Affordable Summer Fashion

I was going to post this at the beginning of the week, but with everything going on in the world right now, it didn't feel right. I have so many thoughts and feelings about it all, but I'd rather take more time to process and learn before addressing those thoughts and feelings.

In the meantime, today's post is pretty simple! This is one that was requested a while ago. Where do I find good deals?? Well, I love a good deal, and this last little "summer haul" of mine, was full of them. I'm going to be doing a few posts like this, spread out, focusing on each look or outfits; but the two places I am spotlighting this time are SHEIN and Gap. Shopping online is easily my preference - and something I recently found, (which I mentioned also in my last post), is Rakuten. This helps you earn money when shopping online. I just got my first check through it and it was so easy. Easy as shopping online at places you probably are shopping through anyways. For Gap I got 2% cash back, plus the fact it automatically added any available and applicable coupons at checkout. You also get $10 after placing your first order of $25+!

Another great way to shop is to wait for sales. This is an obvious one, but I can't tell you how many times I have been impatient and ended up wishing I had waited for the sale. Then during those sales, I try to do all my clothe shopping at once. One, because obviously I am getting more items at a reduced price, but two, because I like to online shop, this saves on shipping. Plus, usually if you order over a certain amount online you get free shipping and often times there are discounts when you spend over a certain amount. So when you combine places that already offer incredible pricing, sales, free shipping, bulk discounts, coupons, and shopping through Rakuten... you can actually get a lot of bang for your buck.

Last tip. I spend a lot of time vetting through my favorite items to make sure I don't have to waste money on shipping things back. I read reviews to make sure I am choosing the correct size based on what those reviews are saying about the fit, as well as what they are saying about the quality. A lot of times I will "window shop" online, saving things to my wish list through the site, Pinterest, or wherever else, also so when a sale comes along I can look and see if I already saved something I might need or want rather than just getting something random simply because it's on sale. (Side note - on the rare occasion I need or want to return something, because purchasing it is usually cheap to begin with, I just sell it on Poshmark (use code LIFEBYKIMBERLY to get $10 off), unused, and I usually get back exactly what I paid for it - shipping included so I'm not losing any money on the original purchase.

Okay, so - now on to today's outfit! I was so pleasantly surprised and happy with my order from SHEIN. I got quite a few things, but this outfit got me the most excited. First, this incredible asymmetrical floral ruffle skirt for $17.28. Now when it comes to quality when buying items from SHEIN, it's kind of hit and miss. This one was a total hit! The quality of the skirt is great, not see through, and the material reminds me of something I would expect to find at a JC Penny's or a Macy's - which is a good thing in my mind, (especially at that price!). The color is so vibrant, the print is beautiful, the shape is flattering, and the fit is perfect. Easily one of my new favorite things in my closet right now.

Second, I got a super cute white top to go with it. Another incredible find for only $9.11! The material is super soft and the detail of the lace on the sleeves is beautiful. It's lightweight, so pretty and feminine, and so incredibly comfortable. And it turned out to go perfectly with the skirt.

Third, I got a pair of super cute woven flat mules for a mere $17.28 - not necessarily to go with the skirt and the top, but I thought they ended up going really well together. I wanted some cute shoes for summer that weren't sandals or flip flops and these were perfect. I was a little nervous, again, about the quality, the fit, and how comfortable they would be, but they fit perfectly and are surprisingly super comfortable.

Fourth and last, that darling hat. The hat was the most expensive thing in this outfit, coming in at $15.99. But, I've been wanting a fun summer hat for a while and this one from Gap, felt like just the right one. One I would actually wear. It ended up working out with the rest of my outfit too, so I'd say it was a win.

Top, skirt, shoes, and hat came out to have a grand total of $59.66. That's pretty good for a four-piece outfit. I mean, that's like the cost of one pair of inexpensive jeans.

Okay... so now we've gone over my "secrets" for shopping deals and an effective way to refresh your wardrobe for the summer at an affordable price. I hope this helped and if you want more tips or suggestions, (not that I am an expert), send me a message, email, or comment below in the post or on my Instagram. Let me know if you want more posts like this. Also, I kind of apologize for all the pictures, but for whatever reason, these ones were super fun to take and edit and I feel like they turned out pretty good. Aaand I'm also just really proud of how far my photography and editing skills have come since the beginning of this year so... you're getting a lot of this batch :p