Dress Week: Thrifty Thursday

Dress Week: Thrifty Thursday

My personal styling clients have a wide range of budgets: some have in mind that they need to buy a whole new wardrobe but end up loving what they already had after a few hours with me. Others need to purchase new clothing after a pregnancy or a job transition, and I work with them to find pieces that fit their lifestyle and budget.

Similarly, on this blog I try to link to clothing that's not outrageously priced, although that's certainly dependent on each individual's budget. Today I'm looking to stores that pride themselves on being very affordable and finding dresses that you'll want to wear over and over again. I love this kind of virtual shopping for my clients-and for you!

So here's my advice. First, consider H&M this summer for affordable dresses like this emerald stunner below. For daytime, add a skinny belt (leopard? bright green?) and a cropped blazer. For date night, try a necklace that compliments the neckline or keep your hair up and add long, swingy earrings.

Speaking of date night? Hello this sexy dress!
You don't have to just stick with solids at H&M, though. I'm intrigued by this pattern for day and night, too. The navy on this dress would look gorgeous with an emerald belt, coral lips, or red jewelry. You could always layer on all golds or silvers, too.

This color blocked dress at Target is soft and supple. It looks great on, but it feels even better. Wear it over the new Jockey non-compressing shapers if you feel a little lumpy underneath (I know I would!).

This faux wrap dress from Old Navy flatters a larger chest and hits at a nice high spot on the waist. I like the patterns and would want to feel the fabric in person.This lends itself to a cute pair of espadrilles or wedge sandals.

I used to shy away from ordering cheaper clothing online, but now I just resign myself to the fact that I must return it if it doesn't work for me. Otherwise, I try everything on and imagine how it will look after a few washes before getting lulled into buying it by a good price.

Hope you have fun saving some money if you're in the market for a new dress with a small budget! Tomorrow I'll be rounding up this Dress Week with some of my absolute favorite dresses that I found while virtual shopping for you all this week! I can't wait to share them!