Gothamist interview with Kathryn Finney of Thebudgetfashionista.com

(Before anyone asks - NO, absolutely not, I CAN'T interview you for Gothamist. Sorry to sound bitchy but I'm already absolutely slammed as it is and have no time for things like sleep. If you've ever read this blog, you know I make it a priority to write about/cover/blog/talk up anything I'm a fan of.)

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Kathryn Finney knows how to shop better than anyone I know. During a recent visit to Washington, D.C., I watched her scour a department store for the lowest-priced camisole they had, making her way through every rack until she hit upon just the right one. When I admired her jeans, she told me they were a Tommy Hilfiger pair she’d gotten for $8 at Filene’s Basement (what she calls “divine shopping intervention”). She regularly wears entire outfits that have cost her less than $20. How does she do it? Practice, practice, practice! The scientist turned professional shopaholic has parlayed her talent for bargain hunting into a successful website, The Budget Fashionista, and now a book, How To Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less.

After putting her master's degree in epidemiology from Yale to good use, Minnesota native Finney decided to focus on her first love, fashion, with the launch of Thebudgetfashionista.com in 2003, and hasn’t looked back. She keeps track of trends, dishes advice, and counsels those tempted to overspend on a top they’ll only wear once. She’s provided clothing commentary for numerous TV programs and publications, and serves as one of “America’s Smartest Shoppers” for The Style Network. On her blog, she offers coupons, sales news, interviews, and advice, which the book expands upon with sections such as “How to Pull Off the High-Low Look,” “Developing Your Signature Piece,” and knowing when it’s “The End of a Trend.”

On her website, one can find tips on cleaning a white leather handbag, interviews with the likes of Village Voice fashion writer Lynn Yaeger, and answers to common swimwear questions. Finney also offers shopping guides to major cities across the country, as well as advice on waxing your legs, maternity fashions, and a multi-part “Ultimate Guide to Underpants.”

From the right lip gloss to garage sale haggling to making sense of a disorganized store, she knows where to find the latest and greatest items (hint: you might have to do a little digging) at the lowest cost possible. A major fan of Target, Finney has also shopped around the world and offers tips for travelers as well as bargain hunters at home. It’s not about shopping more frequently, but shopping smarter, becoming an “active” rather than “passive” consumer. Finney recently gave Gothamist the scoop on when to be label-obsessed, her style icon grandmother, and where to shop for less in New York City and beyond.

You chronicle some of your childhood fashion addictions in the book, but can you tell me how exactly you became a budget fashionista? What were your favorite clothing items growing up?

I was always around fashion. My grandmother was a seamstress and had all these great magazines like Vogue and Mirabella. I remember reading about Diane Vreeland in an old dusty copy of Vogue and using old Bazaars as inspiration for a dress design for my Barbies. However, growing up in Minnesota, I also had a healthy dose of frugalness, which I promptly forgot as soon as I landed at Newark International Airport.

My favorite item growing up was my pair of Guess? jeans with the zipper at the ankle. I had to go into deep negotiations with my parents for that pair of jeans, which I treasured like they were diamonds. I also love this rabbit fur coat because it looked like a coat worn by Diana Ross (whom I loved). It was a white, cropped little number, that I rocked so much that my mother had to pry it off my body. Damn I wish I had that coat now.

Read the whole interview by clicking here

And her book:

How To Be a Budget Fashionista