Dressing Well On A Budget | Affordable Men’s Fashion Tips

Despite what you may think, dressing stylishly and well doesn’t have to involve a lot of money. We’ve talked time and again about how achieving style has everything to do with choosing the right items for a timeless essential wardrobe and nothing to do with how much you pay for something. Whether it’s the right budget-friendly denim and chinos, or affordable accessories that add a bit of personality, you can dress well on a budget, no matter what it is. Another bonus: women care more about how you dress, not what you spend on clothing, trust us.

So, with that, here are a few simple ways that you can dress well on a budget.

 

The Right Fit

It doesn’t matter how much you spend on clothes if they don’t fit they’ll look like crap! A well-fitting $75 bomber will look way better than an ill-fitting $2000 suit. If you handle this part properly, you’ve done 80% of the hard work. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with Fit Guides for nearly every wardrobe item in your closet.

 

Nail The Details

Small tweaks like well-chosen accessories (watch, pocket square, a tie bar, or watch band) will elevate an average look to a new level. These items can all be super affordable and when put together with a well-chosen, well-fitting outfit they’re really going to take your style to the next level with a bare minimum of investment.

 

The Right Shoes

There’s no quicker way to ruin a solid, stylish outfit than with a bad pair of shoes. Plus, it’s a fact women will notice your shoes and regardless of how much you spend, they should be clean, in good shape, and timeless in style. Don’t forget to consider the right shoe choice for the situation you’re dressing for. A shoe that’s too casual or overly-dressy with the wrong outfit is just as bad as shoes that are in terrible shape.

 

Dress for the situation

Dressing out of touch for the situation just makes you look like you’re trying too hard or you’ve got no taste, and neither one is something you want to impart to an observer. Whether you spent a lot or a little, if you’re overdressing for a barbeque or underdressing for a work event or wedding, nobody is going to care about your budget, they’re only going to notice how out of place you look.

Do Women Care How Much You Spend On Clothes?

One of the most common comments we see and hear time and again is “Women only care about men who spend a lot on clothing.” Now we believe that style is made up of a lot more things than just the clothes you wear and we talk a lot about how to build a stylish essential wardrobe on any budget. But, it is a fair question to ask.

So do women care how much you spend on clothes? Tune in and find out what we think!

Style and money are unrelated

Fit, and to a lesser extent, materials, denotes how “rich” you can look. You can be wearing a $5k suit but if it fits poorly and isn’t properly tailored, you’re still going to look like crap. But if you’re wearing a $500 suit that’s tailored perfectly and fits your body type well, you’re going to look like a million bucks. Dressing well in clothes that fit you isn’t expensive. Dressing poorly in designer clothing is very expensive and a complete waste of time and money, not to mention, no women will care if your suit is expensive if you look like a mess in it. Since we’re talking about fit, we’ve got Fit Guides for everything, so don’t forget to check ’em out!

Designer Doesn’t Always Mean Good

Covering yourself in designer labels to show how much you spend on clothes actually just shows a lack of class and tact. Wearing a $500 Gucci T-shirt is silly for two reasons: one, they’re knocked off so easily that often people assume it’s fake anyway, and two, did you really just pay $500 for a $2 shirt with a Gucci logo screen printed on it? To women, it makes you look like more of a sucker and its incredibly off-putting. Looking good is about the details and subtlety – women pick up on these more than most men know. 

Dress Within Your Means

We mention it a lot around here but it bears repeating, style is achievable at literally any budget. If you’re spending more than what your means allow on your clothing, that’s an instant alarm to a woman. It shows you’re either insecure or irresponsible financially. Either way, very unattractive. Be honest about your budget and stick with what works for it, it’s a much, much better look. Don’t believe us? We’ve got recommendations for budget-friendly denim, chinos, and more.

Dress For The Situation

If you’re wearing expensive clothing, but it’s inappropriate for the situation, women will be repelled. Wearing your brash, iced-out Hublot watch to a black-tie affair is just gauche. Flashy shows of money like this are inappropriate and they send up red flags like “insecure”, “ignorant”, “tacky”. Subtlety and class are infinitely more important to women, even when they don’t know it. EVERY woman, regardless of who they are, would jump James Bond’s bones because he’s subtle, confident, and elegant in his style. Remember that. 

