It's party season but many of us are feeling the pinch this year.
Former beauty queen and Gladstone girl Kimberley Busteed says you can still slay 'em in the fashion stakes, even with an op shop budget.
She loves op shops and has a list of dos and don'ts that steer her through the piles of clothes.
It's important to aim for a classic style thatsuits you, Kimberley says.
"Trends come and go," Kimberley says.
"You want to grab a few pieces that are going to stay in your wardrobe for a long time."
And that means steering clear of prints, which tend to be 'very seasonal', she says.
Kimberley says there are a few other rules of thumb for a summer wardrobe:
"Black is a great colour but in summer it's a bit harsh to go out in a black ensemble," she says.
"You want some colour in there but you want it to be nice and neutral, or the best thing to do is to stick to one or two colours.
"Three's OK, four is too much.
"It's just a matter of getting something you feel comfortable in that you think suits the weather."
"The beauty about op shops is you're not going to be spending a lot of money.
"You can go in there and just buy a heap of stuff and mix and match.
"I absolutely love op shopping.
"I get so excited because they're pieces that you won't find.
"When you go into stores these days and there's 10 of the same outfit, why would you buy it when there's a chance that you'll go out somewhere and someone else will have the same thing on, it's just a matter of looking at things that suit you that you're comfortable in, and that ultimately, you love."
With Christmas and New Years parties looming, it pays to do your research if your budget just won't budge, she says.
"You've got to go around to a few different stores, you've got to compare prices," she says.
"Like I said before, the beauty of op shops is that they're not that expensive.
"You can get a great pair of pants or a great little skirt and funk it up with accessories and tops, you don't need to go and buy a different outfit for each party.
Outfits in 'block colours' can be changed for different events buy adding a vest to a dress, adding a belt or necklaces, or changing your shoes, she says.
"It's really easy to get a lot of different outfits out of one or two pieces."
Another enemy of the Central Queensland fashion-lover is the hot weather.
"If you're going out to an event, beauty is pain, I hate to say it," Kimberley says.
"You've got to dress to the climate, but even though it may be 40 degrees outside, you don't want to be rocking up to an event with a bikini top on and boardshorts.
"You really need to dress to suit the function that you're going to."
That may mean staying in the shade to avoided excess sweating, she says.
"The other golden rule is if you're going to show leg, keep your top half covered, you don't want to show too much of it. "It's either cleavage or legs, you've got to be very even and classy while doing it."
Men face even more fashion challenges when constrained by their budget, she says.
"It's very difficult for guys actually," Kimberley says.
"Girls can push the limit a bit and really experiment with different accessories and bags and shoes; whereas with guys, it's a lot harder to go out there and mix and match.
"But what you want to be doing is the same deal, looking for those pieces of clothing that have the really nice cut, whether they're jeans that are nice and fitted and are a nice length, or they've been taken up.
"You've really got to go out there, try stuff on, look around and if you see a piece that you love, buy it.
"It doesn't matter whether you only wear it once or twice. The beauty of it is that it's so cheap; it's something you can only wear once or throw away."
This summer, 'looking healthy and being happy' is Kimberley's top fashion tip.
"If you're healthy within yourself and you're feeling good within yourself, it will be a much better summer for you.
"It goes down to getting out there, exercising, getting a great fake tan - I'm such fan of spray on tans.
"Definitely going out there, finding a good moisturizer, a good tan, running, going out, exercising, eating well.
"When you're healthy on the inside you'll feel happy on the outside as well."
And for plenty of people, shopping at op shops is a necessity.
Mount Morgan Lifeline manager Di Coburn says this year she's seen a lot of new faces come through the doors.
"We've been quite busy in the last couple of months," she says.
"I've had a few young families coming in and the sad thing is, they've said they're not going to celebrate Christmas this year, they just can't afford it.
"I've got a horrible feeling that our councillors are going to be very, very busy this Christmas."
Di is encouraging people to come and do some shopping at the store, as the proceeds support Lifeline's counselling service.
Some customers couldn't afford to spend the same amount as previous years, she says.
"They're not spending on the kids like they normally do," Di says.
"They're finding it hard."
But for those on a tight budget, it's still possible to find children's outfits for around the $5 mark, she says.
"The kiddies clothing, I don't think you'll find anything over three dollars, and that's usually a two-piece outfit," Di says.
"There's oodles of stuff for babies, I think the dearest is $2.50 and that's a knitted cardigan.
"You can afford to dress your children really well from Lifeline - and yourself."
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