6 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Wardrobe

As the recession rages forward you may think this is a good time to not focus on putting your best fashion foot forward. Not so. Listen, now is not the time to succumb to thinking “well its a recession who care what I look like. People who care about clothes and what you look like are so shallow.” Even in our challenging economic climate there are things you can do immediately to give your wardrobe an instant boost.

Boost #1– Maximize Your Current Wardrobe Look at your current wardrobe and find items you can wear several different ways. This may sound simple, but most people do not follow this simple step. Take you favorite shirt for example, challenge yourself to create different looks with it. Wear it alone with a shirt or slacks, or under a suit, and how about dressing up a pair of jeans. Get the point.

Boost #2– Don’t Buy Just Because its on Sale Just because an item is on sale, doesn’t mean you should buy it. There is nothing worse than clothes hanging in your closet with tags on them, because you have absolutely nothing to wear with it. This means often times, we must shop for ANOTHER piece to make it work. Thus, spending more money. Boost #3 – Be a Clever Shopper Spend your highest dollar amount on; your coat, shoes, and handbag. Everything else is negotiable. When entering a store, always shop the sale rack FIRST. If and only if I can’t find what I’m looking for on sale, do I bother searching the full-priced items. Knowing that the cute “full price” sweater you’ve been eye-balling is going the sale rack before you can blink an eye, stops 99.9% of my purchases on the full price rack.

Boost #4 -Quality Over Quantity Always, always, always, pay for quality over quantity. You come to appreciate this die hard fashion rule in a recession. Even with a tight budget, spend the extra $10-20 for a pair of good shoes, which will hold up and hold you over until the next pair.

Boost #5 – Take Care of Your Clothes Here’s a mental trick – treat all of your clothes like they are made of fine silk. You would never throw a silk blouse on the floor, ball it up and stuff it in a drawer or in the back of your closet. Another way to help your clothes go the distance is to read the care instructions on the label. They’re there for a reason.

Boost #6 -Find Your Style Your clothes always speak for you, when you don’t. Are they conveying the image and message of who you are? Find out what your style is, then stick with it. Women especially reach a point in their lives when Bebe no longer works. Trying to keep up with every fashion trend is downright silly. And even more so in a recession. Remember the 70/30 rule- 70 percent of your wardrobe should be classic styles and 30 percent should be trends. Trends come and go, but your wardrobe has to be designed to go the extra mile.