This is our FOURTH $40 fashion challenge, and I’m OH-SO-HAPPY about it for, well, at least forty different reasons. The most exciting of all? BYT has joined forces with Payless Shoe Source to bring you the $40 Fashion Spread - from here on out all of our locally-thrifted and flea-market-scoured looks are finished off with shoes available at (or soon-to-be-available-at) your local Payless! We’re totally thrilled about it, and we hope you are too!
But don’t let all the SHOE EXCITEMENT deter you from the matter at hand, which is, of course, 4 looks on a $40 budget. This time around the spread is inspired as much by girl-detective Nancy Drew as it is by Katherine Hepburn and the ultra-ladylike F/W runways. Getting all glam IS possible on the cheap - so start sleuthing:

No case too small; no adventure too daunting - and in platform heels, no less. Faux-fur shrug (actually a collar that had lost its coat), $3.80 from Village Thrift (Laurel, MD); blouse, $2.20 from Village Thrift. Those TRULY undaunted by adventure can try a pair of trousers from the mens section - worn high with a thin belt BELOW the loops makes for a neat paper-bag waist and an unexpectedly wearable look. Trousers, $4 from Thrift Store of Virginia (Alexandria); stylist’s own belt. To Crop or Not-To-Crop your trousers is entirely up to you, but true ladies always cover exposed legs with tights or slouchy socks. Stylist’s own socks; Limited-edition “Tempura” platform sandal by Patricia Field for Payless.

Searching old film strips for clues can be tedious work - but there’s no need to look anything less than charming while wearing one’s (perfectly plaid) thinking cap. Wool dress, $8.99 from My Friend’s Closet (Beltsville, MD); stylist’s own belt; Nu-Leg tights, $1.99 at Beauty Island; “Kimberlee” satin & patent flat by Abaete for Payless.

Stealthily gathering evidence is cause for dress-up, NOT disguise, and being sneaky should never mean being invisible - pair neutrals with rich pops of color for maximum effect. Dress, $6.99 at Goodwill (Falls Church, VA); gloves, $2 from a vendor at the Adams Morgan Farmer’s Market; stylist’s own hat and belt; Nu-Leg tights, $1.99 at Beauty Island; “Lady Luck Electro Pump” at Payless.

Celebrate cracking the case in something a little less prim and proper, but be sure to temper a revealing top with a longer hemline - you of all people know the importance of a little mystery. Slip (worn as top), $3.75 from My Friend’s Closet; skirt, $6.50 at Yesterday’s Rose (Fairfax, VA); belt (worn as necklace), $1 at My Friend’s Closet; stylist’s own cloche and faux-fur shrug; Nu-Leg tights from Beauty Island; “Lady Luck Electro Pump” at Payless.

Styling & text by Morgan Hungerford.
Photography by Liz Gorman; more of her work can be seen at Wonkette, Washingtonian.com, and at her blog, let’s not talk about art.
Hair & Makeup by Cortney Hungerford.
Model: Kathryn Bangs.
Header graphic by Erik Loften.
Special thanks to our location, the amazing Tabard Inn, and to Svetlana Legetic.

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