Reinvent Your Wardrobe

2007-06-13T02:26:00.001-07:00

2007-06-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Color Scheme and Garment Styles

2007-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

The last consideration in building your core group is color scheme and style of pieces. Here are some suggestions, but these are only recommendations. This is your wardrobe, you have to be comfortable wearing it, so ultimately you must decide what colors and what pieces to include.

Black is the color recommendation of choice. Why? Black is: *Professional looking *Fashionable *Easiest to accessorize *Offers more mix and match options *Seasonless *Timeless *Classic *Slimming *SEXY!

Choosing black allows you to focus on the garment itself when you are trying on clothes. You can study the style, the fit, the drape, etc. of the style and not be distracted by other factors such as color. Have you ever tried on a style you really liked in a color you really didn't like, and decided not to buy the piece simply because the dislike for the color blinded you to the possibilities of the garment? Black and white is the most classic of all color combos and a hot fashion trend for spring. Since black is a neutral color, it combines well with any other color and gives you great control. If you prefer lighter colors, match it with beiges, earth tones or pastels to lighten the look. If you prefer jewel tones, go for ravishing reds, bold blues, canary yellows. Think of black as the blank canvas upon which you will paint a new wardrobe. Have fun, go crazy, be traditional!! It's impossible to go wrong with black. Black is a very forgiving color. All skin types, hair colors and body types can wear black and look stunning. In 1926, Coco Chanel introduced the "little black dress"--women are still in love with it today.

Quality, not Quantity

2007-06-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

The second element that should be considered is the quality of the knit fabric that is used in the construction of the garments that you are considering for your core pieces. Knits, as with everything else in life, come in a variety of colors, styles, and weights. Yes, you can find both expensive and inexpensive knits. Buy quality--that old cliche is true--you get what you pay for. It is better to invest in a quality garment that will give you many years of good service than to squander budget dollars on a lesser quality piece of apparel that might need to be discarded at the end of one or two seasons.

Think quality, not quantity. The beauty of this system is found in having less, not more. Your goal is to narrow your choices down to 13 superb garments that can be mixed, matched, and multiplied into numerous fashionable combinations. In fact, if the core pieces are chosen well, one should be able to make from 96 to over 100 different wardrobe outfits with just 13 pieces of clothing. How cool is that? This will yield the greatest Return on Investment (ROI) while lowering the cost per wear of each item significantly.

Some brand names and labels to consider are: Weekenders, USA, Destinations, City Knits, Chico's Travelers, NTouch, Notations. All of these are high end, quality garments, manufactured with the highest standards of quality and consistency. Dye lots are usually color blocked and match from season to season with littler variance in shade. There are certainly many other fine labels that may be available. The brand names and labels mentioned here are suggested as a starting point only in your search for the right core garments for YOU and YOUR lifestyle requirements.

Fabric Selection

2007-06-03T04:01:00.000-07:00

One crucial element that makes this assortment of apparel easy care, easy wear is the choice of a low maintenance, high comfort, great fitting/feeling fabric. A textile that rates highly on the quality and comfort scale is what is commonly called "slinky knit" or "travel knit fabric". This is a unique blend of acetate with a very small percentage of spandex. The end result provides a truly miraculous knitted fabric. It has: *A good hand *Drapes well *Minimal or no clinging *Minimizes figure imperfections *Resists wrinkling *Launders easily *Offers control & fit.

Convenience married with just enough spandex to provide contouring and style--not your mama's knit! Spandex helps the garment maintain shape and resist wrinkling. Garments manufactured from this "magic" material offer slip on, lived in comfort--like your favorite pajamas! Clothing that looks as elegant as any runway fashion, yet so lightweight it feels as though you're not wearing anything.

These clothes can be rolled up, stowed in your favorite travel luggage, shaken out when you arrive at your destination, and still look as fresh and crisp as the day they were purchased off the rack. No ironing is EVER needed! To refresh the items (if necessary), just hang garments on a hanger in the bathroom, turn the shower on for a few minutes and get the room nice and steamy, shut the door and let the clothes enjoy the hot steam for about 2 minutes, then turn the shower off--they are ready to wear!

Knits like these will be good year-'round staples. They fit and flatter all body types--especially mid life bodies--and offer unlimited mix and match solutions. Play the "Match Game" and win! The prize is a pulled together, fashion forward look that others will envy and long to imitate.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping in to read, please check back often for updates and more Fast Fashion Facts. Please send your email feedback to sugarshops4u@gmail.com and receive a FREE GIFT for your help!!

Copyright 2007 by Donna Cosmato aka Sugar Shops 4 U, Reinvent Your Wardrobe. This article may not be used or reprinted without specific consent from the copyright holder.Please visit my website at: http://sugarshops4u.googlepages.com/ for a complete listing of all my stores and special offers.

Reinvent Your Wardrobe

2007-05-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Reinvent Your Wardrobe:

Please send me your thoughts, comments, tips, feedback, etc. on this sneak preview of my soon-to be published book, Reinvent Your Wardrobe. This book will offer tips on how to look taller and slimmer as well as shorter and broader (really, there are some ladies who desire the latter)!
If you are a busy professional whose lifestyle and career involves lots of traveling, you'll love the section on Travel in a Tote. Budgetary restraints? Look for the chapter entitled Investment Dressing for ways to cut your costs and still look like a million.

Here goes: How can you take control of your fashion choices? Do you dread opening your closet door because "there's nothing to wear"? If you could travel with just one carry-on piece of luggage, BUT have unlimited, fashion forward wardrobe options, how would that simplify your life? Well, your search for the ultimate wardrobe solution is over!

By the following the easy to implement recommendations in this book, you'll be able to streamline your wearing apparel and de-stress your life. You'll enjoy creating outfits that are timeless, ageless and will span any season with panache. Enjoy being a smart but frugal shopper while developing your own free spirited style.

It's as simple as 5+5+3=13 ~~ knowing the steps to choosing 13 core garments that will harmonize and will offer a multitude of mix and match combinations. Mix and match and look like a million while spending just "pennies"! One can build an all-weather, low maintenance collection that transitions seamlessly from desk to dinner to destinations unknown. Carefully consider your lifestyle as well as the purpose of each garment chosen as a core item, and the result will be a versatile assortment of apparel that can be fashionable, elegant, sophisticated, casually chic, or classic ~~ whatever style is desired. Each garment will work with the others so there are no more fashion mistakes. For the woman on the go, a no-fuss wardrobe is a fashion must. You can be out the door and on the go in minutes.

No matter where one is headed, this multipurpose wardrobe will prove to be priceless. It's so easy to coordinated the individual components, a gal could get dressed in the dark and still look great!

Fast Fashion Fact #1: To minimize a promenient belly, use a garment with an empire waist to accent the bust while de-emphasize the tummy and slimming the silhouette.

Fast Fashion Fact #2: Vests are great layering items. They can also be worn alone for a retro-inspired, summer ready look.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping in to read, please check back often for updates and more Fast Fashion Facts. Please send your email feedback to sugarshops4u@gmail.com and receive a FREE GIFT for your help!!

Copyright 2007 by Donna Cosmato aka Sugar Shops 4 U, Reinvent Your Wardrobe. This article may not be used or reprinted without specific consent from the copyright holder.

Please visit my website at: http://sugarshops4u.googlepages.com for a complete listing of all my stores and special offers.