This last Saturday, I went to purchase something for Mother’s day that my mother has been wanting for quite some time. However, while in the store, I succumbed to really truly pretty clothes and ended up buying quite a bit for myself. Though I hang my head a bit in shame about how impulsive the purchases are, I do have a few guidelines in purchasing clothes to get the most out of them :
I buy classic pieces that fit well
The clothes I purchase are all in classic shapes that I know will never go out of style. This allows me to never grow tired of them and to wear them regardless of the prevailing fashion trends. Since they fit well, they always make me look decent which is more than I can say for some of the trends out there. Also, I dress so that I can go from work to casual with just a few additions or deletions of accessories and makeup so I make sure that the clothes can easily transform with whatever situation I need.
I wear them a lot!
I get a lot of use of the clothes I do end up purchasing. I even have some clothes that I bought 8 years ago that I still wear on a regular basis (one of the few benefits of reaching my adult height rather early). This makes the cost per use for each piece of clothing extremely low and actually well-worth it in the long run.
I mix and match
Recently, there has been a fashion movement toward mixing High (expensive brand-name pieces) with Low (…not as expensive pieces). I grinned to myself since I’ve been doing that all along. I’ve invested in a few quality pieces of clothing but when mixed with some good finds from thrift stores, I look good but not too matchy matchy and I save a lot of money. I also tend to buy clothes in neutral colors much to the dismay of my mother who gives me looks of exasperation whenever I show her a new little black <insert piece of clothing> that I bought. However, because the palette is so neutral, mixed with a few essentials in bright pops of color, I can mix and match to my heart’s content and create multiple outfits with only a few pieces of clothing. This way, I can look like I have an enormous walk-in closet at home when in reality, all my clothes are stuffed in a few drawers at home.
I take good care of my clothes
Since my clothes need to last through a lot of wear and tear, it’s important to wash, iron, and hang up/fold all my clothes in the correct way. Oh, and I tend to shy away from anything that needs dry-cleaning since I feel that that’s just a money-sucker.
And if you must buy something super-trendy, don’t worry, take care of it, and someday either the trends will cycle back or you have something fabulously vintage.
If you love clothes and fashion the way I do, this is the best way to indulge a little without blowing a wad of cash with little return.