Go Ahead, Shoot Your Wad

Clothes Worth Splurging On  (7 Good Reasons to Spend)

You’ve been eyeing that emerald-green cashmere sweater at your neighborhood boutique for weeks.  You’ve created half a dozen outfits with it in your mind.  BUT — it’ll eat up half your season’s shopping budget.  Still, you can hardly resist the temptation.  Should you go for it?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you’ve found something worthy of your investment:

1)    You’ll wear it for years.  How do you know?  A classic style endures time, always looking fashionable.  Timeless pieces are not trends (trends come and go quickly), but you can wear them with trends.  A well-cut menswear-inspired trouser:  Classic.  Skinny jeans:  Not.  A hip-length, crew-neck cardigan:  Classic.  A peplum, shaped cardigan trimmed with oversized buttons:  Not.  (You get the picture.)

2)    The quality is impeccable.  When a garment is constructed well and made of high-quality fabric and trims, it’ll hold up over time.  Choose well and your clothing will serve you, without signs of wear, season after season.

3)    It fits like custom made. When a dress or suit hugs your curves where it should, and its length proportions mimic made-for-you-perfect, you’ve got a winner.  It doesn’t necessarily have to possess these qualities right off the rack, however.  Given the right potential, your local tailor can lend a garment this quality.  With everything else in order, ask your tailor if (s)he can make it  “just right.”

4)    You feel like a million bucks in it.  If you feel like a knock-out in it, it’s usually flattering.  How to tell for sure?  The jacket’s cut relates to your body’s silhouette; the sweater’s color enhances your features; and the dress’s fabric drapes your curves and supports your angles.

5)    It has loads of wardrobe companions.   You bring that chocolate brown skirt home and, in the first five minutes at your closet, you’ve mixed six different outfits with it.  (This usually happens when you’ve gotten into the habit of making purchase choices based on the points in #4, consistently.  Mixes and matches come easy.)

6)    The color flatters.  If, when you wear it, your eyes sparkle, your skin glows, and people ask what you’ve been doing lately to look so great, its worth it.  Every.  Penny.  You paid.

7)    You love it. Really, really love it.  If your purchase meets the above criterion, and you can’t imagine tiring of it, you’ve got the item that’s worthy of your hard-earned cash.  The investment return comes in your self-confident presence.  Rock it!

Patty Buccellato, is an image coach and founder of Refined Images. She brings extensive knowledge and expertise to her work with men and women individually, as well as with corporate employee groups. Patty established Refined Images in 1994, and while her studio is based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, you’ll find her serving clients throughout North America in their homes, offices — and, yes, even in shopping malls!   To get your FREE copy of Patty’s “How to Shop Like a Stylist,” visit www.RefinedImages.net or contact Patty.

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