Leveling Up Your Wardrobe: On Upgrading Your Clothes
A couple of weeks ago, I shared how to update your wardrobe for a new season on a budget. One element of updating your wardrobe sometimes includes leveling up your wardrobe. That is, purchasing higher-quality versions of items that you wear often and knowing WHEN to do that.
When I first started blogging, I was living that grad student life on a meager grad student salary. I loved buying clothes, but I only shopped sales and tended to prefer buying quantity over quality (this is super obvious if you look at my past budget posts!). I still shop sales as much as possible, but I’m much more discerning about what I buy. It’s taken a lot of trial and error (many errors, actually) to get to the point where now I know when to spend a little more on items that have longevity.
One thing that I learned pretty quickly from leaning into my own style and following other bloggers was the value of purchasing items of higher quality, whether that be a garment made of a higher quality fabric blend or a garment that fit like it was made specifically for me. Instead of buying the inexpensive poly blend sweater, I’ll buy cashmere if I know I’ll wear it a lot and want it to last. I purchase more expensive denim now than I used to because it fits better, feels more comfortable, and lasts longer. And when it comes to footwear, I’ve since learned to spend more now so I can replace them less often rather than buying shoes that are cheap now and replacing them more often.
Leveling Up Your Wardrobe: How to Know When to Upgrade Your Clothes and What Clothes are Worth Upgrading
It’s time to think about upgrading certain articles of clothing when:
You’re noticing that you need to replace your favorite items often
You’re tracking your wears (I recommend Stylebook for iOS) and realizing how often you wear your favorite items
You wish your favorite items fit better, had a different fabric blend, or came in a different color
You wish you had bought the more expensive item(s) in the first place
What clothing types are worth upgrading:
Clothes you love that fall apart after only a handful of wears
Clothes that aren’t fitting the way you want due to lower-quality construction
Clothes that are made from a fabric blend that you don’t like or that’s uncomfortable to wear
Clothes that you wear often/in multiple seasons
Clothes that are worn outside and exposed to the elements
Clothes that you need for specific occasions (academic/work conferences/interviews, etc.)
3 CLOTHING CATEGORIES WORTH UPGRADING
Knitwear: I love a good sweater or cardigan. I have a variety of sweaters and cardigans, and a few years ago I discovered just how much better it is to have knitwear that feels incredible, fits perfectly, and that lasts. I wear a variety of different fits and fabrics but definitely reach more often for my knitwear that is made from natural fibers (hello, my blog name includes both cotton and cashmere—it’s because I wear both! 😉) and that aren’t fussy to wear. Even though acrylic and poly blends are inexpensive and worth it for trendy knitwear styles that you aren’t sure if you’ll like, I’ve found that it’s worth it to spend a little more for knitwear that will last longer than a season or two.
Denim: Denim is a funny category because there are some great denim brands at lower price points (less than ~$50), but I’ve found personally that once I upgraded to Madewell denim, my life changed forever. Madewell is not the highest quality denim, but it is much nicer than what I wore in college, and let me tell you, I’ve never had jeans fit me so well! Their curvy style is amazing, and their Magic Pockets are truly magical. I’ve also loved my pairs of Everlane denim. I don’t think I own denim by any other brand. I still wince about spending more than $100 on a pair of jeans, but I’m sure someday I’ll see what the hype is about with the even higher end brands!
Footwear: In my early blogging days, I wore a lot of cheap footwear made of mostly manmade materials, and they fell apart…quickly. (I literally had a $15 pair of shoes last TWO WEARS before they completely fell apart.) It was then that I learned it’s worth it to pay more for footwear that is made well and that will last, especially because your footwear is exposed to the outside world and can take a real beating depending on what you do every day. If you commute by foot, you definitely want shoes that fit well with no rubbing and that will hold up! You’ll also want some pairs of shoes that are made specifically for and hold up in inclement weather.
Of course, these are not the only categories worth upgrading—they’re just the three that are represented visually by this outfit! I’ve also upgraded jewelry, outerwear, and bags. When did you know it was time to start upgrading your clothes? What clothing categories do you spend more on?
OUTFIT DETAILS
Grana cardigan c/o / old; similar by Gap or Banana Republic (last seen here)
Amour Vert tee / exact or similar by Vineyard Vines (last seen here)
Madewell jeans / exact (also available from Zappos)
Aquatalia boots / old; similar or similar by Steve Madden (last seen here)
Maison Miru earrings / exact (for a limited time, get a pair for the price of shipping!)
Le Specs sunglasses / exact via Zappos, Shopbop or Nordstrom
Dior Lip Glow in rosewood / exact