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The
Clothing Chronicles ===================================================
In This Issue: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're into celebrity fashion, you might be interested in learning about some of the many celebrity endorsement and fashion design deals that have been happening in recent weeks. I've written about a few of them on my blog. http://www.fashionforrealwomen.com/blog I think one of the things that continues to strike me about these high-finance deals is that the people involved all tend to be red carpet favorites. Coincidence? Hardly! Re-read my article from a few weeks ago, "Are You Ready for the Red Carpets In Your Life?" to see why I say that: http://www.theclothingchronicles.com/archives/265-03022007.htm#Feature So what's on tap for today's article? A budget-friendly strategy for the upcoming social season. Enjoy!
Diana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fast Track to Success What if you could learn all the latest cutting-edge business techniques &ldots; during your morning workout? Or curl up with the latest business best seller and disseminate all the pertinent information ... while your coffee brewed? Sound impossible? It's not.
Discover the secret of some of the world's most effective leaders at Executive Summaries: http://www.dianaprefers.com/executive.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sly Strategy for the Social Season According to a recent article on WWD.com, consumers will spend $14.8 billion dollars world-wide on Easter clothes this year, an average of $135.07 per family. Getting that picture-perfect holiday isn't cheap; in fact, it's up 11% from last year. So what happens once the fashion show at church is over and the sugar high from all those jelly beans wears off? For many, those Easter dresses get pushed to the back of the closet, never to worn again. That's what used to happen to us when we were growing up. Everyone in the family would get new clothes and new shoes for the holiday. In fact, we tended to go the "special outfit" route a lot -- special outfits for special occasions like dates, parties, or speeches. Or weddings. Or funerals. Or graduations. In fact, we rarely went shopping for clothes; we went shopping for special outfits. Once the event was over, the outfit usually just hung in the closet as a reminder of what we'd worn when. New function? New outfit! Heaven forbid we should be seen in the same thing twice. Sound familiar? If so, I encourage you to put down those car keys and back away from them slowly and re-think that trip to the mall. There's an easier, less stressful, more cost-effective way to go about it. Let's face it: spending a lot on clothes you wear once doesn't make a lot of sense. If you spend the most on the clothes you wear the most and the least on the clothes you wear the least, you'll get a lot more value for your money. All it takes is a little planning. So pull out your calendar. If you're like most people, you probably have several social functions coming up over the next few months, like Easter Sunday dinner, Mother's Day brunch, graduations, bridal showers, weddings, and the like. Since the formality level for all of these is typically semi-formal or formal, you could potentially drop a lot of money buying new outfits for each occasion.
2. Change the look of the outfit each time you wear it by using different accessories or adding or subtracting a layer (like a jacket, sweater or shrug). 3. Relax and enjoy all the time and money you saved. Sound simple? It is. The key is in choosing a basic "vanilla" outfit that can serve as the backdrop for elegant accessories, eye-catching layers, or dramatic keepsakes brought back from distant travels. With just a little imagination, you can serve up a one-of-a-kind look for every function you attend using your existing pieces. It's kind of like the theory behind those "101 Ways to Serve Hamburger" recipe collections: take one basic ingredient and add different things to come up with a variety of satisfying entrees - or in this case, ensembles. The best place to start is in your own closet. Instead of rushing off to buy something new, take a little time to go through the special occasion apparel you already own. Then inventory your scarves, belts, necklaces, and other pieces you haven't worn in a while. See how you can put them together. Have a beautiful spring hat you haven't worn in a while? Pull it out and wear it. Have a dynamite pair of shoes you want to show off? Make them the focal point of your ensemble. Have a beautiful scarf that you've been dying to wear? Use it to dress up a basic piece and wait for the compliments to start rolling in. All it takes is a little imagination, as I said. So recycle those "special outfits" you once searched high and low for into a one-of-a-kind signature look. Not only will you stand out from the crowd, you'll be able to save mon.ey as well.
Happy Easter
and Happy Passover! ************** Until next time,
Diana Pemberton-Sikes
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