End-of-season sales are here. It’s your last chance to make savvy Summer wardrobe choices before Autumn collections hit stores. Over the years, I’ve made my fair share of fashion blunders by purchasing poorly during sale time. But I’ve learnt from my mistakes, and from my experience as a buyer and stylist. Here are some guidelines to help you shop effectively:

1. Shop with a plan. Make a list of what you need and then shop the sales to find them.
2. Spend more money on shoes and handbags. Accessories pack a lot of punch. They can make a $60 outfit look designer.
3. Black can be better. Items made of cheap fabrications often look better in darker colours (like black and brown) as opposed to brights like fuchsia, purple and apple green.
4. Don’t buy expensive trendy pieces. Go cheap on items that are fashion fads. They’ll start falling apart after a season, in time for you to update with what’s next.
5. Beware of outlet shopping. Their prices aren’t always cheaper than sale prices at department stores. Also, outlets carry last season’s merchandise (with the exception of The Rack). Don’t update your wardrobe with dated items.
6. Keep expectations low at thrift stores. Secondhand stores can be fashion goldmines if you’re patient. You’ll usually have the best luck when you least expect it, so go in with a low expectation. 
7. Shop as often as possible. Perusing stores without actually buying anything will educate you on what’s available. Most mainstream merchandise is marked down after 8 weeks. That way you can anticipate sales and score.
8. Don’t be seduced by low prices. A low price does not necessarily equal a good buy. Refrain from buying anything unless you love it and it matches what you have in your wardrobe. You need to be even more discerning when you shop the sales because return policies are stickier and inventory is more scarce. 
9. Consider full-price items. If you buy cheap items that you never wear, then all you did was waste your money. If you love an item because it makes you feel fabulous but it wasn’t on sale, buy it. It’ll end up becoming a bargain because you wore it constantly and the cost-per-wear will whittle down to nothing.
10. Never shop when you’re hungry or tired. You’ll end up loosing focus and making bad decisions.

Everybody loves a bargain, but don’t feel that you need to get everything on sale. You’re worth full price.

Spring 2007 promised us an explosion of bright colours. While we’ve seen smatterings of yellow, cobalt, coral and green clothing, there’s still a fortune of black, white, brown and beige around. A substantial part of the colour for Spring in American retail stores is represented by accessories rather than clothing.

As a lover of bright colours, I’ve felt a dash disappointed. After two back-to-back strong Black & White seasons (Spring and Winter 2006), my clients and I have been champing at the bit for anything that’s not a neutral. US retailers J. Crew and Macy’s have been colour leaders this season along with Spanish stores Zara and Mango; but I still feel that Spring could have been more colourful.

I spoke to a few major chain stores about my disappointment. Their feedback was unanimous: American retailers have often “overdone” bright clothing in the past and reams of rainbow coloured items have found themselves on markdown rails as the result of poor sales. So fashion buyers are cautious this time around. Still, the likes of Ann Taylor, The Loft,  Nordstrom, The Gap, Banana Republic, The Limited and Express reassured me that brights like red, turquoise, yellow, blue, green and pink would surface in May.

Part of my shopping faith was restored at Express yesterday as rails of brightly coloured walk shorts, blousy tops and camisoles were being unpacked.  Hold on to your fashion dollars for a week or two if it’s colours that you’re after. Brights are on the way in May.

There are timeless and of-the-moment items that are always good investments. You’ll be able to adapt the following items stylishly into your wardrobe regardless of your age, body type and fashion persona.

• tailored single-breasted knee length woolen coat
• trench coat
• structured black jacket
• crisp white collared shirt
• a little black dress
• a pair of perfectly fitting dark jeans 
• animal printed accessories (shoes, bags and scarves)
• a pair of black pumps or sling-backs 
• ballet flats 
• flat thong sandals 
• a classic designer handbag

The best wardrobes are built over time, so don’t feel rushed to acquire these items if don’t already have them. Make your selections carefully and you’ll enjoy them for a very long time.

Ballet flats by Giuseppe Zanotti (Zappos.com) and animal printed clutch by Alfani (Macy’s).

