How do people afford to be trendy?!

Sell on Vinted and use the credit to buy brand new stuff listed there

I have a couple of friends who always look on trend and always have expensive new stuff and I know that both of them juggle credit cards, Klarna & various store cards to do it.

Other people I know who have lots of clothes use Vinted.

I've literally just purchased a Fenn Wright Manson military style coat for £17 on vinted 😬

I'm really into Vinted myself, I personally think it's too good to last, we are really lucky to have a platform where you can buy and sell for essentially nothing, just postage and a protection fee.

I don't think it's expensive to look current, style of jeans, choice of handbag etc. Where one new thing in different ways etc.

Can you share some?

I buy high quality stuff that stays looking good for years. Build it up over time.

I also tend to change into M&S basics when I'm just at home. This keeps the nicer stuff looking new for longer.

Vinted and charity shops. Always been a chazza devotee and used to use EBay but Vinted is much better. No need to buy anything new from shops anymore.

My recent finds were a pair of £90 jeans for a tenner in Cancer research and a Stella Luna blouse for £13 in Shelter that would have been £180 brand new.

I tend to buy what I need and then a few nice things. Once you know what brands, fits and sizes you like you can buy really nice stuff that is high quality, lasting and not from the fast fashion monsters like Shein.

Some people are buying brand new stuff - they either earn loads or are in serious debt.

I also buy all my child’s clothes second hand.

I’d say get yourself on Vinted and down the charity shops and treat yourself to some new to you trainers and jumpers 😊

Vinted and charity shops. I got a Hobbs dress, brand new with tags, from my local charity shop last week. It was £30 but would have been £130 new!

temu.

Shein and Temu seem to be selling huge amounts, might look good in the short term.

They earn more than you, or they don’t, but prioritise spending on clothes, or they have more patience in sales, buying second-hand etc.

Im not entirely sure it’s a matter of a choice between the same jeans and trainers versus ‘trendy’. I tend to buy expensive things that aren’t on trend, but which suit me, and keep them forever. I haven’t bought a single item of clothing this autumn/winter, for instance. I’m wearing a Margaret Howell coat that I bought with my first FT academic job paycheque in the late 1990s. My winter ‘uniform’ is wool skirts, wide-legged trousers and cashmere jumpers, and boots.

I have tonnes of clothes and don’t spend much on them. I buy a lot in the sales and shop in high street shops. I go through different phases to liven up my clothes, this summer I bought a load of belts and wore them with my dresses. I don’t buy anything second hand. I have more clothes for the summer (cheaper stuff). For the autumn and winter I have less stuff but more separates that I can mix and match. I just worked out for the last 10 days I’ve worn 12 different outfits by mixing and matching. Jumpers over dresses, tracksuits, the tracksuit joggers with different tops, smart trouser and blouse combo, mini skirt and boots, none of these items cost much.

I use Kalarna (sp?) twice a year. So I’ll do a £150 shop on somewhere like ASOS or Shein and spread it out £50 over 3 months.

Then if I need anything in between, I just buy it, so long as it’s no more than £30.

The funny thing about this is sometimes once you can afford to buy loads of stuff.... You stop wanting to.

When i was young and skint i was forever 'wanting' new stuff, new trends etc. Now im older, earn well and am way more secure moneywise, i don't crave it! I could honestly go and drop a thousand pounds at the shops tomorrow if i fancied a spending spree but somehow im not that fussed.
Always want what we can't have

Vinted, Primark and look at current trends because it’s likely that you have all this years already in your wardrobe. Also, brands aren’t fashion forward at the moment

Vinted Or end of season sales
Make use of every filter on Vinted to narrow down your options.
I have had some huge bargains New with tags
Even if you put aside £20 per month, you need to buy things for yourself
You matter too

I hardly ever buy new, always second hand. DS16 is the same, he loves Vinted. He's spent most of his life in second hand clothing. There was a period in his life when his size was hard to come by and I had to buy new, but I've always bought on places like eBay. I also don't follow fashion, I'm definitely not trendy 😂, but I'm well presented, clean and ironed. That's all that matters really.

Probably any one of of earn more, have debt, just prioritise this over others or buy second hand. Also, stylish clothes doesn’t always equal expensive but usually equals well made/quality. As a PP said l, focus on classic not trendy as it lasts longer.

I buy loads second hand also on sale. I know the brands I like, they are a bit on the expensive side but classic that last years. Wait for sales to stock up (summer clothes in winter and vice versa), and then also source those brands from Vinted / eBay. It takes time and effort though… but once you know brands / styles / sizes it becomes easier.

Vinted

Because they buy absolute fucking SHITE off of Shein. A 2 or 3 wears type of garment which can then be thrown - either because they've gone out of fashion again, or (usually) because the quality is so crap they break.
I've lost count of the amount of times I've told someone I like their outfit- it is ALWAYS from Shein.
That type of "fast fashion" makes me so inexplicably angry. However, I'm too poor to buy quality items, so I just wear stuff that's very old!!

How old are your kids and how much do you spend on their clothes?

I buy the majority of my stuff from Vinted, charity shops and my local Facebook selling site. With Vinted, you can be very specific with your searches, so brand, style, colour, size. Or I'll do a general search if there's something I fancy but I'm not entirely sure what I want, so "flat Mary Jane's size 6".

EBay and sales.

Examples of things I’ve bought:

Work bag - £450 new, £80 off eBay (this was far more than I would normally pay but I’d been looking at the bag new but not buying due to the expense so it was a genuine saving)

Hobbs coat - £300 new, £35 off eBay.

Cashmere sweaters: £90 or so new, £15 - £20 off eBay.

I buy most of my suits off eBay as well - it saves me a fortune.

On vinted to avoid the jumble sale stuff, just select the top two categories (new with tags and excellent condition) then search under quality brands e.g. whistles, jigsaw, sezane. I'm slowly upgrading my wardrobe to these brands especially shoes to Russell and Bromley! I'd never pay £300 for shoes but on vinted you can get R&B shoes almost unworn from £30 -£70. It's a brilliant way to shop to minimise waste and avoid over consuming. Buy once and buy well, better quality stuff will always look more 'put together'.

What do you do for work? Can you increase your earnings?

Vinted.

And few clothes .... Just flexible and work in different seasons etc.