In these tight economic times, the fashion world has become saturated with mass-produced clothing. The allure of trendy, ripped from the runway looks from H+M, Target, Forever21, and Topshop (just to name a few) may seem like a great idea because they are cheap and cute, but the truth is that they are doing more to hurt the environment and your wallet than you might think. As an alternative, one can turn to used clothing shopping as a way to add fun and inexpensive items to a wardrobe, without worrying that everyone else at the party will be wearing the same ensemble.

After twelve years in the business, Poor Little Rich Girl’s Meredith Byam knows her consignment. She’d been learning the ropes for years at Second Time Around when her parents pressed her to get her own shop. Surprised that she hadn’t thought of it herself, she did just that—taking over the space in Davis Square now occupied by Magpie, with not even enough money to make change on the first day. After three years, her fledgling flagship shop had outgrown the small store and Meredith moved it to the larger location on Elm Street. Soon, she was able to open up a store on Newbury Street and, most recently, near Inman Square in Cambridge.

A South Shore native, Ashley Judge grew up perusing discount chains like Marshalls and Frugal Fannies with her mom and grandmother. “One of my grandmother’s favorite stories,” she says, “Was that she returned a raincoat to TJ Maxx after she’d already hemmed it. The next week she watched a woman and rave that it was the only coat she had ever tried on that was the right length. She was a hot ticket.” Skip ahead a couple generations, and we’ve got Ashley hooking people up with what they want—her company, Tra Tutti, gives bargain hunters a place to score designer pieces at a discount and consignors a place to sell their goods, all the while benefitting local charities. Consignors receive 40% of the profit, another 40% goes to Tra Tutti and the last 20% of all sales goes to AIDS Action, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Dress for Success Boston, The Home for Little Wanderers, MSPCA-Angell, and Rosie’s Place.

City-wide, thrift junkies are abuzz over the opening of the latest Buffalo Exchange in Davis Sq. The Somerville store is the first New England location for the national consignment heavyweight and the chain’s reputation of quality, stylish pieces at discounted prices holds up well in the two-story Elm St. outpost.

A sprightly fellow dressed in head-to-toe black, bouncing around the various levels of the Liberty Hotel lobby greeting guest, designer Sam Mendoza seemed an unlikely source for the statement gowns of jewel-toned, flowing silks that made the uniformly raven haired models look like a troop of really bad ass goddesses.

The summer is over. Get over it. Just let go.

Luckily, Arts at the Armory and Somerville Local First have come together to help us get pumped for that brief time of year that comes between life melting humidity and soul crushing cold.

Because we all can’t be Lady GaGa, and society and modern living dictate that we must, at times, wear pants, we would like to direct your attention to The Warehouse Sale.

Well, it’s officially that time of year again: Your sweaters and scarves will start creeping back into your wardrobe in the place of cut-offs and flip flops, your commute will be packed with chatty high school kids in ties and uniforms heading off to their first day of school, and your stoops in Allston will soon start collecting puddles of vomit and overturned Solo cups. It’s BACK TO SCHOOL TIME, FRIENDS! This weekend is a busy one, so read up on the bands and food + fashion events that’ll be rocking your face off from this afternoon through Monday morning.

If you follow fashion at all you’ve probably heard about the NYC Fashion Week kick-off turned GLOBAL EVENT that is Fashion’s Night Out. Vogue has joined forces with the City of New York and the CFDA to, essentially, get people to go out and spend some money.