Indianapolis Fashionistas, I’ve had family visiting this week, and part of our tasks was to go through old photos and decide what to keep, etc. It was fun! My mom had kept many letters from her first cousin from Newtown, Wales, and I will save all those. It was interesting. I wish we still wrote letters…I will write a note sometimes, but more often, I just text. I guess it’s just the way we live now. If you do write letter or notes, good for you!! You’re really leaving a legacy — especially if you save letters from other family or friends as my mom did.
Of course, being an Indianapolis Personal Stylist, I was intrigued by the clothes people were wearing. I also found some old photos of me, and well, I have to say, I was surprised at how bad I dressed. Really I did! My hair was never terrible; although I did not look good as a redhead. It was clear I didn’t know how to dress my shape, which could be difficult. In one pic, I had on a lime green sweater, very boxy; and then I wore it with print lime green pants. It wasn’t a good look. I have since learned I need to wear darker colors on the bottom and slim shapes, and on the top wear very open necklines and details to make my top look wider and draw the eye up.
Basically Mom’s pictures showed a young women who had some really beautiful clothes. I know she lived in Mishawaka and liked to shop in some of the stores there, but she had some beautifully cut dresses with belts, a camel-hair suit and some really cute plaid dresses with belts. I do love the look of a tailored suit. I am thinking of buying a window pane-print grey suit for winter. They do so much for your figure, and especially for my figure giving my shoulders and bust width and emphasizing my small waist. Here’s some vintage suits.
I think today people do not buy much good quality clothing. There is so much clothing out there…people buy it, wear it and toss it. That’s fine for some trendy items, but I really wish we’d go back to buying good quality clothing that lasts.
If you think you can’t ever afford it–consider this: you get what you pay for. This is especially true in coats and even jeans. Of course, I’ve mentioned the cost per wear…It’s the total cost of a garment, divided by the number of times you wear it in a year. You’d be amazed that clothes you think are expensive are really not expensive. They last longer–that’s an undisputed fact.
I have had clients who constantly buy cheap clothes, and I gently ask them to keep track of their purchases for a month. They are dismayed to find out how much they are really spending. Maybe you should try it, too.
Now, I am not saying a trendy, inexpensive item is never a good idea. Just don’t make it a habit for your entire wardrobe.
Keep it Sassy Indianapolis!
