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.

Fabric Selection

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.