Fashion shopping tips for people who like something 'different.'

First of all, stop shopping at chain-stores! If you purchase something off a rack that was amongst others of the same thing, don't be surprised when you run into someone else wearing the same thing! If you have some unusual tastes or you don't like to follow trends, use these tips to pick up some sweet and original threads. You don't have to be a boutique junkie, you can piece together a wicked wardrobe from the comfort of you own home, I've personally had a lot of success in this department with ebay.

http://stores.ebay.com/Steve-grace1?_rdc=1 -My favourite estore.This estore specialises in dresses, from tie-dye to evening silk, this store offers a large selection of options. i have bought many items from this seller, and they have all been very reasonably priced, and good quality.

http://stores.ebay.com/PRINCESS-CHARM -Similar to the estore above

http://stores.ebay.com/SOLITAIRE-TRIBAL-DESIGN -This estore features some very unusual, original, and fascinating tribal inspired jewelery.

http://stores.ebay.com/STOP-STARING-Vintage-Clothing -This estore features vintage and retro inspired clothing and jewelery. They also feature some antique jewelery and one off items.

Go to markets. If you make a regular habit of going to markets, you may spend some time sifting through junk, but you will also be surprised with some of the things that you come across. The last market i went to was Victoria market in Auckland city N.Z, where i got this gorgeous cotton paisley hippy skirt for like 25 dollars. I love it, and i'll never get rid of it!`Markets with stools of all kinds are a great way to score choice stuff for a reasonable price.

Most communities have a market at least once a month. Most large cities have impressive daily markets where you can purchase an extensive variety of items. Some of the typical categories that 'markets' usually cater for are; cultural related items,novelty items, jams and other preservative foods, fresh foods-fruit&veggies, confectionery,jewelery,watches,clothing,footwear,books,art,stationary, Home related items- cushions, Nick-knacks, second hand goods and clothing, and gardening equipment.

Make your own clothes! You can get a pretty good sewing machine for about $300. But if you do pick one up for a few hundred, it's most likely only capable of stitching light-normal thickness fabric. If you spend twice as much on your sewing machine, you should get one that is a bit more heavy duty because it's less likely to give you grief down the track, and it is capable of stitching fabric like denim.

Making your own clothes isn't that hard. Go get some books out from the library if you want to learn how to do it. While your there you could also get some books out on dye or beading with clothing if you've got a crafty streak.

If you do find the clothes making difficult, you could do a correspondence course in dressmaking. Usually this is a short-time period course that will take you anywhere from 6-12 months to complete. Correspondence courses are usually pretty affordable too, and offer an option of a monthly instalment payment plan.

I personally don't think that the second hand store is necessarily a good option. I have bought a couple of clothing items from second hand stores in the past, but i find that about 95% of the clothes in the store are ugly and/or they smell.