Savvy Tips: {Shopping} Picking the right High Street Retailers for your wardrobe

I love to talk about fashion.  I enjoy reporting on new collections, collaborations, and designers from Etsy to the large High Street brands.  I do this because I find fashion fascinating and the range of designs to be exciting.  But I'm not a girl with a new Chanel couture gown every season (how crazy cool would that be though?)  I'm just a girl that loves interesting clothing while maintaining a sensible budget.

I love that more and more people are pairing High Street items with a few choice designer items

I've been gravitating more and more towards designer brands, but will still shop at tried and true favorite High Street stores, including H&M, J. Crew, and Ann Taylor.  But the question is: how much of your wardrobe should be from high street brands?

That answer of course is that it's totally up to you! Let your own wallet and preferences dictate what you choose to buy and wear.  But I like to keep a few things in mind when I am shopping:

1. Is the quality worth the price?
There can be huge disparities in the quality of even a single retailer's collection.  Feel the fabric, try it on - do you think the quality is worth the price?  Sometimes you may find some gems at mass market retailers, but often times you will also find colors that will run easily and inferior materials.  Just remember that you get what you are paying for (though I would also say some designer clothing isn't great quality, but that is another

Midi skirt with belt, ASOS, $65.86 - I love their extensive selection but their quality can be lacking (one beautiful scallop edge dress was completely see through!)  I'd still shop there though because I've gotten great skirts there!

2. Does it fit in with my ideal wardrobe?
I talked about planning and only shopping from my ideal wardrobe list here.  I practice what I preach and constantly look over my list before getting tempted to shop.  Remember to buy something because you love it and it fits with your style.  Your closet space and eventually wallet will appreciate your choices in the long run.

3. Am I buying it just because of the price?

Ok it's $20.  Does that mean you have to buy it?  High Street stores are the most tempting places to spend money in small bursts.  But will you actually wear those pieces?  Are you just tempted to try it out because it's on sale?  Remember to really think - are you buying it because you love the piece or because you love the price?  If you don't love it or wear it, it's the equivalent of having many $20 bills sitting in your closet.

4. Do I feel comfortable supporting this company?
Are all retailers created the same?  Not necessarily.  They all have different values and practices.  We  know that fast fashion stores do questionable things, like copy other designers. That already makes me slightly uncomfortable.  But do I need to keep on contributing money to a company that only lets people work for them if they submit full body shots and is headed by a CEO who has allegedly harassed his employees (American Apparel)?  Do I want to fatten the wallet of a corporation that pays its workers .12 to sew one vest and regularly pays off designers when they are caught stealing their designs (Forever 21)?  The beautiful thing about fast fashion retailers is that there are quite a few of them and every consumer has a choice about where to shop.  It is up to you who choose to support.

How do you choose what to buy at Fast Fashion stores?