Hello, Diana! Twenty years ago, I was pretty much living your life, and can offer this fun approach to finding a new look on a budget: Look over your wardrobe and ask yourself what you would add to it if money were no object. Make a list of your wishes--i.e. "designer jeans, soft leather jacket, sexy cocktail dress, red cowboy boots"--whatever. Look through a fashion magazine and tear out pics of silhouettes, colors, and styles that appeal to you. Note Angie's reports here on new trends--she's a great fashion barometer. Then, one day when the girls are at school, pack up your list, notes and tear-sheets in a cross-body bag (to keep your hands free) and hit your local thrift shops. Cruise an entire shop first, then go back to individual sections, keeping an eye out for fine fabrics, good labels, and the colors that make you look your best. Try things on, keeping in mind that after alterations a $10 jacket will still be a bargain, and keep checking your finds against your list, but be open to serendipity, too. Reject anything smelly, damaged (though tiny mothholes in cashmere sweaters can be easily mended from the back with matching sewing thread) or conspicuously dated in style. If you don't yet trust your eye, bring a savvy friend along. I know I was amazed when I realized what I could find this way. When they got older, I took my daughters thrift-shopping, too, and one of them now has a real knack for putting outfits together for pennies. The hunt for treasures is peculiarly satisfying, and even now, when money is no longer tight, I still hunt in thrift shops because the quality of goods made a few years ago tends to be higher, and the selection is often more interesting. Some of the second-hand items still in my closet: black lambskin jacket, Hermes scarves, classic Coach bag, several cashmere sweaters, Eileen Fisher silk blouses, 2 leather pencil skirts, Robert Clergerie booties, vintage Chanel suit, lined woolen trousers, white Lacoste pants, vintage Originala cashmere swing coat . . . and not one of these pieces cost more than $20--most much less. It's a great way to experiment and find your way out of that rut into your own mid-life style. With your coloring, I would particularly keep an eye out for warm-toned suede and tweed jackets, slim corduroy jeans, tan leather gloves, and drapey silk shirts in peach, green, or bronze shades. The addition of a few of these, along with vintage silk or cashmere scarves, a textured oversized woolen sweater, and some great boots found on sale, could completely transform your jeans-and-t-shirt wardrobe. I wish you luck, and please keep us posted!
