How do you like to dress? How must you dress for your job-casual, suits, scrubs? Depending on what you like to wear and what you must wear determines which department of the consignment shop that you head to first. To define your style, you need to consider at least five tips before you buy your next clothing and accessories purchases at your favorite resale shops. Consider the following:
1. What must you wear during the week? Even if you’re a tee shirt and jeans type of gal, but you work at a law firm Monday – Friday, you need to own seven to 10 power suits—or a mix and match of skirts, tops/blouses, and jackets-to get you through the work week.
On the other hand, you can add to your weekend and off-time wardrobe by picking up four to five pairs of jeans and five to six tees to mix and match on your off- time. And a scarf or a fancy necklace, and you’re set for a night on the town.
2. What is your color scheme? Remember Color Me Beautiful from the 1980’s? Well, the same principles apply; you just don’t need to be tied down to a specific season. To see which color schemes look good on you, grab different colored scarves and look in natural light to see which bring out the color of your eyes or make you look drained. That’s how you determine if cream or mahogany looks good against your skin.
Go through your basic colors of yellow, red, and blue. Then look at secondary colors, such as green, purple, and orange to see what color schemes you like and ones that work for your overall look. Next, look at what combinations of colors work against your face by studying your skin, hair, and eye colors. And don’t forget the other basic colors: white, black, and brown. Yet, a warning to the wise: Mixing and matching colors, fabrics, and lengths will spice up your look much better than sticking to one color scheme, such as brown, cream, and tan. Also, make sure your clothes fit. Most people don’t look good in clothes that are too tight or too loose. Be content with your body and wear clothes that complement you rather than curse you.
3. What is your body shape? Most people don’t like this part, whether they’re stick skinny or pear shape. But look in a full length mirror and access how wide your hips are compared to your waist and shoulders. Look at your front, side, and back profiles. Determine whether you’re a pear, an apple, inverse triangle, or straight. Then buy clothing that complements your best features (such as your bust and waist) while hiding your flaws.
4. Determine your body needs. Remember when bra sizing was all the rage on Oprah? Well, consider it again. A good fitting bra that complements your bust is better than one that hides your assets or lets them hang loose and low.
Also, think about how to flatten your tummy and lift your sagging bottom. No, I’m not talking about hard-core aerobics here. Just handy-dandy girdles, panties, and other slimming devices that women have used for time immemorial. They’re in vogue again and make you look better in your clothes.
5.Finally, consider your social life. If you go to a lot of business events after hours, you’ll need more business casual. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you can get away with more casual clothing-including summer skirts and sundresses. If you’re a guy who likes happy hours at your favorite sports bar every Friday, you know you can loosen your tie. But if you like to hit the gym, your loafers won’t do. So you need to consider your lifestyle, work habits, weekend habits, and all of your other social-related up-time and downtime before going shopping for your wardrobe.
Second-hand shopping is both fun and popular. No longer is it considered just for the poor. But men and women shop at consignment shops for power suits, jeans, tee shirts, and all kinds of clothing. Consider what you need and what looks good on you. Then hit your local resale shops to buy those new duds!