“Marianna embodies the Maxxinista persona with her creative, joyful sense of style and her proven ability to express her modern-classic style on a tight budget. I loved all her looks, so it was tough to narrow it down to just one, but I felt she took some risks with the winning look and that’s what made it my favorite.

Marianna’s mustard yellow sweater embodies the warm, rich hues of Fall and glows in contrast to her rich blue indigo jeans. Her cropped gray jacket fits beautifully and adds structure to the ensemble, while her gorgeous demi-wedge boots are both classic yet totally on-trend–and they look comfortable enough to stand in all day! Marianna’s flawless hair and makeup add the finishing touches to her polished look.

Runner up: Greenglove looks absolutely fierce in her leather jacket, colorful blouse and killer boots. Her tousled hair and bohemian jewelry add attitude and personalize the look. She looks fun, fearless, creative and artistic. In a nutshell, Greenglove’s outward appearance translates into making her someone you’d want to get to know!” — Dianna

Congratulations, Marianna! Happy shopping and keep sporting your fabulous Maxxinista style. Well done Greenglove for coming in as runner up! Your arty and eclectic way of dressing is always inspirational. A big thank you to the Budget Babe for taking the time to judge our competition. Dianna, you rock.

These are Marianna’s other top Maxxinista looks. No prizes for guessing that I have a soft spot for the frock, pearls and leather jacket ensemble, but it’s the outfit above with the mustard yellow sweater that won the competition. Well done.

• The Budget Fashionista is giving away a Freya camisole set. Freya designs undergarments that are cut to fit those who have a little extra around the bust line so it’s well worth a look.
• The Budget Babe spotted an adorable toffee-coloured bomber jacket at Target for $30. Weather resistant, casual and super fab.
• The Frugal Fashionista’s inspiring summary of chunky necklaces caught my eye. Bib necklaces are still a great way to add textural interest to a neutral outfit. Flop proof.
• Ann Taylor’s cotton cashmere silk wrap cardigan is deliciously avant-garde and versatile. It’s interesting details make it look like its straight from a prêt a porter collection. Available in black and grey, it retails for $95 but you’ll get 50% off another item if you purchase any of their knits.
• Keep checking out the sweaters, jeans and coat collections at bluefly.com. They run marvelous extra discounted 10- hour sales every few days.

Here are some sales and specials now on at YLF affiliates:

• Boden: Receive 15% Off Plus Free Shipping and Returns on the Men’s Collection at Bodenusa.com today! Valid through 10-31-2009.
• Macy’s: Save more on sale prices with red hot dollars at macys.com. This offer is valid 09-30-09 through 10-04-09.
• Bloomingdales: From October 1, 2009 through October 4, 2009 take 25% off over 1500 Items and take an EXTRA 20% Off With Friends & Family Code BLMFRIEND at Bloomingdales.com! Exclusions Apply.

Share your own bargain tips in the comments.

The answer is to take a gradual approach that respects your budget. To build your confidence and motivation, start by changing three things that will have a powerful visual effect: your hair, your shoes and your handbag.

1. Re-evaluate your hairstyle: It’s true: your hair can make or break your look. Kendall’s Farr’s suggestion of getting your hair style sorted BEFORE you assess your wardrobe is one I have begun to introduce to my clientele. Your hair is the first accessory to change when you’re stuck in a style rut because it creates a big impact. Take advantage of that power and get right to it.
2. Update your footwear: Shoes are usually expensive and hard to purchase when money is tight. But if you don’t have fussy feet, you can get perfectly fine footwear at places like Target, JC Penny, TJMaxx and Payless. If your feet require better-end shoes, scout the sales and check out bargain sites like smartbargains.com and 6pm.com. And don’t forget the option of thrift stores either. Purchase two versatile pairs of peds that you can wear right away.
3. Sport a fab handbag: You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag. H&M and discount stores offer super selections and you’re bound to find a bag you love for $25.

This is not a complete renewal, but by giving attention to these three areas of your style, you’ll look and feel better right away. A visual and motivating change that can tide you over.

The right bra is the next essential step, because you can’t judge fit unless your foundation garments are correct. Purchase one great bra if that’s all you can afford. If at all possible, get a professional fitting.

After that you can gradually add items as your budget permits. Identify the most important everyday clothing needs that you need to refresh. It might be a pair of jeans or slacks, or an assortment of tops and a jacket. Or perhaps a couple of easy frocks that you can dress up or down. Watch the sales for these items.

