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Clothes Old Style

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  • morganb
    morganb Posts: 1,762 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    Plain is usually better than patterned for anything. I have accumulated a lot of [/QUOTE]
    I second this. I mostly buy plain not patterned and then I don't get fed up of it and it's much easier to mix and match.
    That's Numberwang!
  • choose two or three colours that really suit you - ie don't worry about colours are in right now - and which go together.

    if you're not sure what colours suit your skin tone, your local library will have books on how to work it out, with titles like 'colour me beautiful'. or ask a friend who dresses to suit their shape and colour, who has colouring similar to yours.

    while you're at your library, get a copy of the book "what not to wear", or any other book that advises on what shapes of clothes suit what body shapes. i can't quite remember but it's possible "colour me beautiful" has advice on that too.

    if that's too much hassle the following website has an interactive questionnaire to work out what clothes suit your shape
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifestyle/tv_and_radio/what_not_to_wear/whattowear_index.shtml

    next you need an honest assessment of your lifestyle - are you a new parent who has no time for ironing and dry cleaning, but still want to look stylish? are you climbing the corporate ladder and need a range of suits? do you want to be able to get dressed in the morning without having to search for the one top that goes with that one skirt?

    working out what sort of clothes you need will help you design your own capsule wardrobe. sticking to two/three colours means that (almost) everything goes with (almost) everything else.

    next step is to give away/charity shop/ebay/freecycle all those clothes that no longer fit or don't flatter you (get a nice, but honest friend to help) or are wrong for your lifestyle. the new parent probably won't find a use for the white suit and the corporate lawyer probably won't use the denim cut-offs.

    when you know what colours and what clothes shapes suit you, next you need your body measurements. write them down and put them somewhere handy.

    when you've got these, go to ebay and search for the clothes you want, in the colours you want, in your size, from the quality brands you like. you will find tons of new and nearly new stuff at great prices. (i buy all my clothes there now, i have lovely per una work shirts that cost £2, a stunning winter coat that cost £13, etc).

    another benefit of ebay is that you won't be distracted by enticing displays into buying something that's fashionable, but doesn't look good on you, or something that means you need to buy something else to go with it.

    i replace clothes when they wear out, or when they don't fit me any more. obviously i buy the odd item on impulse, but i try to avoid impulse buys as more than a couple mean it takes longer to get stylishly dressed in the morning!

    i also have a winter wardrobe and a summer one - one of which gets stored away from the wardrobe, otherwise the wardrobe gets cramped.

    hope that helps, i feel i should go away and write a book on this!
    Boyfriend & I have saved £12K in two years, thanks to careful budgeting and keeping a record of what we spend. I've never paid myself this amount of money before - it feels great!
  • metherer
    metherer Posts: 560 Forumite
    Fantastic Thread!

    Its particularly good timing as we're getting to winter now so I daresay I'm not the only one thinking about what to wear.

    I can't advise on a capsule wardrobe as I am quite far from having one, so am making the most of the suggestions I've seen.

    Thanks all,

    Metherer
    Not heavily in debt, but still trying to sort things out.
    Baby due July 2018.
  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    The most basic tip of all for a well-worked out wardrobe has to be to stay the same size - then you only need one set of clothes (not ones for slim days, ones for fat days and ones from when you were way too big).

    Herewith speaketh the voice of experience - now just why am I still keeping some clothes that "swim" on me - now I'm back to normal weight? duh.....must have another chuckout.
  • Sarahsaver
    Sarahsaver Posts: 8,390 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    That is a really good article. 'Go shopping in your wardrobe' as a friend puts it. The style tips in essentials magazine are quite useful (:eek: does that mean I am getting on a bit???) In fact the last one I read and then looked at my clothes and will now get a lot more wear out of things just by layering clothes which are in similar colours. Reminiscent of the 1970s when Mum used to put me in a shirt/blouse with a t shirt or a tank top over the top. I HATED it then - sorry Mum all is forgiven!
    Glamour Magazine usually has good advice - things like capsule wardrobes, and they just had a thing on what footwer goes best with what clothing.