Most retailers went on sale the day after Christmas. With Autumn and Winter collections reduced by at least 50%, this can be a good opportunity to buy what you missed during the season. However, do not be seduced by fads at bargain prices that only have a couple of months of fashion life left in them. I like to shop for items that I can fashionably wear into Spring or next winter.

High ROI (return on investment) purchases you should consider:

• Tailored coat in a basic colour
• Tailored black jacket
• White collared shirts, romantic ruffle blouses, voluminous blouses and tunics
• Cigarette pants
• Black or black pinstripe suits
• Cocktail wear – especially little black dresses
• Ballet flats and wedge shoes
• Evening clutch bag
• Animal printed and metallic accessories

Low ROI purchases you should leave behind:

• Bubble skirts
• Leggings
• Tartan and hounds tooth jackets/coats

Think twice about:

• Red items – while red will not feature as a fashion colour for Spring 2007, it’s still an excellent basic colour to have in your wardrobe. Red is like black, white, cream, grey and tan. This is completely your call. 
• Black items – while black will always be fashionable to wear, it is not a fashion colour for Spring. Don’t duplicate black items in your closet just because they’re on sale – beware the black rut. 

Remember to shop with a plan and to leave the items that do not absolutely work for you behind. Have fun finding great bargains!

It’s important for the largest part of your wardrobe and seasonal fashion budget to reflect the dominant seasons where you live.

Examples from the three corners of the USA: 

• Hot Florida – Spring/Summer collections will dominate
• Cool Seattle – Autumn/Winter collections will dominate
• Extreme New York – you’ll spread your budget equally over both collections since it can get as hot as it can cold.

This year I made the mistake of going overboard on the great sleeveless styles that were so popular in the summer collections. Living in cool Seattle, I ended up wearing them once or twice before they were banished to the back of my wardrobe. And if you live in a predominantly warm climate – an assortment of coats is futile despite how much you love to wear them.

Of course, if you are a frequent traveler this will also affect your budget allocation. Do a quick assessment of your wardrobe – does it reflect your climatic demands? Are you allocating your budget effectively?

We’ve all been caught with nothing to wear at some point or another. It’s immensely frustrating to be rushing around at the last minute trying to piece together an outfit for a fabulous bash. The simple solution is to keep a few fairly classic dressy basics in your wardrobe. That way you’ll be spared from disappointing shopping sprees, and prepared for last-minute invitations. 

Dressy basics to keep on hand:

• Little cocktail dress which doesn’t need to be black.
• Beaded top that you can wear with slacks, a skirt or a suit.
• Dressy pants in either satin, crepe or velvet.
• Dressy skirt that’s preferably a-line and knee length for maximum versatility, in either taffeta or raw silk.
• Dressy shoes in mule, sandal or sling-back.
• Perfect clutch that’s small and says something about your personality.
• Dressy wrap that’s a similar fabric weight to the dress or top it will accompany.

The next time you shop and fall in love with dressy items that you think you won’t need – think again.  Build a capsule of dressy items over time and don’t get caught! This can be cost effective, organized and less stressful in the long run.

Grace Kelly-inspired little black dress and fancy satin sling-backs from Bloomingdales.

Gold clutch from Nordstrom.

Gap Inc. recently started it’s forth chain store – “Forth & Towne”. It’s been open for about a year in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, New York and Chicago, and has recently opened its doors in Atlanta and Seattle. I went to have a look.

Forth & Towne was created to capture a slice of the market that Gap Inc wasn’t reaching – women over the age of 35. Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic (Gap Inc.’s first 3 chain stores) capture a substantial amount of the younger market, while the so called “older women” (who generally have more disposable income) were left untapped. And so, Forth & Towne was created with the intent of luring this demographic.

Staff were friendly and informative. They explained to me that the name of the new chain store has a story: “Forth” to denote that it’s Gap’s fourth chain store (with an intentional play on the spelling of the word); and “Towne” to denote the notion that shopping is a social and urban phenomenon. The name actually sounds like a meeting destination – “I’ll meet you at “Forth & Towne”, rather like saying “I’ll meet you at 6th and Pine”.

