Let's Talk | How I afford luxury designer goods!*

This goes out to all the fashion lovers like moi; who are not rich but far from poor yet have a bunch of responsibilities to take care of.. 

Buying luxury items is a sport in itself which I quite enjoy.. It's not easy being a young professional with bigger goals who sometimes succumbs to materialistic necessities.. But I ain't gon' lie.. I love it!

Let me tell you how I do it..

Wishlist

Which are the items you're in love with? Are you fan of a particular brand? Create a list of items you'll be on the look out for. I love using Pinterest for this. I edit the wishlist as I go and sometimes even take items off. You can look for ways to style it, different color options and alternatives.

Think about it

Do not impulse buy.. I repeat.. Do not impulse buy! Fashion moves very quick and luxury items should be seen as investments even if you don't plan to resell them.. Think about the item you would like to purchase;

• Does it fit your style?

• Does it fit in your wardrobe?

• What is it that you love about it?

• Was the item or the brand on your wishlist to begin with?

Read reviews about the item, watch videos on it.. Do your research! Give yourself about a month before you go through with your purchase.. Are you still in love with the item after a month? For the amount of money you spend on luxury items, you should be certain that, that is the item you want. Keep in mind that once you buy it you might not be able to return it, resell it or may suffer a loss doing so.. 

Test run dupes

There are a lot of styles which can be found on the high-street which are similar to designer goods.. Don't go crazy with the buying but get a cheaper version of the item you'd like and test it out..

• Do you wear it? 

• Are you using it enough? 

• Does it fit your style? 

• Are you convinced that you will use the designer version? 

I have done this several times and the following happend; I have found that I am more interested in classic styles for luxury designer goods.. I fall out of love quickly, trendy collections do not interest me. I would never get the Gucci Dionysus but the Chanel Lambskin Jumbo Classic; as soon as I reach my goal, it's gonna get it!

Save up

The challenge of all challenges.. Saving money! If my sole existence depended on how well of a saver I was, I wouldn't be here today, haha. But, practice makes perfect! Analyse your spending habits.. 

• Where can you cut corners? 

• Do you eat out a lot? 

• Do you spend a lot on clothes and only wear them a few times?

• How many lipsticks and highlighters do you buy, do you need them?

• Are your bills unnecessarily high?

Go through your habits and change the way you spend.. It's not easy but seeing your savings account get bigger surely is motivating!

Closet Sale

Many of us -I say us, because I used to do it too- buy a lot of clothes, use them once or twice and never wear them again. Instead of having your clothes hanging in the closet staring back at you, give them a second chance; resell them. You don't need to sell them for a lot of money but clearing out for a little pocket change is not a bad idea and you can sell the clothes with people who might absolutely love them and wear them a whole lot.. 

Check out sales

It depends which brand and where it gets sold but there is a wide variety of luxury designer goods that do go on sale. Wait it out! Have the patience to wait and look for it. It's not the time to worry about the item being 'so last season' or two seasons ago. Buy things because you love them, not because they're trending.. 

Buy pre-loved

I can not tell you how much I love hunting for pre-loved luxury designer goods. I have found that I don't necessarily like the 'new' look and feel of items; especially handbags. I love for them to have lost their stiffness and have a 'worn' feel. I have specific websites I use to buy pre-loved luxury goods from which have set authenticity check procedures. I have used Ebay also and recommend it using paypal just so you have some form of protection since there is no authenticity check. I haven't had any issues with fakes but you never know.

Take note that pre-loved does not always mean used, sometimes people make a purchase, regret it and put the item up for sale. This is how I have found some of my best treasures!

If you have any questions or remarks, don't hesitate to let me know!

xXx

Websites:

www.designer-vintage.com

www.fashionphile.com

www.tradesy.com

www.vestiairecollective.com