With your hairstyle, handbag and shoes in place it will be easier to have the patience to slowly and selectively build up the right wardrobe pieces. Before you know it, dressing each morning will be a pleasure, not a chore.

I see things differently. In a recession you need more of a reason than normal to make a purchase. You want to feel fashionably recharged, and you need the uplifting boost of something new and exciting more than ever. Adding another pair of dark blue jeans, cropped cardigan or classic black handbag into the wardrobe mix might just feed your fashion rut. So try something new and purchase fun items that make you smile.

I am not the only person who seeks the value of something that is different to the rest of my wardrobe during tough economic times. Years ago as a buyer for classic ladies fashion I used this logic to justify a range with many items that my target market hadn’t seen before, but were still in line with her fashion persona. Much to management’s surprise, the strategy paid off and my department outperformed all other ladieswear departments in that chain.

How about you? Do you find yourself gravitating towards trendy items or timeless items when budgets are tight?

These handbags might not be to your taste, but they illustrate the point. The classic handbag on the left is timeless, elegant and streamlined, but the oversized style on the right has a fun, creative edge. That’s the one that would make me smile, especially since I could carry it in three different ways. At less than a third of the price, the trendy piece would win hands down over the more timeless version.

As some of you have already experienced, clothes swapping can be frugal and fun. JuliJuli, Marianne and I put this to the test last Saturday when we hosted the first Seattle YLF clothing swap. JuliJuli opened her beautiful house to eleven YLF blog readers and forum members who arrived with armfuls of clothes and plenty of hugs and smiles to greet old friends and make new connections. And of course everyone was fabulously dressed!

After setting up and enjoying a mimosa or a cup of tea, we started to look through the colorful array of clothes, shoes and accessories. In no time, we were busily slipping into skirts, blouses, dresses and jackets, crowding the mirror, and modeling outfits for each other.

Angie generously provided expert feedback on what worked and what didn’t, and nudged us to try things that we might have overlooked because they were out of our comfort zone – like bright colors for Marianne, who now owns a green cardigan, the cutest kelly green flats and a fiery red blouse.

Jane left the swap meet in her new military jacket over an Ann Taylor animal print shell, layered over her own white button down shirt. Laurel found a black and white tie neck top from Anthropologie. Daphne delighted in the orange and red scarf Angie had bought in Amsterdam years ago. And Amanda rocked the teal Boden coat that Marianne contributed to the swap because the fit wasn’t perfect on her.

These are just a few of the many successful swaps that took place. We also admired Sinead in her new red and white wrap dress, Nafisa in a “perfect fit” hounds tooth pencil skirt, JuliJuli in melon and pink tops, and Cheryl in a black and white Express cardigan.

As for me, I was thrilled to pick up a fabulous wrap dress in a black and white graphic print, which I can wear with jeans or on its own; a black stretch pencil skirt; a cheetah print top (can’t have enough animal print, right?); and best of all, a bright yellow Nanette Lepore jacket with short sleeves and interesting tie detailing at the neck. I can’t wait to wear these wonderful “new” pieces, and I’m so grateful to those who contributed them!

But I took as much pleasure in seeing how some of the clothes I added to the swap came to life on others. Amanda rocked two of the skirts I brought as well as a blue summer dress; her body shape was just different enough from mine that the items fit her perfectly. Jennifer looked super in a Banana Republic denim skirt that always looked too short on me, and Anya left with yet another skirt of mine that looked fun and edgy on her and perfectly complemented the rest of the outfit she came in. It’s a really good feeling to see iffy pieces from your wardrobe work well on other people: It validates your vague sense of “this just isn’t flattering on me” and you rejoice in others breathing new life into the items.

The swap was so successful that we’re already talking about an encore, maybe six months from now at the beginning of the fall season. Stay tuned, and tuck away things that don’t work for you. One woman’s discards may become another one’s treasures!

Angie was photographer for the day, but came out from behind the camera long enough for us to get these photos.

It all started when forum member Tanya received a pair of jeans in the wrong rinse and offered to send them to forum member Maya. Maya ended up paying Tanya for this particular swap because the jeans were brand new. But the incident sparked a recycling trend in the forum that is gathering momentum.

Our YLF gathering in Manhattan was no exception. Here are some of the swaps we did:

• Tanya had several ill-fitting blouses that she brought for Maya.
• Maya brought Swann Flats for me because they were too large and fell off her feet when she walked. I’ve been trying to triplicate these but my size was sold out, so I really scored.
• Laura brought a jacket for Tanya (it was too tight on her) and a coral sweater for Maya. She also brought me a pretty black skirt that will fit well when I’ve had it altered at the side seams.
• I brought Tanya a scarf that worked better with her skin tone than mine. I brought Maya a vegan yellow sling bag and my first white watch. I also passed along a funky necklace to Laura because I’m a pearl gal at heart.

