Notes

Looking Just like a Million On a Shoestring Budget
Having a great-looking wardrobe doesn't necessarily require spending a lot of money. Below are a few principles for looking great when money Can be an object:

(1) Buy quality instead of quantity. And please take notice, this will not necessarily translate to, "buy expensive, expensive." Without a doubt, quality fabrics fall better, wear better and flatter the figure more. It is better to have one perfectly-fitting skirt in an excellent fabric that spans several seasons (lightweight wool, for example) than a dozen ill-fitting skirts within an array of colors. Black goes with everything, no one will understand that you wore the same skirt for five days running, because you wore it with another jacket and accessory each day. Focus on one great skirt! My wardrobe is founded on a few black skirts and pants that go with an array of jackets and tops in colors that look good on me. Expensive skirts and pants are created with superb fabrics and cut wonderfully, so that they make my figure look better. Even if I don't need them yet, I am always on the look for linen, wool gabardine or wool crepe designer skirts and pants at the sales or in consignment shops. It is possible to never have too many. Some of mine are a size larger, so they are great for dining-out comfort together with travel. Some have loops for belts, so that they look good with open jackets; while some are slim and beltless to accommodate snug-fitting jackets.

(2) Wear accessories! This is key. Well-dressed women and jet-setting fashion plates always accessorize their garments. Look through magazines and catalogs, and go to fashion shows for ideas and inspiration. Most fashion coordinators have found tricks from designers both here and abroad, and you will see the results on the runway. Earrings are essential fashion accessories. Above all else, the right earring will provide you with a polished or finished look. Earrings ought to be somewhat bold to check fashionable. Clip earrings, for instance, often look too conservative. Belts are also wonderful accessories. They ought to have distinctive-looking buckles and become manufactured from leather, not plastic.

(3) Educate yourself to help you shop intelligently. Find out which website suit you. This can ultimately save both money and time with future purchases. Color actually forms the building blocks for all garments. One of the primary mistakes made is wanting to accomplish harmony by matching the superficial appearance with colors: blondes in pastels, redheads in rust, orange, etc. Avoid being afraid of bold colors, high-fashion designers aren't! And think contrast. When you have a moss green suit, team it up with a deep magenta blouse or scarf. Put in a cobalt blue, French blue or peacock blue blouse or scarf to your brown suit, rather than beige one. "Safe" looks which are perfectly matched often end up looking boring, regardless of who made them or how much they cost. Furthermore, know your figure so well that you know how to camouflage every flaw. Ill-fitting clothes and those that accent figure flaws undermine a lot more than your figure. They undermine your credibility. Anyone who really had a million to invest on clothes would be sure each and every garment fit like a glove and flattered to the Nth degree, now wouldn't she?

(4) Shop the sales and check out consignment shops. In case you are shopping the sales, it is just a good idea to accomplish a bit of homework beforehand. Find the shops that suit your tastes and preferences and peruse their racks every two weeks or so. That way you won't waste time trekking around town at sale time. You will go right to "your" shops. Consignment shops certainly are a great spot to find designer clothes at shoestring prices. Every city has a minumum of one consignment shop that carries designer clothes. Check them all out. You are certain to find one which has everything your heart could desire. Many of them come in the Yellow Pages, apart from the CHKD clothing shops and the Discovery Shop at Hilltop East, run by the Cancer Society.

(5) Make a set of the things that are missing from your closet and keep it with you in your purse. Unless you have an excellent black skirt, a minumum of one jacket in a bold color to wear with it, hook them up to your list. In case you have a suit in a "safe" color, put "scarf or blouse in a bold color" (name the colour so you won't be sidetracked...or chicken out!) on your list. Then, the next time you run across the perfect sale or consignment shop, you can be prepared. Ready to look great!

Sandy Dumont, THE Image Architect is an image consultant and professional speaker based in Norfolk/Virginia Beach, with 30 years of international and national experience helping individuals and Fortune 500 companies enhance their image. She conducts customized Branding for People� workshops regularly.

To find out more, visit http://www.theimagearchitect.com or email [email protected]
Website: http://hawkee.com/profile/3788111/