I'm 5'2" and Need New Fall Clothes—These Are the Under-$50 Items I'm Eyeing
Given that, in its current state, my closet has done the very least to inspire me to be my best dressed self this season, I’ve been feeling like it needs a bit of an overhaul lately. Yet, somehow, I’ve nearly blown through my loosely self-imposed shopping budget for both fall and winter, and we're not even a quarter of the way through the colder half of the year yet. On top of that, I’m 5’2”, which never makes things easier in the fashion department. So what’s an editor to do?
Spoiler alert: She shops but very discerningly and, of course, frugally. Sure, it would be nice to browse all your favorite sites and simply purchase whatever you please, but sometimes it’s more enjoyable to limit your spending and still come out on top. To help in that department, I turned to some of my favorite affordable brands and retailers, such as H&M, Zara, and Nordstrom, all of which were rife with options coming in under my $50 budget. Ahead, see everything that caught my eye, including bags, shoes, jeans, tops, and more.
Next: eight fall outfits NYC girls are actually wearing right now.
Since starting as an intern back in 2013, Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour has held several roles here atBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing , and she is currently Editor-at-Large. Upon joining, she was a senior about to graduate from business school at USC. Fast-forward to 2025, and she's moved to NYC from her hometown of Beverly Hills and spends her workdays a little differently from when she was just starting out. Currently, she focuses on a weekly mélange of shopping content and her Trust Me—Buy This newsletter. As far as her personal style goes, she's largely drawn to neutral, classic pieces but will always make an exception for something colorful or bejeweled as long as it's deemed worthy enough. After all, the only thing she loves more than a party is dressing up for one. On her downtime, she can usually be found at home eating something delicious and trying to force her husband to watch Summer House.
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