“I’d love advice on how to find boss fashion on a budget. Where are the best places to find cheap essential pieces for your wardrobe?”
When we think of boss — and so boss fashion — we think of power, control, and authority. But I think the best way to achieve a fantastic wardrobe, and especially in a cheap way, is to relinquish this control. Don’t go into the charity shop with expectations of a chocolate brown, single-breasted blazer. Let whatever fate throws at you on the clothes racks surprise you and take hold of you, your desires and your imaginations. The way to find essentials is to slowly, patiently, and haphazardly collect things you love.
My collection of essential jewellery consists of a bracelet I found in a stuffed drawer at home, a silver chain my grandmother gifted me that I haven’t taken off in years, a beaded necklace made by a lady from Hong Kong in Market Square (shoutout Peacock Pearls & Jewellery), my watch ring from Shoreditch, and a ring from a friend with a stone that happens to match my bracelet exactly. Whenever I go shopping I search for a feeling, and only buy something (especially when it’s slightly pricey) if I am obsessed, if I know it will haunt me if I don’t. Just step into any charity shop whenever you have time — literally any! I went into the EACH near Aldi the other day and found a butterfly-buckled belt for £3 — and you never know, you could find the next love of your life.
To make things more practical, as a frail international from a warmer climate, my puffer jacket is an absolute essential that I splashed out on: it’s warm, oversized (to allow more layers), waterproof, hooded, and reversible with fantastic prints on both sides to spice up any outfit. I have an aversion to only wearing block colours, so prints are essential to every one of my outfits. Fashion and function: what more could I need?
Originally published online in “AskVulture X Fashion: How can I dress like a boss on a budget?” in Varsity Publications on March 12, 2022.