Welcome back to part to of Suger’s Guide to being a Budget Fashionista. Today after all the hard work of budgeting and closet clean outs last week, this week we are having some fun! It’s I’ve your own adventure week with style being the prize. I’ve put together some mood boards representing a few major style looks and you’re going to decide which look is the MOST you.

Just a quick note, style boards are REALLY hard to not just turn into representations of your personal style. Haha. So keep this in mind, visit the bloggers listed below for a bit more of a well-rounded view of a style you think you might like. It will give you an idea of how they incorporate new trends into a base style. And there won’t be quite as many stripes… That was me.

There are some style inspirations with matching blogger counterparts and shopping links for you too (remember that budget ladies!!) and basically it’s time to do what I love to do best. It’s time to look at all the pretty the interwebs have to offer! I know you’re ready for this one! Let’s do it.

Classic Style

It’s a little bit vintage, but only the best parts. The girls with a classic style use well-cut clothes and neutral heavy choices. A classic style will give a bit of a nod to retro styling, but only the best bits. It’s subtle but is often teamed with a ruby red lip or dark eyeliner. As far as seasonal trends go the classic style girls won’t really partake. They would perhaps just add an updated colour or modern twist on a classic piece like leather pants instead of the classic black pants. I like to think that the classic ladies amongst us will always have a striped boatneck tee and a pair of Ray-Bans. This style is best represented by Ashley Olsen, Adele and Michelle Williams.

Check out these blogs:

Girl with Curves
Ashley Rose
The Magpie
Jay Miranda

Where to shop:

Virtu
Dorothy Perkins
City Chic
Modern Curve

Trendy New

Ahhh the REAL fashionista. These ladies are on the cutting edge and are probably laughing their studded boots off at my attempt to capture their style. Fashion-forward is an understatement for this group. The go big or they go home. They live and breathe fashion and will often be a pro at op-shops, can sew just enough to personalise their own stuff or subscribed to fashion house emails around the world. They are the girls who are wearing this year what some of us will wear next year. Maybe. Best represented by the music and fashion inclined amongst us, think Rhianna, Chloe Sevigny and most fashion bloggers. Myself excluded. Haha.

Check out these blogs:

Fashion Hayley
Closet Confessions
Work it, Own it, Use it!
Arched Eyebrows

Where to shop:

Domino Dollhouse
17 Sundays
Harlow

Modern Girlie

This feminine style isn’t just about pink hues and lace. It’s a sexy silhouette sometimes and a full tulle skirt others. It’s a touch of pin-up and a dash of playfulness. A modern girlie isn’t confined by ALL the rules of the past, but she gives them a courteous nod. I think of pencil skirts with modest hemlines, blouses with delicate buttons and soft pretty colours. It’s dreamy. For new season trends, a modern girlie woman would be admiring items that will emphasize your feminine shape from bodycon to florals to peplum. That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be seen in a pair of short shorts and brogues, she absolutely would be. When I think modern girlie I think of Taylor Swift and Emma Stone.

Check out these blogs:

Wait until the Sunset
Frocks and Frou Frou
Scathingly Brilliant

Where to shop:

Missmel
eShakti
Betty Le Bonbon
Modcloth

Casually Cool

When it comes to casually cool this look is very on-trend but has an “I didn’t try that hard coolness” about it. A casually cool lass will opt for ready to wear collection pieces from the runway and up to the minute trends. Their go-to style revolves around life first. You’ll find them in sneakers if it suits or a sky-high heel if the occasion calls for it. Pieces are often classic, because it takes a shorter time to bring them together, but don’t be fooled by this. Oh no! This lady is as on-trend as the trendsetter but with a more low fuss. This look is best represented by Khloe & Kourtney Kardashian {sorry, Kim’s too high maintenance in general for this category} and Elle MacPhearson {I wish I could have found her leather pants, booties and leopard print loafers look online, I mean THAT Elle}. Think laid back, stylish, on-trend but without trying too hard.

Check out these blogs:

Margie Plus
Gabi Fresh
Miss Amanda B

Where to shop:

ASOS Curve
Just Jeans
The Iconic

Polished Bohemian

Not a style I know a lot bout personally, but I’ve always loved the look. Long whimsical skirts and maxi dresses, wide-leg pants, earthy tones and soft flowing fabrics. Bohemian looks are best represented, in my opinion, by the likes of Nicole Richie and Asher Keddie (in character and out!). So, op shop ladies while the hippy festival side of things may not appeal to you, this is your spot. The quirky mix of fashion and comfy cool is very you. If you mix prints, layer floaty layers or have holes in your jeans, you’re a Boho Girl. My version anyway.

Check out these blogs:

Falala Mele
He called her Siki-Lou
Sophie&Trey

Where to shop:

Your local op-shop!
Sportsgirl
The Iconic – Check out the festival section!

Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle… 

This is where most of us, even the celebs featured if you get technical fail.  Somewhere in the middle is a combination of two, maybe three boards. If this happens try to work out if there is a single item on boards that you like or if it’s the whole look. If it is a single item, that board probably doesn’t represent your style. Look for multiple items, cuts and styles that appeal to you. If this is the case, you’re somewhere in the middle and that’s more than ok.

So now what!?

If there was a board that just called out your name then this is your base style. It doesn’t mean you can’t try something new or look outside your style, but your style decisions will start here. For example, in my wardrobe, I will never need more than one girlie blouse or frilly skirt. Because neither are very me at all. I like clean lines, low fuss and frill and classic colour combinations.

I feel that I identify most with the classic style and casually cool mood boards. But it doesn’t mean that I won’t grab studs or graphic prints from the trendy board and work them in. It’s just important to identify your key style so you can build a list of basics that you’ll need to pull that look off without being dragged here and the by fashion retails whims.

Whims and budgets do not mix well!

Take a look at the blogs and shopping in your style area {or all of them until you decide!}. I highly recommend starting my style Pinterest board. It’s cheaper than magazine tear-outs and you can do it anytime thanks to the apps. Pin outfits from blogs and shops you like. Pin photos of moods, celebrities and colours you love. Start to form your own style board.

Once you’ve done the above and really got to know what you like, it’s time to make up your mind what’s REALLY missing from your wardrobe. What you want to invest in and what you could pick up from a cheaper shop. Add to your list, maybe take some off it. When you know what you like it’s easier to spot when you’re shopping and just like shopping on a full tummy, you’ll cut down your spend.

And that’s this week done and dusted. Next week I delve into the idea that buying cheap isn’t always going to be cheaper and how to fill your wardrobe quickly on a limited budget.

This week’s Budget Fashionista task;

• Choose a style that you love!
• Check out that list of things in your wardrobe and see how much of it works with this style. I find, a lot! If not, maybe it’s time to reconsider removing more items…
• Start a mood or Pinterest board of your own.

Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Suger; Chief Blogger at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; love a casual ootd, taking photos + writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days in the sun at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet. Which means I take photos, create content, write copy and devise social media plans for personal brands, small businesses and bloggers. You know, living the sweet life.