So Many Shoes, So Little Money – Blog

Smart Shopping

January 20th, 2009

Today, Michelle Obama wore Isabelle Toledo and the girls wore J. Crew. This is a great example of mixing high and low (well, J. Crew is not exactly a low). It is your prerogative to be a slave to fashion, and especially expensive designer items, if, but only if, you can afford them. Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is made to become unfashionable.” If you can’t afford them – and most of us can’t, let’s face it – there are always alternatives, notably second label lines, which are cheaper but still high-styled.

Smart shopping requires four things: Planning, focus, investing and finding bargains. Most of the following tips come from In Style Secrets of Style:

Plan:

• Figure out what you have and what you need – shop with a list.
• Determine how much money you can spend.
• Shop when you are feeling good about yourself, not when you are bored or upset.
• Shop when stores are the least crowded, so you can get the attention you deserve.
• Dressing well requires strategy so take your time.
• Know the store’s return policy – we all make mistakes and the fashionably and financially responsible thing to do is return the item when that happens.

Focus:

• Shop by yourself – unless you need someone to keep you in check and to tell you to “just back away from the shoes” – friends can distract you and encourage you to buy items you don’t need.
• Know what styles work for you and stick to them – just because something is trendy does not mean it is right for you.
• Buy for the body you have, not the one you want: Spending money on a size four when you are an eight is not smart – yes, I know you will be a four in no time, but the point is, you’re not a four this minute.
• Don’t deviate from your plan.

Invest:

• Buy complete outfits; otherwise you will have a closet full of nothing-to-wear. True classics are the exception – black, grey, navy or tan pants, white shirts, classic skirts.
• Buy the best quality you can afford for the classics and scrimp on the trendy stuff.
• Be wary of sale racks – Just because it is on sale does not mean it is a bargain or you need it. You only save money at a sale if it was something you were already looking for.

Bargains:

• Study the deals and steals sections of most fashion magazines.
• Go to your favorite shopping website and check out the sale section (or sign up for their emails).
• www.bluefly.com: Up to 40 to 70 percent off retail; need I say more?
• Boutique stores: Get on their mailing lists to receive notices of sales.
• Department stores: Look for second lines like Marc by Marc Jacobs and wait until they have a sale.
• Outlet stores
• Sample sales
• Lower scale retailers: Have you been to Target lately?
• Newsletters: www.dailycandy.com can tell you about sales, not to mention fabulous boutiques in your area.
• Thrift shops, known euphemistically as vintage stores; but be forewarned, genuine vintage clothes can cost a bundle.

Last but not least, try, just try, to exercise some discipline.

Filed under: Style

Tags: Budgeting, Desinger, recession, Shopping, spending