Shopping is overwhelming at the best of times, but these five strategies can help you to make excellent wardrobe choices:

• Make the final decision at home: If you don’t like something in your own mirror, you probably won’t wear it. Be disciplined about returning items that don’t make the grade.
• Focus on fit, not size: Style is beyond size. Achieve perfect fit instead of fixating on the size tag. Don’t be afraid to have clothing altered if the fit off the rack isn’t perfect.
• Don’t be swayed by low prices: If you compromise your fit and style standards just because something is inexpensive, you’ll end up with a closet orphan – a waste of money at any price.
• Spend money on bras, shoes, handbags, watches and spectacles: These are the items that increase your style quotient no matter what. Purchase the best that you can afford and watch their cost-per-wear whittle down to nothing.
• Find better bargains online where sales are more frequent: Stalk the items that you love, wait for them to go on random one-day sales, punch in a discount coupon code and enjoy your new purchase for much, much less.

On the topic of online bargains, one thing to check out is Boden’s clearance sale. They are marking down last season’s merchandise by up to 70% and this includes some good options for Spring.

Today’s post is written by Patience, a trendy forum member and long time YLF supporter who lives in Austin, Texas. She hit it off with two fellow forum members from Austin and they’ve been friends ever since. The super-stylish trio recently went on a shopping excursion to Dallas and this is what went down (I wish I had been there!).

It is 11:30 at night and I am sitting in the back seat of Ana’s bright yellow car listening to Ana and Sarah talk about everything from movies, body types, and what it means to have a fulfilling career to sour cream desserts, family relationships, and the YLF forum that made our friendship possible. Tonight, I am exhausted but content because we are returning from a marathon day of shopping at the Dallas Galleria, a three hour road trip from Austin.

I first met Ana in person last summer after arranging a lunch date through Angie and the forum. Sarah joined our new YLF shopping group as soon as we realized she was a fellow Austinite. We’ve been getting together at least monthly since then. Mostly for fashion related excursions like shopping at the Domain in Austin, closet clean outs and a clothing swap, but also to celebrate birthdays, see movies and have dinner. I feel so fortunate that we have become such good friends, and our interests go beyond shopping and fashion. I know that an afternoon, an evening or a day spent with Ana and Sarah will be uninterrupted fun.

On one of these outings we planned the trip to Dallas.

The highlight of the trip was visiting stores that we had heard about on the forum. For the first time ever, we shopped at Club Monaco, Zara, and Kate Spade. All three of us found several fashion treats to bring home, but the score of the day was Ana’s red Stuart Weitzman pumps. Sarah found a killer chestnut waist belt at Nordstrom, and Ana forced me to try on a Zara snake print pencil skirt because they didn’t have her size. Surprisingly, the skirt turned out to be my favorite purchase!

Driving home, we talk about how well our styles and personalities compliment each other. Often, we are successfully able to choose things for each other that we would never have dreamed of trying. It’s almost as if our group is able to conjure the spirit of Angie’s fashion stylist expertise.

Thank you, Angie and Greg, for creating YLF and being the catalyst to our great friendship!

The extended revival of ’80’s fashion over the past few years makes me think that a return of the ’90’s is not far behind. One early indicator: the bottom cleavage that was pioneered in the ’90’s and so popular with celebrities last year is coming back to the mainstream. So it looks like the comfort and girdling-effect of the higher rise may be short lived, soon to be replaced with low rises that are taken to a new extreme.

Personally, I like the look of super low rise pants because bottom cleavage is cute and alluring. It seems more subtle than bosom cleavage and when worn with attitude, it’s totally stylish. If you’re reticent about exposing the cleavage, wear a sweet pair of knickers along with the low rise. They’ll stick out above the waistband, covering the cleavage, and adding an interesting textural dimension to your ensemble.

I’m afraid it’s time to adapt your eyes to the look of bottom cleavage. That’s okay. We’ll be all over the trend before you know it, sporting it with sass and loads of confidence. I’m up for a change and I can’t wait to get a new pair of low rise jeans to start experimenting. Stay tuned on how to put the statement together with class when I model my outfits and post them next week.

So far so good. My inexpensive accessory splurge has made it easy to resist the temptation of purchasing clothing. Instead I have purchased an off-white tote, a yellow spring scarf, a casual necklace, and a turquoise belt with floral detail. Today I am adding a second Spring scarf into the mix.

I get bored of wearing the same types of items in the same ensemble combination day after day. So I switch out the style of my bottoms and tops frequently. For example: in one week I’ll go from wearing jeans and skirts with boots, to sporting frocks and pants with pumps. Mixing it up, plus the addition of a new accessory helps me feel fashionably recharged.

Most tops can accommodate a Spring scarf (if the top has a shirt collar, be sure to wear it inside the collar to avoid looking dowdy). Add to that a variety of scarf shapes, patterns and colours, and the possibilities are endless. A different scarf tied in a different way conveys a totally different mood: from arty and playful, to strict and authoritative. Take your pick.

It’s usually a choice of scarf OR chunky necklace, but I’m wearing both in the bottom two photographs. In these instances the ensemble works because I’m wearing a single layer of clothing and no earrings. If I’d added a necklace to the top two outfits, I’d have lost that clean-cut look. The visual interest of the layering plus the scarf provides ample texture. No necklace required.

The cool, crisp and lightweight integrity of a silk, viscose, rayon or cotton-rich Spring scarf gives it a long lifespan. So don’t restrict this accessory to cold Spring days when it can be comfortably sported over sleeveless tops as temperatures start to rise. Even in hot weather the scarf could be a useful addition in chilly air-conditioned environments.

I bought this scarf from Macy’s and, coincidentally, their online store is running promotions on many of their scarves.