How to get the most out of Occasion Wear, don't waste your money on an outfit you only wear once...

I’ve lost count of the times I have done a Wardrobe Edit and there are beautiful outfits hanging in a dry cleaner’s plastic cover, worn once and never to see the light of day again. Often these are also the most expensive items in the client’s wardrobe too. There’s something about an invitation to an event that makes the majority of people go out and spend more than they would ever normally dream of on a single outfit. An outfit that sadly, more often than not doesn’t get worn again.

I always advocate spending the majority of your budget on the items that you wear every day. For me that would be jeans!

I know that the reality is that when an occasion arises we all want a beautiful outfit to wear that makes us feel special. I’m hoping that the tips I share here will also mean that those outfits get more than one wear.

Make use of accessories.

Taking a simple dress and adding incredible accessories can take that dress that you might wear on a night out or for a less formal occasion and transform it into the perfect outfit for an event. The dress I have linked below is £95 and comes in lots of colours, to give you an idea of how it could be dressed up, I have selected some accessories that would take it from a dress you could wear on a summers day with flip flops to being event ready.

• Dress linked here

• Sandals linked here

• Shell bag linked here

• Bow bag linked here

• Necklace linked here

• Head piece linked here

• Earrings linked here

Consider a two piece outfit.

Sometimes it is hard to think how to wear a dress again so if you want to ensure you are going to wear your event outfit again then a two piece outfit could be a more versatile option. This gives the opportunity to mix and match with other items for other occasions. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Red top linked here

• Red skirt linked here

• Polka dot top linked here

• Polka dot skirt linked here

Arrange a swap party with friends or buy pre loved.

If you have unworn occasion wear hanging in your wardrobe, you can be sure your friends have too! Why not get together and have a look if there is something you can borrow or swap. The same goes for looking on pre loved sites. There are hundreds of people trying to sell their worn once items so before heading out to buy new, have a look if you can find a bargain first.

Consider Hiring.

Renting is a great way of getting something amazing and trying new brands at a fraction of the cost of buying new. It also means the item goes back after use, not taking up room in your wardrobe.

If you have pieces that you are not wearing but don’t want to sell then it is also a great way to get your clothes earning money for you.

There are a few rental company suggestions here:

• Girl meets dress

• Hurr

• Selfridges Rental

• Hirestreet

• By Rotation

• John Lewis Rental

• My Wardrobe HQ

If you love it, wear it again!

Finally, if something makes you feel great, it doesn’t matter if you have worn it before. The truth is, no-one will probably notice, they will just see you looking fabulous with a big smile on your face because you feel happy, comfortable and confident in your outfit.

I really hope that you have found this post helpful, please get in touch if you have any style queries you would like answering in future posts.

If you would like to find out more about working with me please take a look at my services at www.allisonbuckley.co.uk or email allison@allisonbuckley.co.uk

I am determined to keep these newsletters as free advice and I hope you find them helpful. If you found a post particularly useful and would like to buy me a coffee, I would be extremely grateful.

Have a great weekend!

Allison x

This newsletter contains some affiliate links.