People seem to fall into three categories when it comes to wardrobe budgets: They follow a strict budget; they have a ballpark figure and try to work within it, unless something really fab appears that they can’t pass up; or “Budget? What’s a budget?” 

I used to fall into the last category. But my husband is a CPA and a CFP, and he loves budgeting almost as much as I love style. The best way to keep the marital peace in our house was working out a wardrobe budget. 

Surprisingly, I’ve found that staying within the budget is the easy part. What was tricky was deciding how to set a budget. Here are four steps I used to find my magic budgetary number:

1. Decide on a Range

Most financial sites recommend a clothing budget that ranges from three to ten percent of your net income (here’s one that includes a calculator). So If you have an annual net income of $60,000, you might figure on a clothing budget of $1,800 – $6,000. (Don’t get too excited — that’s clothing for the whole family for the entire year, not just for you!). 

2. Establish your Needs and Priorities

The three-to-ten percent range is a wide one, so the next step is to hone in on your exact number. Do you and your husband work outside the home and require both a work and a casual wardrobe? Do you have kids who outgrow shoes, boots and coats twice a year? We decided to take this step a bit further, and listed our priorities to ensure we were spending our extra money on things that mattered to our family, including clothing. What do you care most about? Vacations, dining out, movies, sporting events, piano lessons, home decor, travel, soccer for the kids, clothing, shoes, jewelry? If vacationing in Disney World has been on your family’s wish list for years, you’ll want to scale back on the wardrobe allowance and beef up the vacation allowance, and everyone will be happy as a result.

3. Pick the Number!

We settled on a budget of seven percent of our net income, which reflected the fact that we have two growing sons, but also that my husband had purchased two suits last year and thus did not anticipate major work wardrobe expenses, except for dress shirts and shoes. 

4. Test-drive the Budget

Does the number you picked actually work? Does it leave room for unexpected purchases? One month, my son managed to put holes in the knees of all of his track pants, and that resulted in a budgetary crisis that threw me for a loop! 

I’ve found that I’m happiest with some flexibility. Often, I’ll spend two months’ budget in one month, and don’t shop at all the next month. With a wardrobe that’s basically complete, I’m in the fortunate position of being able to add some higher-priced pieces when I decide they deserve a spot in my closet, and a flexible budget allows that.

The irony of it all? Budget in hand, I feel much freer about spending money on wardrobe items. I shop guilt-free as long as I’m staying within the bounds that my husband and I mutually agreed upon. No need to discuss purchases in advance, no hiding UPS boxes or shopping bags. Plus, setting spending limits gives structure to your style goals — and will help you prioritize your wardrobe purchases. 

Do you have a clothing budget? How did you find your magic budget number?

I don’t often shop for shapewear with clients because I believe that as far as possible one should go without. It’s not all that comfortable and you’ll overheat wearing shapewear if you run warm. That said, I do have a list of shapewear recommendations based on positive feedback from my clients who do wear shapewear. And a handful of them wear it daily. 

• TC Wonderful Edge High Waist Shaper: The shaper holds you in a little more than Spanx, but does stop your circulation. It STAYS UP, and the waistband does not roll down. Very smooth and comfortable as far as shapewear goes. 
• SPANX Thinstincts Mid Thigh Shaper: This is the shaper that some of my clients wear daily because it’s super thin, skimming but not tight, and feels like a second skin. It’s not as girdling as the TC High Waist Shaper, and a good way to go when you’re not after all that extra structure. 
• TC Under Bust Camisole Shaper: The design is genius because your bust can breathe and keep the shape of your bra. No “uni-boob” effect. It also effectively smooths out the contour of your back. 
• Spanx Open Bust Boost Camisole: Here’s the same genius design by Spanx. It has the same smoothing out effect both back and front. This style doesn’t hold you in as much as the TC version, but some of my clients have found this style a little more comfortable. 
• TC Waist Cinching Shaper: This little number is amazing because it covers the midriff and nothing else. It has boning which provides extra structure. However, it does not work if smoothing out your back is a prerequisite. It’s cut too short for that and merely focuses on flattening the tummy area and adding waist definition. 

As a general rule of thumb, buy the size you normally wear in shapewear. Sizing down is often counterproductive because it adds lumpage and bumpage to your silhouette. And while sizing up is more comfortable, the result is usually not as effective.

When Catherine and I founded Dobbin, we focused on fit as much as we did on fabric and style. We both felt that although there were a plethora of style options on the low end, the fit of the clothes was never quite right. At the same time, we couldn’t afford the very high-end pieces from luxury lines known for fine tailoring. We focused on a fit concept that balanced clean-lined sophistication with comfort. Tired of too small armholes, narrow shoulder seams, too tight and too low waistlines and too short hemlines, we wanted to create pieces that fit and flattered our customers, but that they could truly take from morning to night with ease.

