Looking professional doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. There are a lot of budget-friendly options for getting great clothes for less.
When it comes to looking great for work, my advice is not only should you think about what you’re wearing, but how you’re wearing it.
What do I mean by that?
You can wear nice clothes, but if you don’t put effort into your entire look, you’ll still look disheveled!
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The main pieces I suggest investing in are:
- a well-fitted blazer
- black dress pants (not jeggings or black jeans!)
- a crisp, white top that can be worn alone or layered
- neutral shoes (black or tan, heels or flats. Go for comfortable and cute!)
- a belt to match your shoes
All of the places below are great options to get any of these items that will be great quality at a great price.
My current job has a casual dress code, but most of my other jobs required dressing up, so I still had to know where to go to get the good deals!
NORDSTROM RACK
There is a whole section in Nordstrom Rack that’s all work stuff. And they have a lot of online options, too. This is one of my favorite ways to get really great quality (usually name brand) stuff at a great price. Hunting through the clearance is like hunting for gold. You can also get great quality shoes here, too!
TJMAXX/MARSHALLS
My other all-time favorite! This is another amazing place to get great work pieces. I’ve gotten the majority of my shirts from here because they’re usually between $10-$20 and how can you beat that?! I get shoes from here, too, because they’re priced great for designers as well.
EXPRESS
When it comes to Express, the best way to shop is when they have their big sales. I feel like they’re ALWAYS having 40% off sales, which actually makes their pieces something I’d buy. Most of my suits are from here, and I LOVE their dress pants. They’re so stretchy and a nice, thick material. I’m obsessed with their Portofino button ups (I own 5). You can also find some great pieces in their clearance!
BANANA REPUBLIC FACTORY
A little hidden gem you may not know about! There is a factory store for Banana Republic that carries the same clothes but at WAY better prices. Most things are already marked down 50% off, and they still have sales on top of that!
EBAY
Same thing, but on Ebay there are also a ton of brand new options with tags still attached that you can get for substantially cheaper than anywhere else. When I’m shopping for something, I will always look for it on Ebay first before I look anywhere else.
AMAZON
Whenever I get clothes from Amazon, I mainly just read the reviews to see how I’m going to like it. I’ve mostly had awesome luck here, especially with the cardigans I wear for work. You can literally get anything you need on Amazon.
SHEIN
Although I will admit this site can be hit or miss, the amount of times I’ve gotten great pieces from them for such a great price makes it worth it. I am always sure to check the reviews and make sure other people have liked the pieces before I get them. They also offer free returns, so really it’s not that bad to just see how things look. I just ordered a bunch of work pieces from here and will be sharing a post about them once they get here!
THREDUP/POSHMARK
I will forever be an advocate of shopping second hand! Thredup has literally thousands of items you can wear for work at 1/3-1/2 the price of retail. Bonus, if you sell things TO them, they can give you credit and you can basically just trade you old stuff for new stuff which is what I do a lot of the time instead of taking the cash out. They also offer designer clothes, too!
Poshmark is another great online thrift store option but you’re working directly with the seller. There are SO many great options, both designer and not, on this site.
BONUS: Check out your local thrift stores, too! Plenty of amazing items to pick through that people wear a handful of times and get rid of, especially when they lose weight!
Where do you get your favorite budget-friendly work pieces?? Let us know in the comments!