    I got a v good tweed suit :eek: from the charity shop - a next one. Question - how do I avoid looking like miss Marple!!? Suppose avoid flat shoes;) I absolutely LOVE the film Brief Encounter but I am slightly too self conscious to carry that look off!
    28m.jpg
    Member no.1 of the 'I'm not in a clique' group :rotfl:
    I have done reading too!
    To avoid all evil, to do good,
    to purify the mind- that is the
    teaching of the Buddhas.
  • I`ve just done the de-clutter in my wardrobe and am happily getting matching things together. I have still got a lot of relics from the internet`sales` (cheap so I had to have it!!)

    one of my saving graces has been to get some camisoles into my wardrobe and my favourite so far are by mey (via figleaves via quidco)

    Today I am wearing cheap m & s black trousers, a mey black camisole and a thin purple v neck. I feel co-ordinated and this is the feeling I had with the clothes I have been wearing since I did the big chuck out

    and I wish I were the size I was at 40 but at 60, middle aged spread is well and truly with me (cuddly though). Part of the clothes problem has been because of me being in denial

    It was hard to get-rid but very well worth it
  • iceicebaby
    iceicebaby Posts: 3,633 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    OMG I have so many clothes and shoes I have lost count of what I have or havent got and I still buy more! I always seem to be wearing the same things over again though. I need organinising badly! I will buy something and wear it once then go back to wearing the same stuff.

    HELP!!
    Baby Ice arrived 17th April 2011. Tired.com! :j
  • Quasar
    Quasar Posts: 121,720 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    At the start of each major seasonal change, ie autumn and then spring, I get all my clothes out - empty all the drawers, wardrobes, cupboards - and I include handbags, shoes etc.

    I try stuff on and to the right goes what fits me, to the left what doesn't. Ditto with the clothes/accessories which I've really got bored with. This is the first stage.

    The second stage, when I've decided what I want to keep, I match it all to my requirements: ie. I need two smart outfits for meetings etc. Do I have all the required garments? Top, bottom, shoes, handbags, jacket etc etc?

    Then I need at least two casual outfits for my transport surveys - jeans, slacks, comfy shoes or even trainers/boots, fleece jackets, large handbag and on and on

    Going out - again tops, bottoms etc. You get the idea.

    House clothes - these are the easiest for obvious reasons.

    Then back to the stuff I got bored with - often I can find a blouse or jumper or something that I can still bear to wear to "enrich" the above selections. Also, a colourful bangle or necklace (needn't be expensive) worn on top of, say, an old but still good jumper, can enliven it no end.

    Last year I was about to get rid of a nice warm black jumper that had a collar with a 6 black button fastening (that what is called?), so that when buttoned up it became a rolled up collar. I had it for aeons and was rather bored with it, but then I had an idea: went to my sewing kit box and looked at all the buttons I've rescued in the past and there was a nice set of 8 small, pretty mother-of-pearl buttons, of suitable size. So I replaced the 6 buttons on the jumper and hey presto, the jumper looked great!

    I cannot go through every single thing I do to renew my wardrobe, but the above gives an idea. I've learned now not to get bored with a garment that is still perfectly good - unless it is one of those real trendy stuff that has gone totally out of fashion, but then I don't buy many of those as they are a waste of money. A pair of nice classic trousers or jeans or a skirt and a top never go out of fashion.

    Lastly, what I am still doubtful about goes into the cupboard in a box, and what I definitely don't want goes to one of my local charity shops.

    :)
    Be careful who you open up to. Today it's ears, tomorrow it's mouth.
  • I taught myself to sew as a teenager, and 20 years on I have finally worked out what clothes suit me (shift dress, halter top, wide leg trousers). I make up these clothes in different fabrics (eBay) and colours: they look different every time, and always fit (unlike store-bought clothes)
    I stick to basics of brown and olive green (black drains me) and add a splash of brighter colour in necklace/scarf/cardie/tee shirt.
    If I buy clothes, its TKMaxx, Charity or Sales. I ONLY look at clothes in "my" colours ... frustrating if brown isn't in fashion (!) but it saves me buying clothes that are cheap but useless because they don't suit me.
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