£100 Outfit Challenge

£100 is a lot of money, but when it comes to the high street it’s easy to spend £100 without really realising where it’s all gone. A Topshop dress or a Zara jacket can take a big blow to an outfit budget, and so it’s always good to do a bit of savy high street shopping to ensure you’re getting the best deals you can. Now the way I like to shop is to pick a key item and dress around it, so I don’t mind spending 50% / 60% of my budget on one thing, so long as I can source the right accessories for a bit more of a bargain price to balance it out.

Two of the easiest ‘steals’ to get on the high street these days are shoes and accessories. Pretty much all high street and online brands are offering the same shoes at varying prices dependent on the material used, so whether it be £100 Topshop ankle boots in Newlook for £25 or JC Lita dupes for £30 on Misguided, if you’re budget is limited, make sure you browse and compare as chances are, in the shoe arena, you will find an almost identical pair for a fraction of the price. The same goes with jewelry, if your looking for a simple necklace, earing’s or a bracelet to finish off an outfit, you don’t need to spend £25, browse Primark, antiques stores or even ebay for a really great find and spend a couple of pounds.

This leads me neatly to my outfit, having been set an outfit challenge of £100 I did struggle a fair bit, I’m a girl with expensive taste, and you forget how much things add up to. But after some serious online browsing I worked up my perfect Autumn outfit all within the budget. I started off with a dress I’d been longing for, for ages, I decided there’d be no point scrimping, I may as well get the one thing I really wanted and work the budget around that. So I purchased this Topshop denim dress for £55, it’s perfect for a simple weekend or Christmas shopping look and is really versatile in the style stakes.

. Topshop Denim Dress £55 . Misguided Tan Heels £35 .

. Antiques Earings £1 . H&M Bracelet £4 . Primark Tights £2 .

This left me £45 to finish the look – this scared me at first, but it’s amazing what you can find with a few clicks on the computer. I wanted some really high tan heels and managed to find the perfect pair on Misguided, a tan lace up ankle boot with a killer heel for the perfect cost of £35. This is significantly less than high street versions of the same shoe, so a really good deal. With my remaining £10 I decided I needed some tights to warm up the outfit (£2 Primark) and thought it was time to add some jewelry to the look. I took a stroll around Clifton Village in Bristol and found these amazing vintage earing’s for a crazy £1 in an antiques store, so snapped them up immediately. The final addition was a little H&M find, this turquoise and gold bracelet cost £4 and added a really nice little touch to the look.

So there you go, a whole outfit for £100, well £97. Leaving me £3 to pick up a Christmas coffee to reward all my hard shopping work.