need to do to make it a bit more formal or fancy is add some simple jewellery. Normally my choice of accessories is a big watch and maybe one more ring, during this time 90% of the time in a roll neck so there is no point wearing a necklace. I also have a few small over the shoulder bags which add a little something to an outfit and which can also bring a pop of colour to a monochrome or 'boring' outfit. 

Lastly not forgetting the big dog... boots! I live for boots and if I could wear them all year round without my feet dying I would. Boots can make a outfit look finished and my favourite pair of black faux snakeskin effort pointed toe boots from Newlook maybe two years ago. I call these my classy boots as they make me look classy and make my outfits look amazing. My favourite look to pair these boots with is a black jumper and black leather look leggings, the boots just make my look like I have really long legs and it is so flattering. 

5. Match your hardware
Might be somewhat of a controversial point as I know a lot of people who love to mix silver and gold but... I just cant do it. Apart from my silver engagement ring which I kind of ignore when I am picking my jewellery, the rest is always all gold or all silver. I don't know why but I physically can no mix them and I find when all my jewellery, the chains on my bag, my belt and my shoes match, it looks so much better! 

6. Give extra love to your items 
Since reducing the amount of items in my wardrove I have adopted a new love for my clothing items. When something looks like it is starting to wear I like to try and save it before giving it up for retirement and I also like to care for the items more so that they don't get to that point. I have invested in a fabric shaver from Phillips which basically shaves the extra bobbles off of knitwear and makes the items look new again. I also like to wash certain items on their own on a delicate wash so that it doesn't harm the item. I also have gone to my mum to save a few items which I can't part with yet. 

Nowadays people are so focused on decluttering and condensing that they don't realise that they are wasting items which could have been fixed or items that don't have anything wrong with them. If you spend more time looking after your items, they will last no matter the price.