By: Roberta Hughes, Image Consultant & Fashion Stylist
To find the latest fashion for significantly less, follow these fashion guidelines and shopping tips.
1. Peruse your favorite high-fashion catalog or website and note the styles you like. Use the color, fabric or design as inspiration to help guide you.
2. With your shopping list in hand, search the racks for similar styles at discount stores such as TJ Max, Ross, Forever 21, Ann Taylor loft, JC Penney, Second-hand stores, etc. You may also find significant savings at outlet stores or season clearances on the website of some of your favorite high-end fashion stores.
3. While you save on price, be prepared to spend a little more time at discount stores to find clothes. Discount stores are usually staffed with less employees and don’t offer the same services—such as locating different sizes for you while you’re in the dressing room. Save time by bringing different sizes of the garment to the dressing room. This is also a good idea since garments typically run on the small side at discount stores since they are made with less fabric and are given less seam allowance.
4. Be prepared to compromise on quality and style at discount stores. Garment construction is typically made of less expensive fabrics, is void of or made with inexpensive style detail and embellishments, and has less color saturation. For instance, the rich colors of expensive garments are dyed in higher pigment saturation for longer periods of time, which cost significantly more to do.
5. Less expensive garments are not made to last as long as their counter parts so consider how many times you plan to wear them to determine if the purchase is a good buy. Summer is typically a good time to hunt for bargains since we tend to wear less and change our outfits often as we adjust to the heat. Fun tops in different colors and prints will add a splash of freshness to your wardrobe and summer look. Summer shorts, pants and jackets in different styles are also available at discount rates since they are made with less expensive light-weight fabrics such as cotton, rayon, and linen, which tend to cost less than heavy-weight winter fabrics.
6. Less expensive clothing may not fit your figure the same way. Have your clothes altered to fit you correctly and nobody will be the wiser that you purchased the garment for half the price of its more expensive counterpart. Good style always includes good fitting clothes!
To schedule a shopping tour or wardrobe styling session with Roberta Hughes, call 801.990.4419 or visit www.avidereimage.com
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