Converting your Closet On a Budget

Recent second-hand spring purchases

After your color analysis session, your may be thinking…now what? Check out this post for my tips, based on my own experience as a client, including all of the things I wish I would have done now that I am 18+ months out from my color session.

A common question that has come up on my Instagram page and in the HOC Spring Group USA (Unofficial) Facebook group is how to convert your closet to your season on a budget. Below is a summary of my tips and links to as many options I know of.

1. Be Patient! Don’t feel like you need to rush into replacing everything you own, or buying everything you see that happens to be in your colors. Be selective about your purchases — think about things you would have potentially been shopping for anyways and start there.

2. Join the Facebook Buy, Sell, Trade group for your season. These are not affiliate with HOC and are run by clients, but are a great way to shop secondhand items within your season (also a great place to sell items that are not your season!).

   1. HOC Spring Group USA - Buy/Sell/Trade

   2. HOC Summer USA - Buy/Sell/Trade (BST) Group

   3. HOC Autumn USA - Buy/Sell/Trade (BST) Group

   4. HOC Winter USA - Buy/Sell/Trade (BST) Group

3. In addition to the B/S/T groups, there are a number of resale by season accounts on Instagram. One of the best ones is Reclaimed Threads - it’s run by a HOC Consultant and offers a variety of brand-name items for each season at very reasonable prices. Other resale by seasons accounts include:

   • @shopresalebyseason

   • @colorfullyconsigned

   • @shopyourseason

   • @theloftresale

   • @shop.by.season

4. Shop Poshmark. Although its not by season, it can be a great way to get some high-quality pieces on a budget. I had great luck on brand-name blazers. When shopping on Poshmark, I stick to colors that are pretty “safe” for my season - as a spring, I’ve had luck with corals, cream, and yellow. All of the blazers in this reel are from Poshmark!

   • I also created a reel for tips to shopping Poshmark on my @be_a_spring IG account

5. Shop local thrift stores. Just like shopping in any retailer, bring your fan and look for items in your season/style. Thrift stores can be very hit or miss, but being patient can definitely pay off.

6. Shop Sales. This one can be a slippery slope - make sure you are just shopping because of the sale (a great question to ask yourself is “would I have paid full price for this?”). Sales are great for higher end or investment pieces that you may keep your eye on and get lucky at the end of the season, such as winter coat or boots.

What other tips you do have to convert your closet on a budget? Let me know in the comments below.

Poshmark Blazers