If you love to shop for clothing bargains, pick up a copy of How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. In this book, author and fashion guru Kathryn Finney opens the insider's closet to reveal tips, tricks, and how-tos to staying stylish on a budget.
About Kathryn Finney
Finney's career as a savvy fashion advisor started in the world of high fashion. After receiving degrees from both Rutgers University and Yale University, she worked as a fashion editor for REAL magazine and as a stylist for photo shoots and advertising spreads.
Finney became one of the Internet's first fashion bloggers with her site, The Budget Fashionista. Her success with this encouraged her to write How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less. Since its release, Finney has doled out workable fashion tips through various media, including CNN, the Style Network, and the Today Show. She's also a guest columnist for Redbook.com.
And don't worry: you don't need to be a size 1-1/2 to benefit from her book. Finney, a champion of "real" women, stresses that women can look terrific, regardless of shape or size. Much of her advice is aimed at helping everyday women amp up their fashion arsenal to look and feel their best.
A Guide to Help You Shop Smarter
In How to Be a Budget Fashionista, Finney discloses a host of discount shopping ideas, including:
- Designer websites offering discounted products
- Outlet mall strategies
- Using eBay to your advantage
- How to spot and not pay for designer rip-offs
A big fan of living as debt-free as possible, Finney also offers practical advice that helps you stretch your fashion dollar. Simple things, such as tips for caring for clothes like the professionals do, can justify paying for well-made pieces that will look better, longer, especially when you know how to care for them.
Budget Fashionista Tips
Finney writes How to Be a Budget Fashionista in an accessible, lighthearted way - like two girlfriends sharing ideas and exchanging coupons. Many of her recommendations are very practical, such as:
- Establish a budget beforehand. This is important so you can make the most of your clothing allowance.
- Understand your personal style. You can avoid wasting money simply by not buying items that don't suit you, even if they are trendy. If you're not the type to wear a leopard-print outfit, but it's all the rage, incorporate a leopard-print scarf so you look fashionable.
- Rack up bargains by association. Exchanging coupons is just one way to score bargains. Finney also describes ways to benefit from the discounts others' receive.
If you don't have an idea of what your personal style is, How to Be a Budget Fashionista has a handy questionnaire that, once completed, should give you a better idea of your fashion preferences.
How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less rounds out the looking fabulous department with some frugal beauty tips, too. Many household items and food products such as honey, eggs, milk, and strawberries make terrific cleansers, rejuvenating face masks, bath oils, and other beauty products. The book includes a how-to guide to making yourself beautiful at home for less.
Start Saving Now
Visit Finney's site, The Budget Fashionista. She offers great fashion advice for outfitting the whole family, keeps you in-touch with the world of fashion, and even tips you off to opportunities for modeling contests and special giveaways.
