Where I Get My Clothes

I am not a fashion blogger, however, I do get asked about my outfits quite often. Today I wanted to share where I get my clothes because it is actually the number one question I get all of the time. (Silly fact about me: my mother has a bit of an accent and she says outfit like “alphet” so for the longest time, and by that I mean until just recently, I thought the word was actually alphet… I have no idea how this managed to go on for so long, but it is both embarrassing and true.)

Although I am not a fashion blogger, I do love being creative with what I wear and I always dress according to the weather, the location, and my activities. Friends and family like to tease how I’m always dressing up to coordinate to my plans, but it is all in good fun and I truly enjoy it. When I was younger I would only shop right before the new school year and at no other time. After college I started buying some new outfits as an annual birthday present to myself. Now that I’m older I still keep my shopping to a minimum, adding to my closet when I see a need or checking my “inventory” at the beginning of every season. I also enjoy hunting for a specific outfit if I have a big trip coming up. In total, I typically shop for new clothes 1-4 times a year. So where do all of my outfits come from?

When I post a new travel post on my blog or on Instagram, I usually get asked about my clothes much more than the place I posted about!

To answer your question, a good 25% of my clothing are actually hand-me-downs from my older and very stylish cousins. (Hand-me-downs are the best!) I also do clothing swaps with friends and I’ll look for items at thrift shops when I am looking for something specific. Many of the dresses I wear over and over again are as old as ten or more years old. (One of my favorite summer dresses I have had for sixteen years!) When I have a favorite I do my best to take care of it, get it tailored, and to fix it when it needs repairing.

The majority of my picked out for myself clothing comes from my favorite store: H&M. Another shop in the mall I sometimes frequent is Charlotte Russe and I love finding unique gems at Forever 21, Target, and TJ Maxx. I get my pajamas and booties from Primark. I love Boscovs for shoes and winter boots. And when I have a bigger budget to work with I purchase online at my favorite shops such as ModCloth, Chic Wish, and very rarely at Gal Meets Glam.

These are the items I typically search for at each store:

H&M: My go-to for work-wear like blazers and office-friendly clothing, blouses, cozy over-sized sweaters, intimates, $9.99 jeans, and accessories.

Forever 21: Vintage style tops, two-piece sets and resort wear, bralettes, high wasted shorts, crop tops, bathing suits, affordable camisoles, and trendy pieces.

Charlotte Russe: Fun trendy rompers and sundresses, colorful sunglasses, and shorts.

Target: Denim jeans, purses, sunhats, and sandals.

TJ Maxx: You will find some classics and trendy wear here. I like getting winter jackets and sweaters at TJ Maxx and it is also a great place to find cute tops, warm socks, and seasonal wear like winter gloves on a budget.

Boscovs: Boots and cute shoes.

Primark: Pajamas and ankle boots. Most of their clothing is not made very well and the seems rip after just a wear or two so I don’t often buy clothing here any more, but I do love their pajama sets!

ModCloth: I am obsessed with modcloth styles! The sundresses, the cute shoes, the quirky accessories and prints, and the vintage inspired pieces. I love everything Modcloth, but it is not always in my budget so when I do buy something from Modcloth it is usually on sale or a special splurge.

Unique Vintage: For those rare vintage styles you’re craving. They have the best dresses based on historic decades for special occassions.

ChicWish: Sometimes too expensive, but always well made. I have found some truly unique and stunning outfits for my travels here. I wore dresses from Chicwish for my wedding rehearsal and my honeymoon. It can take a while for the items to ship and make it through customs so you will want to order way ahead of time if you’re buying for a special occasion.

Gal Meets Glam: I love Julia’s blog and her dresses are super cute too! I bought two for my honeymoon and I adore them. My only two complaints are that although some of these dresses truly are worth the price, I just wouldn’t spend a $100 or more for many of them. Every once in a while I will see something I think would be worth it, but for now this is a special -occasion splurge only store. The other is that the sizing can be complicated if you’re petite. They have petite sizes now for many dresses, but I still had to get both of my Gal Meets Glam dresses brought it by a tailor.