Thursday, May 24, 2012

Fashion 101: The Building Blocks of a Balanced Wardrobe

   A great way to make sure your clothing budget stays intact is to first take the time to build a solid wardrobe foundation. Meaning your clothing should consist of more than various cut jeans.lol...and also should not only contain career wear. At its most functional a wardrobe should be a balance of casual and career wear with select pieces for special occasions/evening attire & events. Also a diverse color palette is optimal...of course indulge in the love for black, as most people do. But also do not forget the other flattering colors available such as taupe, navy, grays, white, and a few vibrant "pop" colors. We can go into how to find the most flattering colors for your complexion and body type on a different blog. However on this article I would like to share a few steps on how to get your wardrobe balanced.
...Get ready to take a few notes...
Step#1: Divide and Conquer
Before your next shopping trip I invite you to take a personal challenge. Clean out your closet.
Pull every item of clothing out of your closet and separate it...casual wear, career, special occasions/evening.
Of those 3 categories make a separate section of clothes you have not worn in over 2 years, outdated trendy pieces, bad fit, just don't want anymore.  Put those items in a bag and take it to a donation center. This can be used as a tax write off as a charitable donation. Or if you have couture and designer clothing in good condition take them to a consignment shop, Plato's Closet, and/or sell them on Ebay.

Step#2: Re-Evaluate what you currently have in those three categories
Casual Wear:
Is it diverse...or only consisting of jeans and t-shirts.
Do the pieces make a complete outfit?....if not note what you are missing to complete the look.

Career Wear:
Is everything black and white?...or do you have a navy, gray, and beige suit attire as well.
Are the career separates interchangeable to create more looks with less pieces?
Note what career separates, suit pieces, accessories are needed to update or complete any looks.

Special Occasions/Evening:
Note a look you desire and find similar looks in magazines, online etc that depict the look you are going for. When you are ready to achieve the look, you won't get overwhelmed putting it together because you have a game plan established. Also deters straying from a beauty budget..shopping for nightlife and special occasions its easy to get caught up in the glamour and overspend.
Do you have a "little black dress" that properly fits?
Do you have proper undergarments for evening wear? never underestimate the power of proper undergarments, it can change the way you look and feel in an evening dress. 

Step#3: Organize Your Clothing 
 Re-place your clothing back in the closet...but not randomly. Organize the flow of your closet space, one end should representing your casual/day wear...going to your career attire and followed by evening and special occasion clothing. By organizing your closet by the type of look you can see at a glance what you may need to focus on purchasing.  This also helps avoid buying duplicate items....i.e. some people buy several black shirts, making their style seem redundant. If its the style of the shirt you like purchase a different color in that style.

Step#4 Complete the Looks
Now is the perfect time to take a shopping trip... you will feel the rewards of taking the closet cleaning challenge:0)....This is where the NOTES really are awesome because they provide you with a focused shopping game plan. With those notes you know exactly what you need without guessing about what you already have.

Other things:
Details matter...be sure your fashion trinkets and accessories are in good shape. Not faded or tarnished...Juicy Bracelets and trinkets are notorious for changing colors.:0/

Belts are your friend. Belts are a powerful accessory because they can create a waist line with proper positioning. They can also bring an outfit together, especially when layering.

Bags...Just my own personal preference I prefer to have a top of the line Kenneth Cole bag..than waste my money on a fake Gucci or Vuitton bag. Its about quality, not the cost.
 Either way its good to keep a clutch...tote...and carry all "speedy type" bag. These 3 styles are very versatile and are timeless pieces.
A personal tip: I recommend that my clients purchase newer trendy bags from Aldo, Nine West, DSW, Macy's etc...but in the designer collections purchase vintage bags. Like the Vuitton Speedy 25 or 30 and the Gucci satchel. The reason I recommend this is because those are iconic timeless bags. Most fashionistas are aware of release dates of the trendy designer bags... so certain designs look dated. However with the iconic vintage bags thats a none issue...the look always looks polished and current. Saves money with the same overall results with the look.

I hope these tips help you gain a better balance of your overall wardrobe, and help you enhance your everyday and after 5 looks.
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