Leather For Less ~

This fashion season, you’re going to see leather making a comeback. This means you can finally dig out that leather skirt you’ve had stashed away at the back of your closet for the last few years (provided it is of a suitable length—miniskirts, unfortunately, are on their way out, as evidenced by the return to fashion of the maxi dress).

This Spring, Yeah, Go With Leather

It can also be stressful news for people who like to keep up with fashion trends but whose bank accounts don’t exactly have the heft to support a leather buying binge. So what do you do? How do you ensure that you are fashionable without depleting your retirement account?

 

Go Online
We’ve mentioned a few great sites right here that feature fantastic bargains, particularly on bags and accessories. For example, to update your professional accessories, you can get a better deal on leather goods online than you will find at any brick and mortar store.

When it comes to clothing, though, things are a little bit more involved. You can find all sorts of fantastic deals online that you wouldn’t be able to find in a traditional store. A great way to make sure you get exactly what you want at the price you want is to spend time in the stores you love. Look at the inventory—touch it, try it on, test it out, etc. Then go home and look up the item online. If it’s available for a better price online, buy it there. If the store offers it for a better price, buy it there.

Consignment and Thrift Shops
Make sure to check for flaws. At a consignment shop especially, you can often get the price reduced by pointing out flaws. Then either repair the flaws yourself or take the item to someone who knows how to work with leather. The cost of fixing a tiny flaw will be much less than buying the same item brand new and flawless but you’ll end up with the same result.

Share with Friends
Pool your money with friends who are the same size as you and buy one or two nice things that you can share. This does two things: it helps you save money and it drastically reduces the chances that you and your friends will show up to an event all wearing the same thing.

 

Second Run Shops
Stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc—they sell overstock that other stores couldn’t sell. This means that they probably have a plethora of leather stuff about to hit the shelves—all pieces that didn’t sell last year but that will be snatched up in seconds this year—and for at least 50% of what it would have cost in a first run shop. If you’re especially handy you can make your own clothing and accessories, but leather requires work that other fabrics do not so make sure you know what you’re doing before you try to put something through your sewing machine!