Be my guest: Along the Lines of Style

Just a reminder to everyone that I’m on vacation this week. Hope you enjoy the guest posts! Jen

Next, please welcome Whitney @ Along the Lines of Style. I know y’all will enjoy her fun, classy style, as well as her practical, stylish advice for working women.

Hello everyone! I’m Whitney, the author of Along the Lines of Style, and I’m excited to guest post for Jennifer while she’s away.

My blog chronicles my sartorial journey through dressing stylishly on a teacher’s budget. My school has a pretty demanding dress code, so I’m not only limited by my budget and the obvious physical challenges of my job, but I also have to dress appropriately and professionally.

Here are just a few of the ways I manage this balance:

Target is my best friend (but sometimes my absolute enemy…). Target has amazing deals on its normal-priced clothing and accessories, but the deals only get better when the season’s clothes move to clearance. I don’t think there’s a stigma attached to shopping at Target — especially when you can find so many Anthro and J. Crew look-alike pieces for a fraction of the cost.

Wish List it. When I find an item I like, even at Target, I add it to my wish list. This gives me time to decide how I can incorporate it in my closet with everything I already have… and it gives me time to wait out a sale. I avoid a lot of impulse purchases this way!

I don’t typically buy clothes in bulk, but I build outfits one item at a time using my wish-list method. Whenever I buy an item of clothing or jewelry, I do a “five outfit test.” I think of five ways I can wear it. I ask myself to think of five ways I can wear the skirt. If I can think of five pretty easily, I should add it to my closet. If it’s pretty difficult to think of five, I put it back and wait for it to go on sale. If I can’t think of five at all, I put it back and think about it… if I see it at a later date on super sale, I will get it. It’s really interesting to see how my closet has evolved since I began doing this. I really think that I’ve built a wardrobe that blends and mixes well with several items for each article of clothing.

Cash Only. My husband and I don’t use credit cards. We pay for everything in cash and officially have no debt other than our mortgage. If you can’t pay cash for it, I don’t think it’s logical to buy it anyway.

Be sure to stop by and visit Along the Lines of Style! I host a weekly feature for Women Who Work, and I’m always looking for new bloggers to feature!

XO,
W