When most people think of “fashion,” there are usually a lot of dollar signs involved. Fortunately, there are ways to be fashionable without breaking the bank. Try these tips to find the fashion that looks great on you!
Before you buy:
- Look around and pay attention to outfits that you like on other people
and figure out why you like them. Do you like them because of their
style, color, fit or the total “look”? If you know what
style (length, shape, color etc.) of clothes look good with your coloring
and on your figure type, you are way ahead!
- Have your “colors” done. Your skin, hair and eye color determined
what “season” would look best on you. Colors are classified
as “winter, summer, fall or spring”. You will receive
a little packet of fabric swatches that shows you what colors to look for
when buying clothes.
- Look in your closet and see what you have that you like and want to
continue wearing. If you have pants, skirts or tops that fit and look good on
you, with a bit of imagination, you can usually use them as a base for a
totally new wardrobe look by adding “new” (or new to you)
pieces to them.
- Next, check out the clothes in upscale boutiques and department stores to see what is “in”. If you have time, take a friend with you and try on a few things to see just what works for you. Think about what you would buy if money were not a big issue!
Now the fun begins!! Almost any look you can buy with a big price tag can be “cloned” with a bit of shopping savvy. During a recent trip to visit my granddaughter in Pennsylvania, we went shopping with great results.
My granddaughter, the oldest of six, did not have much in her closet. We started by trying on everything she owned to see what fit, what looked out of date, and what was just plain “tired”. She was left with a pair of camouflage pants, a pair of dress slacks and a pair of jeans that were too short. She had two tops that worked well with the dress pants and nothing that worked with the camouflage. She had four printed t-shirts that were “ok” but didn’t make any kind of fashion statement. She also had a really cute top that was a “hand me down.” For shoes, she had one pair of tennis shoes, black dress shoes and a pair of pink flip flops. We started by rolling up the straight leg jeans - that was really simple and made a great new look for a pair of old jeans!
Heading Out:
We started at Mervyn’s department store at the mall and checked out
the sales. Lucky for us, they were having a great 60% off sale on summer
Capri type pants. We picked up some white, tan, brown and dark
blue ones for an average of $10 each!
Now we needed tops! It was off to Ross and T.J. Maxx where we picked up six really cute tops for an average of $8 each. We went to Factory 2 U and found a cute sweat suit style hooded jacket for $4 and picked up four long tank tops (for layering) for an average of $3.50.
We went to Old Navy for flip flops (2 for $5) and a couple of tanks in colors we couldn’t find elsewhere (2 for $15).
We had one other bonus - a $20 gift card to Macy’s where we found a short sleeve jacket for $8 and a two piece top and tank for another $8 (both on clearance at 75% off). After we “splurged” on a pair of cute canvas flats for $20, we were set!
All together by re-incorporating my granddaughter’s existing wardrobe into her new finds she had 15 tops, 8 tanks and 7 pairs of pants to choose from! Most all were interchangeable because of buying classic pant colors. By having half of the tops solid colors, several could be coordinated with the striped tank, or the “camo” pants.
Total cost including tax: under $200!
That’s an average of $5.70 per clothing item! By making use
of existing usable wardrobe items usable and carefully coordinating the new
purchases, my granddaughter had a new wardrobe that will make heading back
to school fun and keep her in fashion well into the fall!
Taking the time to plan your wardrobe will save you time when you’re shopping, as well as keep you from spending money on something you really don’t need.
Happy Shopping!
© 2008 Good News Tucson™
