STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Oh I need help in this department too.  I usually look like a mess when I leave to go to work or school.  I think what has helped lately is my lack of funds which prevents me from shopping.  I think my new years resolution will be to work on this bad habit (buying some thing that doesn't go with my wardrobe) and try to take pictures of stuff that I have to post here and get ideas. 

ok.

first off, clean out your closets. do the typical three-pile sort -- 1) i want/love/need it, 2) it doesn't fit or i hate it but it's in brand new/almost new condition, 3) it's in wearable condition/not worth anything, but i don't want it.

now is a great time of year to do this. donating clothing, especially warm clothes, is really important at this time of the year, and people will have lots of post-holiday $$ to spend on your new/almost new clothes on ebay. so the clothes from piles 2 and 3 will find happy homes outside of your closet/drawers.

take stock of the rest of your clothes - do they fit your lifestyle? do you have mostly casual items and find that you have a hard time dressing for work? or is it the other way around (great work wardrobe, no casual duds)? are there any things that would be staples for you that you don't own (or just got rid of)? make a list of the clothes categories or specific items that you think your wardrobe is lacking.

try to make outfits with the clothes that you have. now that you've culled a lot of the space-fillers from your wardrobe, you should only have items that you love or that look great on you left in there. spend an afternoon or evening trying on different combos of clothing. put on the pants that make your ass look stellar and try on every top that you own with them - you'll be surprised about color pairings, things that work, things that don't work. experiment with layering - try a button-down under a t-neck, several layered tops in different colors, or a tee on top of another shirt. no one is going to see you in any of these outfits (unless they pass muster), so try things on even if you think they wouldn't or couldn't possibly go together. you could even enlist a friend/roommate/boyfriend to take some digital pics of you in outfits that you discover during your little "paper doll" session that you really love. keep a notebook handy while you do this. if you try on an outfit and think "this would look really perfect with a brown blazer, if only i had one", write that down as something you'd like to try and find during future shopping hunts.

with all of the above info in mind, go shopping for some new pieces. if you need basics to round out your closet and to pair with more funky/trendy/crazy pieces that you really want to wear but haven't yet, get those first. then start to look for some of the other things on your list. did you come up with 5 outfits in your mind that would look great with a certain style of skirt of with a certain color sweater? give those items priority as your next purchases.

also, as soon as you buy something new, give it a tour in your closet - what does it go with? if you buy something and bring it home and realize that you can't make a single outfit with it, return it! it doesn't make sense to fill your closet with clothes that would look great if only you had more or different clothes to pair them with. (trust me, i have learned this lesson the hard way!) try to teach yourself to incorporate new things in as soon as you buy them. that way you'll already have outfits in mind when you are trying certain things on in a store.

that's all i can think of for now that might be helpful!  

-- Edited by smash at 13:30, 2004-12-14

i have figured out what colors and styles work for me (for example, i gravitate toward black tops and can wear turtlenecks, button downs, and wide/open neck shirts -- no crew or boatnecks).  I make sure that every season i have a few basic pieces to work around (simple black tops to pair any bottoms with or basic, well fitting jeans/jean skirt/trousers/pencil skirt to pair tops with).  Then i let myself buy other stuff knowing that i have something already that will work with it. 

it's kind of boring, but i have found that now that i have this base worked out, i am branching out and buying stuff that is not my usual and feeling confident that it works with something.

when i go shopping, i keep in mind the things i have bought that i have never worn and the things that i go to again and again.  i figure out how potential purchases compare to these things to help me decide if i should buy or not.

oh man, this is the story of my life.  What has helped me recently is that I spend a lot of time looking for basics that I actually really like- I hate boring clothes.  I only buy the basics that I really love, like if i need a long sleeve t-shirt, I do not run out to Old Navy and just buy any shirt that sort of fits the purpose- that is a basic guarantee that I will never wear it.  I really like Velvet brand and C & C California for layering pieces- Goclothing has a 30% off code now and sells C & C.  I used to think it was nuts to buy expensive t-shirts but I realize I need/use them the most so it makes sense.  I have this Velvet brand one below in turquoise, black, and red, and use them all a ton.  Unfortunately it is sold out in most sizes (on sale for $24.95 from $58)- I saw they had the brown in a large (it runs small so that would be like a medium).

 

I have a ton of cute skirts so I always need a bunch of plain *but with a special touch* shirts.  I also have a bunch of ribbed racerback tanks from Wet Seal- they are my favorite tanks and are usually like 2 for $15- I bought them in white, black, brown, oatmeal, and camel- all I need is gray.  These are great to wear under things or layer with themselves.  For basic bottoms, I think about what color and shape would work best with a lot of my hard to match tops.  For example, though this isn't really in style or in season, I am looking for a camel/toffee colored corduroy mini skirt that is fraying at the ends- something that AG or Seven would make.  I will save money so that I can buy the exact one that I want- and not settle for one that is just a substitute that I never feel like wearing.  I also always pay attention to 20% and 30% codes- and scour the basics for things that are actually cute and that I would wear a ton. 

smash...as usual, great advice.

but what about my pile #4 - don't need it, don't love it, but might change my mind and thus can't part with it?  do i just need therapy?

quote:

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Originally posted by: LMonet
"I would put pile #4 in a box and store it in the garage/attic/seldom used closet - I do this and often go 'shopping' in this box as I add new things to my wardrobe.  Before I started doing this, I found myself thinking "This would look perfect with that top/skirt/jacket I used to have.""

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But I don't have extra space!!!  I have this same problem.  I finally started looking at stuff and saying I haven't worn it since XX and I just get rid of it.

My problem is that half the clothes I own fit into category #4!

One thing I need to do over this Xmas break is really dig into my closet...I've already ebayed so much stuff, i feel like it never ends!

-- Edited by DC Shopper at 21:06, 2004-12-14