Workin' the Wardrobe

After the first, rather serious installment of my New Year's resolution mini-series, I decided to brighten things up with a funner topic--why, it's fashion, of course!

Following up on my last post on discretionary spending, many women (including myself) devote a sizable portion of discretionary spending to clothing and accessories. One way to reduce that discretionary spending is to work with what you already have. I know, I know, you have nothing to wear. But think about this: the longer clothes sit in the closet unworn, the less likely they'll ever be worn, and the more likely you'll run out and buy new stuff.

A new strategy and/or fresh pair of eyes might turn the tide in your favor:

1) Think about what's old and what's new in your closet. Mix the old with the new and see what happens. You never know--since "old is the new new" (think "vintage"), some things in your closet might be so old that it's back in style. You'll see what I mean at a later date;

2) Think about how you've worn your old clothes in the past. Did you always wear that top with jeans and the same shoes? Did you always wear the same colors together? Keep those in mind and see what new combinations you can come up with. Sometimes switching accessories in or out of the recurring outfits can make a huge difference. Likewise with changing color combinations;

3) Get a friend to help you out. You may have seen your old clothes one too many times and became too bored out of your mind to see any conceivable possibilities, but a friend might be able to come up with new outfits. If that friend has a different style than yours, he/she might think of combinations that you would never have considered on your own. Better yet, if your friend knows you really well, he/she will know what works for you and what won't. I was supposed to show up to my friend's New Year's Eve party a couple of hours earlier in order to help the Hostess with the Mostest assess her wardrobe. Unfortuately, an unexpected road closure killed those plans. Still, we intend to do this in the near future. It's going to be fun playing stylist!

The next couple of posts will feature the results of my experiments with particularly problematic pieces. Stay tuned!