It was a stylish, cost saving and win-win situation for all. Not to mention fabulous fun. Laura wore her “new” necklace that evening and on the plane back home (I love it). Tanya sported her scarf next work day. Maya instantly used her yellow tote and wore her white watch on the way out of the restaurant. It’ll be a while before I can go sockless and wear ballet flats, but I’ve been prancing around in my new peds at home.

Give clothes swapping a try with friends and family. Alternatively, post your items on the forum and it won’t be long before you’ll have takers and receive treasures in return.

Swapping in Manhattan. Sign up to the forum today to start participating in the fun online.

Spread the environmental message with style with reusable eco-chic shopping bags. For $8.50, or $37.95 for a series of five, they make great stocking stuffers, hostess gifts and items to put into gift packages you’re sending abroad.

The envirosac is offered in a variety of design options and colours for both adults and children. I like the graphic monochromatic series and stocked up on these over the weekend. If these particular eco friendly shopping bags don’t tickle your fancy, there are plenty of others to choose from.

Forgoing nutrition for fashion is scary and certainly not acceptable, but the article does raise an interesting question about the lengths to which people will go to keep their existing shopping habits alive. Eating out at restaurants as a couple or family can be expensive. Once you’ve slapped on a tip, paid for parking and possibly a babysitter, you’re out of pocket the same amount of money you could have spent on a premium pair of jeans. A restaurant experience is short lived, whereas an item for your wardrobe is not.

I’d love to hear how you feel. Would you give up your food lifestyle to keep the fashion dollars flowing? Would you happily curb spending on other luxuries like vacations, spa treatments, gym memberships and entertainment to fund your fashion fix? How far would you go balance your style budget?

1. Create new outfit combinations with existing clothes: What we need is sufficient change to feel that we’ve added seasonal luster to our wardrobe. Often, this change can be achieved by mixing and matching new combinations with our current clothing and footwear inventory.
2. Have a clothes swap party: gather your friends and swap clothes, footwear and accessories for free. Make it a potluck and have girly occasion.
3. Borrow and lend accessories: I lend costume jewelry, accessories and handbags to friends to complete an outfit for an occasion to save them the extra expense. If you and your friends are comfortable with this arrangement, it can be fun and thrifty.
4. Browse through consignment stores: These purchases are either hit or miss. But the more you frequent second-hand clothing stores, the higher your chances are of bringing home treasures that are as cheap as chips.
5. Purchase the cherry on top: Shoes, handbags, scarves, belts and costume jewelry do wonders to refresh a look. If you have the basics covered, you’ll look current by adding only these items to your wardrobe mix.
6. Search for discount codes and printable store discount coupons: these are available online if you do a search.
7. Shop at off-price sites: bluefly (I’ve become an addict), smart bargains, 6pm and eBay are great sites for bargains.
8. Wait for items to go on sale: retailers will markdown merchandise more frequently when store business is soft. You’ll score if you can hold out untill an item is reduced.
9. Shop at The Rack: Nordstrom owns its own discounted retail outlet called “the Nordstrom Rack”. Same season Nordstrom merchandise finds its way to the Rack marked down 60% or more (designer merchandise included).
10. Buy one statement piece and wear it all season: this is my favourite budget stretching strategy. There’s nothing like a dramatic new jacket, coat, skirt, scarf, pair of boots, shoes, earrings, brooch or necklace to make you feel your best. Blow your budget on one fabulous item and sport it till the cows come home.

There are many other ways to expand our wardrobe budgets and I’m sure that you are brimming with ideas. Let’s hear them in the comments.

Flat totes continue to be a practical and fashionable win. If you’re into faux patent leather and enjoy the look of a slouchy oversized tote, this Gap carryall is for you. They are available in purple, grey, cream, camel and black in stores (fewer colours are available online). The bag is sturdy and 100% plastic without looking cheap and “plastic-y”. It’s a vegan-friendly steal at $49.50 (full price). Add a discount coupon, or wait for the sale and you’ve scored an even better deal.

One of my clients pointed out this tote to me last week and I was impressed. I bought the grey and she came home with the cream and purple. The canvas strap is a little useless, so you can either cut it off or tuck it away. This comfy, casual shoulder tote will stylishly hold the kitchen sink. Thanks Joanna! I can see these totes becoming our travel favourites.