Recessionista Style: How to stretch your fashion dollar

Most people are understandably trying to limit their spending right now. But economizing doesn't mean giving up on style. The Thread shows you how to create new looks for fall by making a few simple tweaks to clothes and acccessories you already own.



First, let go of the idea that clothes are restricted to the particular season in which we bought them. You can wear white after Labor Day and cashmere in summer. Just because something has short sleeves or is made out of lightweight cotton, it doesn't mean you can't wear it throughout the year.

Take the cute brown and purple floral dress I wore back in August, for example. Florals have only become more popular since then. One option would be to simply wear the dress with a pair of knee-high fall boots. We decided to take it in a more casual direction by adding some brown textured tights ($9) and a deep purple v-neck from H&M ($15). Now I have a completely new look that's totally on trend -- for only $24. Not bad.


Next, I brought my go-to dress of the summer into our studio to see how we could extend its lifespan. It's a mod mini-dress from Calypso, and it's made out of sapphire blue silk so vibrant it practically glows in the dark. The jewel-toned color is fall friendly, just like the summer floral. In this case, though, the shape was a bit of a problem.

The roomy construction that makes the dress so comfortable in the heat looks silly alongside fall's more tailored silhouette. Covering it with a sweater would have just added more bulk. Instead, we added a tight black turtleneck as a base layer and a belt to cinch in the waist. Some black textured tights and open-toed patent-leather pumps pulled the look together. Suddenly, the same dress I wore to the beach is suitable for a night on the town.

And here's one more idea: those summer scarves can also work as belts. We took the multi-colored zigzag print scarf from Tolani that I wore a few months ago with a white T-shirt and jeans and tied it around a grey sweater dress from H&M. The scarf matched my caramel-colored boots perfectly and spiced up an otherwise boring outfit.

Those are just some ideas to inspire you. If you have any stretching-your-fashion-dollar solutions of your own to share, post a comment below or send me an email at sar_bernard@yahoo.com

Thanks for checking out The Thread. We'll be back again next week to tell you everything you need to know about ruffle tops and who wears them best.

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