The Verdict: Absolutely Not

Take it from a woman (and an incredibly accomplished one at that), the right women care about so many things that aren’t money and how much of it you spend (or pretend to spend) on your clothing. Style is about so much more than just what you wear and women know this. Style can be achieved no matter what your budget is, even if it’s zero, so don’t forget that!

 

How Much Should You Spend On Clothes?

As we always discuss, the right mix of items in your Essential Wardrobe is key in giving you the foundation to dress stylishly no matter what the occasion or your age range.  The great news is, it doesn’t matter what your budget is, you can build a stylish wardrobe no matter much you have to spend. 

Yeah, we know, many people often complain that you “need a lot of money to dress well” but that’s just not true.  It does take some proper strategy to know where and how to spend your hard-earned money though, and that’s where we come in. Figuring out where to save and splurge on items is a question we get asked all the time so in this edition of 2 Minute Tuesday we’re giving you our advice on how much money you should spend on clothes!

 

How Much Of Your Budget Should You Spend On Clothes?

Good news, this is simple: it doesn’t matter! Figure out what you’re comfortable with, no matter how much you have, and stick to that.  There are stylish options for everyone and every budget.

 

What To Invest In?

Both of us agree that dress shoes / boots and outerwear (jackets, peacoats, bombers) are the two places that it’s worth it to invest in.  Quality items in these categories will give you many years of wear and style.  Ashley also believes that if you dress up every day, or very frequently, it makes sense to invest in quality suits and blazers.

 

What To Go Cheap On?

Outside of the previously mentioned items, both of us agree that you can go much more budget-friendly on t-shirts, jeans, chino pants, and button-ups.  These items are easily replaced at any price point and will look sharp no matter how much you spend, provided you’re shopping smartly.

Are Subscription Boxes Worth It?

Subscription boxes are everywhere these days and we always get a ton of inquiries about clothing and grooming versions. We definitely have some opinions on how good they are and whether or not they are worth your time and money.

So, in this episode of 2 Minute Tuesday we’re discussing whether or not subscription boxes are worth it!

 

The Answer: Nope, Not Worth It

Believe us, we see a ton of these, and they just aren’t worth your time or money (with one small caveat below).

Why?

There are a bunch of different types out there but ultimately the amount of stuff you get just is too much and not of good quality. Who needs new socks or skin cleanser every month? Nobody. We get that many of you are super busy, but we promise that the time you invest in learning how and what to shop for is well worth it. Since you’re reading this and watching our channel, your personal style is obviously a priority, and cultivating your own Essential Wardrobe is an important investment that’s worth your time.

That said, we do love and enjoy a bunch of the versions with consumables like snacks, coffee, wine, charcuterie, etc. Those are great as it allows you to try new things and ideally the items don’t pile up and go to waste.

How To Build A Wardrobe?

Building a wardrobe doesn’t have to be an overwhelming or daunting task, but it does take some strategy, especially when you’re planning out the right purchases. In this episode of 2 Minute Tuesday we’re answering a viewer question about how to build a wardrobe.

Should you purchase by outfit? Or buy items piece by piece? What’s the right way to expand your wardrobe and keep it stylish? We’ve got all the answers you need right here.

 

Start With Versatile Essential Pieces

The right way to build your wardrobe is by starting with individual, versatile basics that you can mix and match for a variety of different outfits. A common mistake a lot of guys make is to just buy an entire outfit or two right off the mannequin. While that might look great together, you’re not necessarily going to be able to break apart and combine that one outfit or two for other situations. Plus, you can’t just wear that one outfit or two for every scenario.

As we discuss in our Essential Wardrobe series, building a foundation with items that are timeless gives you flexibility to meet any situation and the confidence to know you’re always going to look stylish, now matter where you’re going. Items like dark wash jeans, chinos, basic dress shirts and oxfords, basic t-shirts and polos, versatile outerwear, and blazers are going to allow you to put together looks that are not only stylish but uncomplicated.

