by Veronica Prior

Created on: April 05, 2007   Last Updated: April 16, 2007

The way to look well-dressed on a small budget is to make sure everything fits well and works for you.

I spend the time to comb the thrift shops and Goodwills. You never know what you will find! Designer labels, frequently. Vintage things, occasionally. Natural fibers, all the time.

Start with one good piece. A skirt, maybe, or a pair of jeans. Wear that on your thrift shop expedition, and find tops to go with it. Nice linen Ann Taylor blouse? Go for it. Pretty Liz Claibourne blazer? You bet!

Get a pleated skirt. Pleats are flattering on almost any figure type. I go for kilts, myself. Most of my winter formal wear consists of an ankle-length kilt, a silk bouse, and a coordinated vest. If you decide to wear kilts a lot, get a really good kilt pin. I got one on eBay for $15, in sterling silver with an amethyst thistle on it.

If you need something to wear to a wedding, that's the time to go to the consignment shops or vintage shops. My best formal is a 1970s halter dress. I shopped eBay for costume jewelry for that, too.

The place to really splurge is shoes. If you are young, wearing good classic shoes now will preserve your feet for when you are older. If you've already ruined your feet, it's even more important to get good shoes. By "good shoes," I don't mean some sort of expensive Italian fashionable things. I mean something that supports your foot and looks good. Easy Spirit works for me. They make good classic pumps that look elegant. A sleek shoe will make your foot appear smaller, and who doesn't want that? Eschew clunky fashions, and go for the simple and unobtrusive. You really don't want people to notice individual items of your ensemble, you just want them to think you look like a million bucks.

Never buy anything just because it's a bargain. Never buy anything that matches nothing in your closet.

Last, but not least, learn to sew. At least, be able to take things in, let them out, hem them up, make minor repairs and sew on buttons.

Best of luck!

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