Sometimes, you feel like you just have to have something new to wear. Trust me, I understand the impulse. After months of cutting back on your clothing budget, there may come a time when you feel as if you don't have the appropriate attire for that important job interview, a summer wedding, or even that hot date.
Last week, I was able to sit down with Stacy London, co-host of TLC's "What Not To Wear." On the show, London trashes a person's entire wardrobe, then hands over a $5,000 debit card to replace it, assisting in their complete style makeover. I asked her (and a few other experts) what to do when the rest of us aren't as lucky:
-- Shop in your closet first. You'll be surprised by what's there, particularly if you didn't have time to do a good spring-cleaning this year. I like to pull everything out, spread it all on the bed or the carpet, and do a quick inventory. Trust me, there are pieces in there that you probably forgot about years ago. Some things may be out of fashion, and that's fine -- either donate them to a charity or put them in storage until they come back in style. (They almost always come back, so if they're expensive pieces in good shape, you want to hang on to them, says London.) Then work with what you have left to come up with new outfits that you wouldn't otherwise have thought of.
Note: When you put everything back, organize your closet so you can find things easily. That may mean grouping items by color or by style -- whatever works for you.
-- Find a good tailor. Everyone has items in their closet that no longer fit. Heck, most of us have things that didn't fit when we bought them, and we hoped we'd either lose the weight or make it work. Yet, after a few months or even years, the tags are still on. Take those items to the tailor immediately. To find one you can trust, ask around with friends, or start by taking something that's relatively simple, like a pair of jeans that need hemming. "Even if you're talking about your neighborhood cleaner and you want to test their tailoring skills, give them a pair of jeans and ask them to hem them identically to the hem they already have. If they can master that, they're going to be fine with a trouser," says London. But tailoring doesn't stop with a hem -- you can have sleeves shortened or taken in, revamp a suit, or refit the shoulder on a jacket. All of these tweaks make use of what you already own, and they're relatively inexpensive.