Color Scheme and Garment Styles

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

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.