Six ways to save on online fashion

I've decided to go part-time at work as I've started a part-time internship. Very exciting, but I am sadly going to have a lot less disposable income as a result. Due to this, and the fact that everyone loves a good old bargain I've created a handy guide to making your money go further in the world of Internet fashion.

 I'm taking it for granted that most people reading this have heard of Boohoo, Missguided, eBay etc, but may not have heard of some of these less well known ways of making your money go further online.

So without further ado, behold my six top wonga saving websites (in no particular order of amazing-ness):

1. Best for sale buys: Shop Style

ShopStyle is a website which I mainly use if I know exactly what I'm searching for (e.g. red dress) as it searches hundreds of different retailers who have items matching your description. This is itself can be very thrifty, but the reason I'm featuring ShopStyle in my list is because they have an amazing sale alert service. All you do is input your details and choose from a list of retailers, and you are emailed a selection of reduced items (beauty also included).

I love this as not only do you find out when your favourite shops have sales but you can click straight through to buy items. In the past I've managed to find an amazing Miss Selfridge leather jacket for less than half price, a Proenza Schouler-esque dress from Boohoo for £11 and various jewellery bargains.

An example email:

 

2. Best for finding discounts: Fashion Vouchers

You know when you get to the checkout of your favourite online store and realise you've put wayyyy to much in your basket and you start frantically Googling discount codes? Well, fear no more, as Fashion Vouchers is here to help! This website handily pops all the most recent fashion and beauty voucher codes in one place so you can see where you will find the biggest discounts and when. This is especially handy for sites like ASOS and Missguided which have a 'wishlist/saved items' function as you can save all your favourites, then simply wait for a discount code before you buy. The website allows you to search by category, by store or just browse, and there's also an email alert service so you never have to miss a code again!

Some of the best discounts around right now include:

10% off at Urban Outfitters
25% off at Little Mistress
Free UK standard delivery at Marc B
£5 off Hair and Make-up at Feel Unique
£20 off PU Parka at Miss Selfridge (hurry this one ends today!)

3. Best for designer dupes: Sammy Dress

Sammy Dress is a wholesale website which sells absolutely TONS of items, including women's clothing, accessories and shoes. It can take a while to trawl through all of the stuff, and there are some dubious-looking things on offer (skintight leopard print catsuit anyone?), but the stuff is so cheap and there are some amazing designer (and even high street) dupes on offer. There's free shipping on many items (although it does take between 9-25 days for your package to arrive).

My picks:

1. Sandals £12.91
2. Kimono £6.52
3. Trousers £4.31
4. Bikini £8.21
5. Watch £12.47
6. Dress £8.21

4. Best for original finds: Etsy

Etsy is a treasure trove if you want something unique, handmade or hard-to-find but don't want to spend a fortune. Granted, some things can be on the expensive side, but if you're willing to dig a little bit, you can find some lovely things at really reasonable prices. Etsy is also a great place to find thoughtful, original gifts, and supplies for jewellery making or customising clothes. There is a nice community feel about Etsy and I like that you can favourite sellers and you will get notifications when they add new items to their shops. Some of my favourite sellers include:

Lateef Accessories  who make pretty personalised jewellery.

Ladybird Likes who make super cute wooden jewellery and collar tips/chains.

Burger and Friends who make funny slogan tees/sweatshirts- I absolutely love their 'I like cats' jumper

Cases by Cera who make beautiful iPhone cases

Charms Galore  who supply lovely trinkets for jewellery making (and also very cheap plain gold coloured
rings)


5. Best for bargain basics: American Apparel Imperfect Packs

I discovered these when I was searching for a particular American Apparel neon t-shirt I saw on London's Closet. They are multi-packs of American Apparel basics (t-shirts, leggings etc.) which have slight imperfections so cannot be sold as 'normal' so are sold at a discounted price. Mostly the faults are minor (tiny stains, tiny holes etc), and as American Apparel's basics tend to be good quality but tres expensive, this is a much cheaper way to invest. Different packs are added once others sell out and you could even split the money with your partner/sister/friend and save more! The only downside is that as they are so cheap, you can't choose the colours you will be getting, and can sometimes get multiples of the same shade. But that just makes it so much more exciting-like a lucky dip! 

6. Best for DIY: A Pair and a Spare

Last but certainly not least is A Pair and a Spare. This isn't a shop, but an amazing blog run by Geneva, who thinks up the most inventive ways to recreate designer clothes, shoes, accessories and jewellery. As most bargain hunters know, DIY can be a fun, easy and thrifty way to breathe life into your old stuff.

 For some of the projects you need a bit of sewing expertise (believe me you will be inspired to learn!) but a lot of the projects are much simpler and you just need to invest in a few easily available materials in order to save yourself mega £££s! I strongly suggest checking Geneva's website out, especially these ideas (all of which can be found by selecting the Project Gallery) :

So there we have it, the six websites that will no doubt be very handy for me in the coming months- and hopefully for you too!