In need of shopping and planning guidance

So, many of you know I've been shopping my closet for a long while during which time I was finishing up school and job hunting. This was mostly an attempt to wear out my "student" pieces and not purchase things for a life I didn't have (i.e. not being 100% sure about the dress code at a new job, potentially different climate, ect) and a way to analyze my style. Of course, like many people it was also a money saving strategy while I haven't had an income. Unfortunately, finding a new permanent position (I'm on my 2nd PT temp job) has taken much longer than I expected and "using up my student clothes" has worked a bit too well! I'm really getting to the point where I NEED to shop because I'm doing laundry several times a week, am wearing things I'm uncomfortable in and looking very shabby.

Luckily it looks like I might have a couple opportunities to shop B&M this summer while traveling. Of course, my dominant season is fall/winter but most of my shopping opportunities are in the summer. I can also shop online, but returns can get very expensive. I'd love to shop NAS this year.

Right now I have needs for every season. I'm also still wary of overspending in one area-- ie. overbuying for summer or fall, buying for my current casual lifestyle and then landing a job w/a different dress code, buying up all the basics and then not having cash left to jazz them up with special pieces, ect.

What to buy first and in what amount is bogging me down, as well as what things to try and buy now, what to look for in b&m (go in with a list, try to find "pretty" pieces), and what to wait for fall, or for NAS for.

I have a few nice dresses, a leather jacket, two pair of slacks, a pencil skirt, a couple button downs, and two pair of radically different heels (one casual heeled sandal and one low heeled oxford) that are in good shape. I could dress for a fancy dinner date or a week in a buisness-y office.

Currently 98% of my life is smart casual or casual, and every job I've applied or interviewed for recently is smart casual. I've worn through my jeans, don't have any shorts, don't have sandals or boots except for gear, ect.

Basically I'm trying to find maximum practical and style impact for my clothing dollars and figuring out how to walk the line between adding too few pieces so I'm still running around in rags 3x a week or still can't put together a full outfit because of lack of pieces in good condition and rebuying to the point I will have too many clothes and not enough budget if things should change.

I'd love some advice.

13 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Elly, in order to really help you out - think you can take pics of what you have and post them? No need to pose in them - just photograph them on a hanger. Shoes too.

velvetychocolate

Veteran

Elly - I was a bit stressed out a few days ago because I took all my fall/winter stuff out of my closet, set aside some donate/edit stuff etc. , only to find that I don't really have a "summer wardrobe" at all!

I mean, I have a few things, but not much. I was feeling like, "Agghh...I have to buy a whole new summer wardrobe".

In any case, for me right now - the major gaps were in casual wear. I have some dressier stuff for summer, but nothing in terms of casual.

Mo came along and posted something really helpful. Suggested two skirts, two shorts, two dresses and six tops. She posted photos of her 'picks' from her closet (casual, which is what I need right now), and said that she could get by on just those pieces if she had to. Not that she wanted to, but that she could.

I don't know where your immediate need is (mine is summer casual) - but could you apply Mo's *fast* formula of: two skirts, two shorts or pants, two dresses and six tops?

This way, you'd never overbuy in the wrong category, but at least you have a start.

Here's a link to that "Closet Anxiety" thread I posted a few days ago. If you scroll down quite a bit, you'll see Mo's suggestion and her photos of her casual summer items that she could "get by" with if she wanted to. I don't know how to isolate just one forum post and link to it, so the link is to the entire thread.

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....n-required

I guess you could separate categories into Summer Casual, Summer Smart Casual, Fall/Winter Casual, Fall/Winter Smart Casual, Fall/Winter Business Casual. From there, perhaps you could see if you have or would like to get Mo's "Two skirts, two shorts/pants, two dresses, six tops."

By the way - Nordstrom has free shipping and free returns all the time now. Furthermore, I noticed that someone here said you could return items purchased from Nordstrom at Nordstrom Rack. I have a Nordstrom Rack a lot closer to me than a regular Nordstrom store, so this tip was pretty handy. I checked with the clerk at Nordstrom Rack and she confirmed that it was fine to return any Nordstrom purchases there too. I haven't tried to return anything via post/courier, so not sure how much hassle it is - but as far as I know, the shipping and 'return' shipping is free.

Good luck!

christieanne

In doing a quick review of your current list of what you have, it seems tops are the biggest need (and at least one pair of denim) followed by a versatile shoe.

I am doing the same thing - not buying much (or anything for May) until I understand the dress code of potential employer. But there are some universal items that can go dressed down or up - business, business casual or casual.
Do you have an H&M or Zara accessible? Or even Target? You should be able to find a few more tops that would work with your skirts and trousers there.

harmonica

Mo's suggestion seems like a good option. Ajust the list of tops and bottoms to your needs and lifestyle.

When I started building a new wardrobe, I didn't think in capsules or rubrics (I didn't know about that), I started with making a "wardrobe essentials" list and chose white/grey/black for most items (but I've always felt good in these colors), something like this: http://youlookfab.com/2008/02/.....ssentials/ That might be a guiding line because classic items can be dressed up or down with accesories which can be thrifted.

Makrame

Just in case if you decide to order from Nordstrom - I use their mailing labels to return stuff all the time since I don't have a Nordstrom store nearby. The only thing I have to be aware of is that it takes 2-3 weeks, if not more, for the return/refund to process and post to my account. I don't know why that is - Zappos or Endless process returns within a couple of days - but that's a price I am willing to pay for the selection and prices I can get through Nordstrom. Might be an issue, though, if you are using a debit card or a card with low limit.

I find Nordstrom website to be one of the best places to plan purchases - I add things to the wishlist and mull them over - they usually sit there for at least a month, and I keep deleting things from the wishlist as I decide they don't really fit my wardrobe plan. Once the price drops (as it almost inevitably does at some point) - I place an order on those things I still want. I then keep them on the wishlist and ask for price adjustment if they get discounted.

cheryl

Along the lines of Angie's capsule posts and Mo's list, you should check out this blog if you haven't already. she really shows how you can take minimal pieces and make many many outfits. http://theviviennefiles.blogsp.....fours.html

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