The start of spring means ditching the heavy coats and boots for wedges and sundresses. For many, it also means it’s time for a new wardrobe. While magazines are great for ideas, magazine prices may not be realistic for college students.

Consignment and resale stores in the Auburn-Opelika area may make it easy to be stylish without breaking the bank.

Jerry Schoenherr, owner of Plato’s Closet on Opelika Road, said he has been seeing lots of athletic wear, chevron print, tribal print, crop tops and high/low tops.

He said statement and costume jewelry has been a hot trend he has been seeing a lot of.

“Girls ... they really want it to be something cool and really finish that outfit,” Schoenherr said.

According to Schoenherr, since Plato’s Closet is a franchise store, the owners are sent publications and trend reports in order to know what trends to look for. He said the buyers for the store check social media and fashion blogs to stay on top of the trends and also make mall visits to see what is being sold in stores.

The merchandise in Plato’s Closet is color coded, which makes it easier for customers to shop by color.

“We put out new items every day so, each time a customer comes in, there will be something different,” said Sarah Ernst, employee at Fringe.

According to Ernst, Fringe, located in Opelika, keeps a trend list in the dressing rooms to inform customers on trends.

Some trends on the current list include fringe, lace, flared jeans and oversized hats. Ernst said many of the employees at Fringe are fashion majors and also subscribe to some fashion magazines to stay on track of trends.

Ernst said her favorite fashion for spring is lace.

“(Consignment shopping) is definitely a time consuming process if you haven’t been in before,” Ernst said.

She said this is because there aren’t duplicates of any of the clothes, so there is a lot to sort through.

“I liked consignment stores, and we didn’t really have a consignment store that was dedicated for women’s (clothing),” said Fringe owner Stacie Money on why she founded the store.

Fringe in downtown Opelika is celebrating its 10th anniversary the week of March 9.

Money said some trends she has been seeing a lot of are chunky jewelry, bright colored skinny jeans and animal print.

To make the shopping easier to sort through, Money said they have racks labeled for certain hot-selling brands.

“My biggest advice is to always try on,” said Ginger Whatley, owner of Ginger’s Consignment Shop located on 2nd Avenue in Opelika.

Whatley said she was attracted to the idea of consignment shopping because she enjoys the treasure hunt.

Whatley said her current favorite trend is denim.

“If you have a goal, ask,” Ginger said on advice for consignment beginners. “If you don’t have a goal be prepared to spend time looking.”