Clothes Old Style

Go to the library and get a copy of one of the style books by Mary Spillane.

I have a capsule wardrobe, a good suit in a neutral colour, in my case Navy (I look awful in black) a couple of good blouses, one suitable for evening wear. summer and winter weight trousers.... 2 prs of each, a longish navy skirt and a couple of sortish skirts, tee shirts a fleece lined track suit for wear in the house three fleece tops, one a cardigan style, and a couple of coloured jumpers. One pair of my trousers are grey to ring the changes and I bought myself a wool and cashmere short coat which doubles as a winter coat and I have a three in one waterproof coat. As a retired lady I do not need the same amount of clothes as possibly some one who is still working, but if you buy good quaility clothes and look after them, THEY WILL LOOK AFTER YOU.

You can jazz the suit up or down as with the skirts either worn with a blouse or tee shirt and jumper/cardigan, the same with the trousers.

The style book will give you hints as to the colours that will suit you and also the style to flatter your body shape.......

I am still using up clothes that I bought before I finished work 7 years ago, all were good quality and classic in design, no fashion trends for me, I like classic clothes and they have stood me in good stead throughout my life.

I do have several pairs of shoes, but again classic, navy low heeled court shoe. A couple of pairs of flat shoes. clogs for messing about in and two pairs of cheap deck shoes, these last me a couple of years and then I throw them away and get another pair. I also have a pair of walking boots which I bought about 15 years ago, with care they last for ages!!! I wear slippers in the house, my present pair I bought from M & S some 7 years ago and they are still going strong.

Another thing I do not stint on is a good bra, I was fitted many years ago and buy 3 at a time changed daily and hand washed they last for years unless you put on or loose weight. I also buy sloggi knickers, they fit really well and you can get them in packs of 7 often on offer 7 for the price of 6. When they start to go a bit thin I put them in a pile and wear them when we go on holiday then just chuck them away, less washing when you get back, as long as you remember to take decent ones for when the old ones run out!!!!!

Sorry I can't give much help with this one. My wardrobe consists of 2 pairs of jeans, 5 casual tops, some crop pants, 3 vest tops, a green fleece which attaches to the inside of my coat, a pair of smart black pants & 3 "going out" tops. I do have some more clothing but they're too small as I put on alot of weight this time last year (stress eating of lots and lots of junk food . Actually I did a stress test by Dr Phil. Apparently anything over 25 is high stress and I scored 350! :eek:). Since I am a stay-at-home mum I don't need much in the way of clothing but I plan to rectify this once I manage to get my eating back under control (Still over eating on junk...last month this month though) as I want to go "back to school" in September, or at least go on some courses at our local youth club centre.

My main wardrobe essential is black trousers, they can be dressed up and down. I used to spend a fortune on designer clothes that I would only wear for one season.

I now buy decent basics, and go to cheap throwaway shops like Primark and Peacocks for fun stuff. By fun I mean the ultra fashionable one season stuff, things like this season's gypsy skirts and cropped jackets.

My basic wardrobe is about 10 pairs of black trousers

Loads of cheap T's and vests - primark, new look, george etc

A few glam seperates for nights out.

Always buy seperates, you can get loads of different looks from a few carefully selected clothes.

Don't forget your accessories, shoes and bags are very important. I have size 9 feet and I buy all my shoes from Evans when they have their sales. The shoes are often reduced to £5, it's not uncommon for me to buy 10 pairs at once!

You can get nice fashionable bags in Primark, I find them ideal when I want to match. My latest bargain is a suede bag for £5. You can customise them with beads etc for an individual look.

If you like designer things go to TK Maxx or take a look in charity shops. I bought a versace dress from my local one for £1! Ebay is also a good place to look for cheap clothes.

I work full time in the city so need good clothes for that. I absolutely HATED it when they introduced smart casual a few years ago. I have smart and I have casual and never the twain shall meet. That fad has faded now and everyone's wearing suits again. I buy one suit a year then last year's suit is worn on days when I don't have any meetings. The place I used to work in frowned on women wearing trousers but now I find that one jacket with a skirt and a pair of trousers plus four blouses (plenty if you wash twice a week) is enough so that I always look professional and as the bottoms wear out faster than the jacket I get better value for my investment in a suit. Next is good for blouses to wear with smart suits at a very reasonable price.

the other thing that saves a fortune is keeping my smart but not terribly comfortable shoes in the office then changing into flat shoes with rubber soles for the walk to and from the station. Gabor do some which look reasonably smart but last for ever.

Rage, I reckon Alvin's way on the cost of my spectacles as I wear them daily so calculate the horrendous cost over a year or two of wearing them down to a daily 50p or something and it doesn't sound quite so bad as £330 for a pair

Do consider using a Dress Agency where you can take in your smart clothes to be sold on a commission basis. They do have to be of reasonable fashion and obviously very good condition and clean. You would usually get back 50% of the selling price once a garment is sold.

However, don't embarrass yourself by taking in something that is only fit for the bin