Organize your Style

The foundation to extraordinary budget style is organization:

The key to successfully navigating any fashion season is planning. Just as the designers and department stores plan their purchases and select their collections for upcoming seasons, so should you.

We should all know the feeling of being able to step into our closet for any last minute event and pull out a tried and true basic that makes us look trendy, polished and at the same time comfortable. You should never be digging through drawers and rummaging through hangers to figure out if you have something appropriate to wear. Inevitably this ends up being the cause of last minute purchases, needless expenditures of money and finally purchasing another one time use piece of clothing, obstructing future true success in your closet.

Culling the closet:

We’ve all had the thought… “I wish I could just throw out everything in my closet and have ten basic pieces that I looked great in”. In actuality, this is what we should be doing on a season to season basis.

Look at your wardrobe carefully. Set aside foundation, or layering pieces that can transition to your upcoming season and save you a little money.

Next, pull out the trendy, one season items we all end up with and pack them off to your local consignment store. Consignment is a great way to ensure your closet stays streamlined, pertinent and might even make you a little cash to invest in pieces that you’ll wear weekly instead of once a awhile. If you don’t have a consignment store in your local area, find a local donation site or women’s shelter to send your unused items to. They key here is to not collect old clothing items in your home for a future yard sale, goal body weight or that just in case moment. Those items always get shuffled back into your closet and eventually destroy the improvements you’ve made.

Finally, look at your jackets, jeans, dresses and T-shirts. Remove everything that’s faded, ill fitting or in need of repairs that will never happen. If you have two, keep the one that would make you look good on a bad hair day and get rid of the other one.

You must be brutal with yourself and your emotions in this culling process. The future freedom and daily confidence that accompanies your final product is worth the momentary fear that comes with releasing an ineffective security blanket.

Plan, Project and Plot your upcoming season:

Now that you’ve cleared your space of distracting and unused pieces, evaluate what items you have left. Next, think through your upcoming season for occasions and events that you know you’ll be attending. Finally, take stock of what styles you already have and won’t need to repeat purchase, then pick up one or two of your favorite fashion mags, a cup of coffee and settle in for some study time. Peruse the periodicals for specific looks that repeatedly stand out to you. Is it knee high leather boots and over sized sweaters or short cropped jackets paired with both dresses and tees? These are the items to remember. The main idea is to look through the designer labels for ideas that you can take with you and recreate on a budget.

Make a shopping list divided into three sections: Foundation basics, wardrobe workhorses and trendy style items to give you a fashionable pop for the season. Now set your seasons budget and stick to it! The general clothing budget rule of thumb is 50% on your primary day to day wardrobe pieces, 30% on staples and layering items and 20% on trendy or one season items that add pizzazz but don’t usually carry over to the next year. Compare your wish list to your culled closet. If you have all skinny jeans and would like to see some straight legs, add a pair to your shopping list.

Make sure every choice can double with something else to serve more than one purpose. Could that perfect LBD (little black dress) be layered with a floral blouse, tights and boots then later emphasized with chunky jewelry and heels for a whole different look?

Power in the planned purchase:

Throughout the year always be looking for creative ways you can save money in style. Always, look and sign up for email coupons and newsletters announcing sales at your favorite stores. Some department (Nordstrom for example) and boutique stores offer fashion rewards programs that pay you money back from current purchases to apply towards future purchases in their store. These are great because they require little or no effort on your part to reap the benefits.

Don’t overlook the many consignment, vintage and thrift store options around you too. Many pieces found there turn out to be our one of a kind, coveted by your friends, pieces that you’ll never give up. Recently, I have found great online sites like www.rehashclothes.com. These are online trade communities that highlight hundreds of people wanting to trade current, fashionable clothing pieces from their closet for something they need out of yours. Not only are these websites fun to browse, they’re eco-friendly and the ultimate in cost conscience buying. 

Finally, each season, plan to stock up on wardrobe staples when they go on clearance. One rule of thumb to follow for clearance items though, is if you wouldn’t pay full price for that item, walk away from it on sale. These are the items that end up being the useless clutter in our closets. The money you save by making planned, impulse free shopping purchases will allow you to eventually buy those drool-worthy pieces you’ll keep for a lifetime.