Delayed gratification: Be a smarter shopper

[fashionista-ta]

^ No, I don't mean wear that one great outfit every day

The one great outfit each season is to serve you on all those occasions where you would otherwise ask, "What am I going to wear?!?!" In my case this season I have two variations on the outfit (the blouse is the key piece) where I vary the bottom half and the shoes to dress it up or down. In a given week I might not wear it at all, or I might wear it both during the week and on the weekend with different people. Other days I wear stuff I already had in my wardrobe from previous seasons

 

[arlekindearrabal]

I only buy things on sale. Also, I never impulse buy: I always go into a store (online or otherwise) with a particular garment in mind (like a brown casual jacket or a shiny black pair of pants) and look for something that fits my ideal.

i do kind of the same thing... and i agree with you spinster... when you have less, but more significant/standout pieces to work with, it kind of 'forces' you to be more creative with your sytiling... i always get compliments on it, so i think i'm doing something right

 

[Kurogoma]

Thanks fashionista, for the clarification!

That makes more sense to me... I already bought a cashmere cardigan which could be a bit of a key piece for me this fall.

I guess it is smart to choose a top/ blouse as the key piece bc usually that attracts more attention than bottoms (which you don't usually see the whole time, e.g. when sitting in a restaurant) or a coat (which you will take off inside).

 

[kimair]

i've become a much better shopper since joining tFS...

some rules that i follow...

• be honest about your style and your physical shape...some things just don't work on me...the sienna miller-esque "boho" look is an example...BUT...
• be open minded to trying new things, so you don't get stuck in a rut
• check out the runway shows as soon as they happen and get on the list for key pieces...as softie said, sometimes it's worth it to buy full price to get something you really want and not be kicking yourself later...(but check ebay!)
• keep some kind of inspiration board...i keep a scrapbook for every season (ex. s/s 2006)
• utilize SAs...i have SAs at stores from club monaco to marc jacobs...they let me know when new stuff is coming in, or when things are going to be marked down...
• carry a notebook around with you...i have a small spiral notebook (looks like a reporters book) that i carry around...if i'm out and i see something i'm on the fence about, i can write down when/where i saw it, and think about it (or call them and have them hold it)

 

[emma peel]

this thread inspired me to take back two things from h&m (well, they didn't fit anyways!!) to save for the roger vivier pumps and see by chloe jacket i want that i know i'll wear forever and will be good work to evening items-- which is a very new york problem as i never seem to go home between things.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Thanks fashionista, for the clarification!

That makes more sense to me... I already bought a cashmere cardigan which could be a bit of a key piece for me this fall.

I guess it is smart to choose a top/ blouse as the key piece bc usually that attracts more attention than bottoms (which you don't usually see the whole time, e.g. when sitting in a restaurant) or a coat (which you will take off inside).

I think this is actually the first time I've had a blouse as a key piece, but it has worked out well. Last season it was a jacket. When I was younger, it was usually a skirt. In fact, I'm wearing last spring's key piece today, and it was a skirt.

I agree with you about coats ... granted, I live in a warm climate, but I find the "statement" coat a difficult concept. I think it just doesn't work here

 

[unplugged66]

I need to start saving up and spending less. I did alot of impulse buying this summer. Which I ended up spending well over what I ever wanted to, and it wasn't on anything great. Which really upsets me. I need to step away from Diesel clothing. I have way too many t-shirts and jeans.

This Fall I'm only going to start buying clothes end of September. I know exactly what I want. I also want to invest in high end quality pieces, rather than $80 T-shirts. What I like to do is go around the internet and get some inspiration, usualy misshapes.com and luisaviaroma.com. Then I set an idea of what I want this season. My motto for shopping is: quality over quantity. I need to keep away from accessories, I've bought way too many necklaces, leather goods and things I just dont need.

 

[pucci_mama]

I feel I tend to buy things I already have... but I keep telling myself that I know these things 'work' for me and that i will use it... but i just end up not having a lot of variation in my wardrobe.

 

[twilight fairy]

^ I have the same problem, pucci. And my colour variation does not really go over the rainbow..too much grey and black.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I feel I tend to buy things I already have... but I keep telling myself that I know these things 'work' for me and that i will use it... but i just end up not having a lot of variation in my wardrobe.

That is absolutely what I would do if I didn't have a plan ... that and the occasional statement piece that catches my eye. I wear way less black than I used to now ... and no more questions from people about my mental state This one woman at work used to ask me, Are you OK?? You're always wearing black ...

 

[pucci_mama]

Well, i think in london it's more accepted to wear black, i have never got any questions about wearing head-to-toe black.. I blame it on the weather..

I try to plan the seasons wardrobe, I have to since I'm a student i can't really afford to splurge as i like.. but it's hard not to go with something..black.. I don't like colours, but at the same time i sometimes feel my wardrobe is standing still.

argh..

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I'm in the South ... black is more unusual here ...

 

[shadow]

MY ADVICE IS QUITE THE OPPOSITE FROM OTHER TFS'ers, but it works for me.