Originally we set out to design for sizes 4-14, ended up adding in size 2 and 16 last minute in production, and eventually added size 0 due to popular demand. Our first fit model (we’ll call her M1) had a body type that fit with the shapes we were looking to dress. She was truly a size 8 on top, with larger-than-standard shoulder measurements, though she was closer to a size 6 on the bottom. To give this some perspective, designers like Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Theory and Alexander Wang use size 2 to size 4, or very small size 6 fit models.

Fit models are hired based on standard measurements. M1 worked for both Missy and Contemporary labels, which we really liked, because we wanted to reach a wide array of customers. Traditionally, high-end lines and contemporary lines use smaller fit models than Missy lines, but the business of fit models is still fairly subjective. Each designer uses the fit model that best suits his or her aesthetic and target customer. Some small designers choose not to employ fit models because of their high hourly pay ($200 or more/hour) and fit on themselves instead. We felt this was a mistake for Dobbin because we really wanted to get the fit right. We didn’t want to cut corners.

M1 fit for us for our first and second seasons, and provided much needed feedback on the fit and feel of our samples at each of our fit sessions. Fit models are very knowledgeable about the intricacies of fit measurements (almost every inch of a garment can be specified) and thoroughly discuss corrections to the pattern with the pattern maker throughout the sampling process.

As I mentioned in my post about working with a pattern maker, we schedule fit sessions throughout the sampling process. During the sessions we fit our samples on the fit model so that our pattern maker can make corrections. We pay close attention to the look of the garment, and to how it moves on the body. Can the model easily swing her arms? Can a jacket fit over her bust with some room to spare (but not look messy)? Is there room for a belly to relax but still to be flattered and look as slim as possible? Is the seat of the pants too tight? Too loose? Can we find a happy medium? These questions motivate us to keep improving our fit. We want to find this balance in every garment we design.

For our third season, we’ve had to hire a new fit model for scheduling purposes. Changing fit models is always a risky move, but we couldn’t risk slowing down our tight production schedule. We found our second fit model, M2, through a series of go-sees during which we took measurements of potential fit models and decided whether they had the right shape for us.

By now, we’re also able to test potential fit models against the existing line — putting size 8’s on each model to see who they fit the best. M2 was the clear choice after trying on our pants and best-selling Juliet dress. Here are some of her key measurements:

• Bust: 36-36.5″ (measurements depend on whether they’re taken with clothes on or off the body)
• Waist: 28.75-29.25″
• High Hip: 36-36.5″
• Inseam to Ankle Bone: 30″
• Muscle: 11 ¾”

There are many other measurements that helped us to decide that M2 was right for us, but they get fairly technical. Again, we chose a model closer to an 8 because we wanted to fit on someone with some curvature to her body. M2 fits primarily for Missy lines but is actually more proportionally balanced than M1 and has been great to work with.

As soon as we’ve gone through 2 or 3 iterations of a pattern and corresponding sample, Catherine and I approve the pattern and turn it over to a marker and grader. Marking and grading is the process of digitally scanning our pattern maker’s hand-drawn and cut pattern and then grading it up and down to the sizes we need. For us, grading is usually even; we use the original pattern size as a base and size it up or down by a half or full inch for smaller sizes and up to 2 inches for larger sizes. It’s key to remember that our size 8 is based on traditional measurements used by the pattern maker and then additionally, on what the pattern ends up measuring at pre-production. This is why our size 8 might differ from another brand’s size 8. Each business has a different size standard.

A few shots of M2 at our most recent fit session.

Here’s a summary of the posts that I’ve written about fitting pants and jeans to get all the guidelines into one place. Note that this summary does not cover lengths. I have so much to say on that topic that it has its own summary. 

These days assessing fit is more complicated because there are three broad categories of correct clothing fit, namely, tailored, body con and oversized. Add in the creative design details that affect fit and things get even worse. Even so, understanding the basics of how to fit classic dress pants is a good starting point. Don’t forget that some pocket styles can be more flattering than others, and that pant whiskering should be minimized. 

Once you’ve got a handle on how to fit a tailored pair of pants, you’ll find it easier to achieve correct fit on body con styles and roomy slouchier silhouettes. Boyfriend jeans have become mainstream and here are some guidelines on how to fit the baggier jeans option. Here’s a fit guide for wide leg trousers and how to wear them. Remember that straight length pants and jeans can be your skinnies, and that small alterations like hemming and waistband tapering can help you to achieve perfect fit.

And if white jeans and pants scare you because you think you’ll look larger than you actually are, erase that myth from your minds this instant. Follow these seven steps to wearing white jeans and trousers with panache at any size. 

If there are further fit challenges that I haven’t addressed, please raise them in the comments section and let’s get you sorted.