After Your Have A Foundation, Add Along The Way

Once you have build a solid, foundational wardrobe you can then start adding in those special pieces like a statement shirt or leather bomber jacket, additional colors and patterns, or one-off items. You can feel free to start adding in some more personality and seasonal items with confidence because you’re always going to have that solid base to fall back on.

 

Does This Apply To Me?

It may seem deceptively simple, but who does our advice apply to? We always strive to give our audience useful, practical advice about style, life, dating, and more, all from an experienced and thoughtful perspective. Whether it’s wardrobe tips for the season or advice on how to improve social skills, we always do our best to appeal to as broad of an audience as possible.

In this episode of 2 Minute Tuesday we’re diving into a great question about who should take our advice and why, so tune in and find out what we think!

 

Sexual Orientation Doesn’t Matter

Our life and style advice applies to all, regardless of hair color, body type, or sexual preference. We do our best to give our educated advice on style and life that should work for most, if not all people. Sexual preference is a highly personal subject to you and you alone, we’re just here to help you dress and live better, no matter who you’re into. So, you can take that idea out of the equation and just focus on it without the lens of sexual preference.

Essential Style Is Important, But Make It Personal

We always discuss the foundations of a timeless, Essential Wardrobe because it’s versatile and always in style. But that doesn’t mean you have to dress a particular way if it’s not you. Once you have the foundations of style built you can then add in your personal touches to make it your own. Like streetwear or “bad boy style”, your personal style shouldn’t feel like a costume or inauthentic, it should be a representation of your own personality, no matter who you are or what your sexual orientation is.

 

Does Well-Dressed Mean Boring?

We talk so much about an essential wardrobe and timeless personal style, it’s hugely important. A sharp timeless wardrobe is the foundation of great personal style and, ultimately confidence. This week on 2 Minute Tuesday we answer a great question from our reader/viewer Arthur.  He asked, “Does well-dressed mean boring?”

Tune in and find out what we think.

Timeless and Classic, Not Boring

Hopefully, we can help you reframe your thinking that dressing in a classic, stylish way might be boring. Rather, it’s always appropriate and timeless.  You never have to worry about being out of style or not being appropriately dressed, and you can feel confident that you’re always going to look great. Trends come and go at lightning speed and flash doesn’t equal substance.

Embrace Your Personal Style

As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, things like adopting a particular style (Bad Boy style, for instance) or popular trend just because you think it’s going to make you stylish or show personality isn’t the way to truly build your own personal style.  It’s going to feel inauthentic and like you’re trying too hard.  By starting with timeless essentials and building from there you’ll then be able to figure out what styles really speak to you as you gain more confidence and build on a solid foundation.

How To Deal With Rejection

Rejection is a part of life, both personally and professionally. We all face it and it’s unavoidable. But, it’s also a great learning opportunity.  Whether it’s about your self-confidence or how you interact with people, what’s important is how you learn to get over it and what you take away from it.  Believe it or not, it takes some practice but learning how to deal with rejection comes down to 5 simple factors.

Accept It

Know that it’s a part of your romantic life and you will have to deal with it. The sooner you accept it and know that you will grow stronger from it the less power fear will have over you.

Learn From It

Make sure you take away something from the rejection. Whether it’s learning from a mistake you made or that a particular someone wasn’t right for you, rejection can be a powerful learning experience.

Give It Time

Getting over rejection takes time, so be patient. Focus on yourself – your health, fitness, mental strength and you’ll emerge stronger and better.  Don’t beat yourself up after a short period of time, time heals all, as the old saying goes.

It’s Not The End Of The World

Yes, it’s a terrible cliche but it’s absolutely true.  Lean on your support group of friends and family and try to take a step back and look at the big picture.  Every person you probably admire has been rejected and moved on to do great things and you can too!

Get Rejected More Often

Getting rejected more often is actually a good tool. It actually makes it easier to deal with and helps you understand and move on more quickly.  Also, getting rejected means you’re taking risks and living life to the fullest.