I have a very reduced wardrobe but everything works. I prefer quality over quantity anytime. This is what I do:

I buy the current fashion only if I like it. (So this year no tweed/tartan/gold/leopard for me). I can easily go for months without buying anything.

I almost always buy retail, because the nicest things get sold first inevitably and I can never find anything really gorgeous during the sales.

I ALWAYS impulse-buy if any item literally bowls me over, because I know it will disappear and I will always regret it. But hardly anything really makes me so excited nowadays, or if it does it is unaffordable...

Something nobody has mentioned: I take great care of my existing clothes and shoes, since they are the foundation upon which I shall add up new pieces. Three years ago I bought two pairs of patent leather boots in different colours (impulse buy ) and they are still perfect this winter, so I don't need any other shoes. I keep them in shoe-trees.

 

[laika]

I ALWAYS impulse-buy if any item literally bowls me over, because I know it will disappear and I will always regret it. quote]

I completely relate to this. It reminds me of something I read in a "A Guide to Elegance"--very old fashioned little book, but I loved this one bit.

She says, "personal experience has taught me that love at first sight is usually more succesful than a marriage of reason. At any rate, each time I have bought something because it was a sensible purchase, I have worn it very little; whereas my irregular impulses, which seemed sheer folly at the time, have usually been amortized very rapidly."

Nearly everything in my wardrobe that I really love has been acquired this way....

 

[Thessaly]

I almost always buy retail, because the nicest things get sold first inevitably and I can never find anything really gorgeous during the sales.

I ALWAYS impulse-buy if any item literally bowls me over, because I know it will disappear and I will always regret it.

Agreed! I learned my lesson when I passed on buying the perfect pair of black patent pumps by Charles Jourdan in the hopes that they would be included in the sales, only to find that they sold out of the shoes and the company went out of business the next year.

When I shop nowadays, I have items sent to my home and I try them on in my closet, where I'm surrounded by clothes and accessories I already own. I've also started having some key pieces (suiting, mostly) tailored specifically for me, so whilst my jacket may not have a designer label inside, it does fit me like a dream and is made to my specifications. If I have to buy anything off the rack, I look for natural fabrics first and make a committment to have them cleaned professionally so they last longer.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I don't think any of us planning advocates are saying that you should buy boring stuff or not buy something great when you're out shopping and see it (isn't that the point of shopping?) To me, the advantage of planning is

• I have a framework where everything fits
• I always have something to wear
• I don't keep buying the same thing/get stuck in a rut
• I buy the stuff I really "need" and don't buy stuff I don't need

But hey, if all that happens for you automagically, more power to you

 

[laika]

I don't think any of us planning advocates are saying that you should buy boring stuff or not buy something great when you're out shopping and see it (isn't that the point of shopping?) To me, the advantage of planning is

• I have a framework where everything fits
• I always have something to wear
• I don't keep buying the same thing/get stuck in a rut
• I buy the stuff I really "need" and don't buy stuff I don't need

But hey, if all that happens for you automagically, more power to you

I think your plan (from page one of this thread) sounds great! I must confess that although I have many things that I love, I also have a rather lopsided wardrobe. I don't think I could be as disciplined as you, but it certainly inspires me to come up with my own planning scheme....(puts thinking cap on.....)

"automagically" i love it.

 

[pucci_mama]

Now that the sales are starting, how do you still keep focus and not end up buying somthing that is too trendy?

Also I believe there are certain guidelines one should follow to be a smarter shopper:

* Do I really need it?
* Will it 'add' to my wardrobe, meaning-- give it something fresh, something you don't have.
* How many times will I wear it?
* Is it to seasonal?

 

[Beautiful Stranger]

I try not to follow too many rules, and really, the "Do i really need this?"-rule is not working. This is thefashionspot, everyone could live with a 1/3 of all their clothes.

When i buy something, i always try to figure out five outfits i can wear it in.

Going shopping for shoes, i always wear skintight drainpipes, if it work's with the skinnyjeans, it works almost always with looser jeans.

Going shopping for jeans/pants, i always wear looser jeans/pants. Some jeans is VERY hard to get "out" of when they are tapered at the leg (once i tried a pair of very very tapered jeans in a store and i couldn't get out of them. Took me almost 10-15 minutes before i finally made it. Soo embarrasing)

I always make a list before going on a sale of things i want/need and look for it. I also try to set an amount of money which is the most i can buy for.

Shopping on ebay, i always set a maximumbid and do not cross this.

 

[spinster]

Not to knock Forever 21 and H&M because a lot of the time, I think they're godsends, but if I see something I want to buy, I think, "is F21 going to copy this and sell it for a fraction of the price next month?" I can't tell you how many times this thought has prevented me from buying something. This is all motivated by the fact that I hate showing up somewhere (even on the train) and seeing someone else wearing the same thing. Last year, I bought a Marc by Marc Jacobs coat for way too much money than I am willing to admit. A few months later, F21 and an near-exact copy of it. I think my snobiness is the best tool to shop smarter.