My Secret to an Expensive-Looking Wardrobe

My quest for an expensive-looking wardrobe derives from the aim of looking polished and put together. Closet staples that are stitched from quality fabrics typically coincide with a higher price tag. Those two ideas aside, if you're like most women (and myself) there's a budget involved and an income that's perhaps far from disposable. I recently did a survey of my clothing and accessories and concluded that it had been a substantial amount of time since I purchased anything. This wasn't due to a lack of want but rather a lack of means to buy the things I'd like to be wearing at this stage in my life. In other words, I don't want to wear fast fashion anymore but The Row's latest arrivals would make my checking account very sad.

Thankfully, not all hope was lost. I'll preface my next point with the slightly sheepish recognition that I am a bit late to the game when it comes to secondhand wears. That's right: my solution is to wear something that someone else has worn before. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it takes a lot of time to sift through pages upon pages (or racks upon racks) of vintage and secondhand designer pieces but whatever the case I had somehow forgotten that it's within the realm of possibility to wear my favorite brands while still being able to pay my rent. My first purchase was a white button-down shirt from Acne Studios that I got for $55 from TheRealReal. It's crisp, it's beautiful, and most importantly it's not something that everyone else is wearing. One of my favorite aspects of designer consignment is the level of curation. The pieces you purchase are often one-of-a-kind and give your look a stronger sense of identity because they are actually unique to you (until you decide to sell them to the next lucky lady out there).

If you're like me and 1. Need new pieces for fall and 2. Have yet to take the plunge into the wonderful world of consignment, then take a gander at my latest finds below—39, to be exact. Act quickly! These beauties are sure to sell out to someone else who is ready to take their look up a notch this autumn, too.

Click to shop styles you'll wear now, later—and probably forever.