Put away the Gucci; put away the Prada. This challenge is not for the faint of heart. College budget does not allow a student to be fashionable. Wrong. While I do enjoy high-end designer fashion, the clearance rack is always my first stop at any store. Finding pieces at greatly discounted prices is like finding a pot of gold.
Before this project, I was requested to do a $20 Thrift Store challenge, but I thought—of course I’d be able to put a whole thrift outfit under the $20 price range. So to make it even more of a challenge, my friend, Ileana Angulo and I thought to do this challenge at Marshall’s on Ming Avenue.
Ileana and I thought to have a theme for our outfits. We looked at each other and remembered that we planned to go on a day trip after graduation in June. So, we looked for outfits that we can wear to our trip to walk around town in and even to the beach. Coincidentally, the pieces we found are designer-inspired—best of both worlds.
For Ileana’s outfit, we found a Valentino-inspired maxi dress without the $8,990 price tag. At $14.99, this Petticoat Alley dress is perfect to wear to hang out with friends during the day and use as a bikini cover up at the beach. A pair of $7 simple, white Esprit sandals finishes the look beautifully. Totaling at $21.99 before taxes, Ileana’s outfit went just a little over our budget, but that is not the end of it.
After putting together her outfit, we kept walking around the store to put together an outfit for myself. I usually gravitate toward a t-shirt and jeans look when it comes to a day out on the town. My favorite t-shirts to wear are my super comfortable, plain colored tees from Brooks Brothers, but with a $39.50 price tag, that is nearly double the price of our budget. Luckily, I found a white Lions Crest by English Laundry v-neck t-shirt for $5.50. For $7, these camouflage print Dillon jeans contrast really well with the plain white tee and are perfect alternatives to a pair of nearly $450 Marc Jacobs jeans that I have had my eyes on. Finally, a pair of American Eagle Outfitters flip-flops keeps my outfit casual and cool, and for $4.99, that keeps my outfit under budget at $17.49 before taxes.
Collectively, Ileana’s and my outfits come out to only $39.48; we definitely kept close to our $20-each budget. Therefore, fashion and style are not about buying everything designer. According to world-renowned fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld, “luxury is the ease of a t-shirt in a very expensive dress.” However, I believe that no luxury beats feeling like you’re wearing a very expensive dress in a t-shirt.