The store offers chic apparel collections for 4 lifestyles: casual, smart casual, business casual and formal.  Sizes are based on the curvier women and run from 2-20 (with shorter lengths available in pants). Prices are set between Gap and Banana Republic, and the quality is lovely.  The store was designed with the notion that shopping can be transformed into a pleasurable communal experience. Comfy chairs and a style table laid out with fashion magazines, flowers and bottled water occupy the heart of the dressing room area. Forth & Towne will give chain stores like Coldwater Creek, J Jill, Eileen Fisher and Chico’s a run for their money. The clothing is generally more sophisticated, tailored, flattering and less expensive.

The concept of the new store is interesting. The over 35 year age group is diverse – from people like Sarah Jessica Parker and Nicole Kidman, to Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey. And whether this target market actually chooses to linger on in the store remains to be seen. However, it’s always worth taking a look at something new – if you feel that you fit the demographic, have a peek.

The first Forth & Towne store in New York state.

It’s easy to get caught up in the illusion that with a full closet, we have a wardrobe that is brimming with possibilities. However, most closets are stuffed with items that you don’t need, shouldn’t be wearing, or don’t even get around to wearing. The objective is to create a wardrobe that is fluid and consists of pieces that are easy to combine. This does not just refer to clothing, but to shoes and accessories as well.

The first step to creating a wardrobe that works for you is to prune what you already have. You’ll need to re-evaluate your existing wardrobe one piece at a time. Be ruthless when you prune, because ultimately every stitch in your wardrobe should be flattering to your body and suit your lifestyle.

Ask yourself the following questions as you tackle each item:

• Is this flattering for my body type?
• Is it the correct size? (Remember to dress for the body that you’re in today)
• Is alteration worth considering?
• Is the garment outdated?
• Is the piece still in good condition?
• Is the colour right?
• Is the pattern right?
• Why do I never wear this item?
• Is the garment comfortable? (If it looks good but feels awful – get rid of it.)
• How many pairs of black pants, white collared shirts, black T’s and white T’s can I have? (You may find that you have many of each but none are perfect – weed them out.)
• Have I outgrown this look?
• Is the piece ”me”? (Everything is right about the garment but you feel that it’s just not right for you, which is why you don’t wear it – pass it on.)
• Is this item style-enhancing?

Ideally, your wardrobe should consist of only the cherries. If you don’t love everything in your closet, re-evaluate it before you contemplate any more purchases. Pruning should happen at least twice a year. After years of doing this, I still regard cleaning out my closet to be an act of liberation!

We have babies, gain or lose weight and get older. All of these things cause our body to change. When our body changes, we either need new clothes or we need to alter the clothes that we have.

What do you do about your new clothing requirement when your body transforms? Do you hold off shopping while you loose the 30 pounds your dietician recommended? Do you wait 6-12 months to get your body back after pregnancy? The answer to these questions is “no”.

Dress for the body that you’re in today.

Shopping for clothing and accessories is one of those rare opportunities in life where a quick fix can have long term effects. The gratification is instant, and the positive reinforcement will help you to avoid internalizing bad feelings about your body.

It’s never a good idea to wait for what may, or may not change about your body in the future. You are perfect right now – go shopping!

Don’t obsess over the number on the size tag. Rather obsess about the fit and length of your clothes.

• Stylish people wear clothes that fit them perfectly. This doesn’t mean that they have perfect bodies – it means that they have good tailors.
• Size specifications are different for each brand. Clothing sizes in different stores (and even different departments within the same store) are not created equally. You will need to experiment to find the correct sizes that fit you in different stores.
• The fit is different for each brand. Different brands target different body shapes. A certain size in one store might fit you perfectly, whereas the same size in another store just doesn’t look right. Again, you need to experiment to find the stores that work for you.

So it’s common to have at least 3 different sizes hanging in your closet. Forget about the size number and shop for clothing that fits you correctly. The point is not whether you are a size 4, 12 or 18 – the point is that you look fabulous in your clothes!