<p>The thread on “What to wear to a summer backyard reception?” made me wonder:</p>
<p>Do you try to have something in your closet for every sort of occasion you can imagine, or do you wait till an event comes up and then shop for it?</p>
<p>Do you shop just a few times a year, for the upcoming season, or do you shop throughout the year?</p>
<p>Is there an overall plan to your shopping? Do you imagine yourself building a wardrobe where eventually all you need to do is replace worn out garments? Or do you want a new look pretty frequently?</p>
<p>Personally, I make spread sheets twice a year. However, I probably invest a lot more time pondering these questions than most would find appropriate. </p>
<p>I shop for events. For regular life I find something I like and buy lots of them, in multiple colors and sometimes sizes. For example my dark “work jeans” from WH/BM…I have like 6 pair. When the t-shirt I liked at the Gap went on sale I bought 8 or 9 including two in navy and two in black. When I like it, I want them around for a long time. </p>
<p>95% of what I wear is either “around town” or work. For work, I try to buy things that can be dressed up or down. I have a lot of very basic slacks, skirts and cardigans. I do like quirky things so try to play up with blouses, belts, and shoes. Around town I am very much a jeans type but also have a few fun pants. I absolutely loathe shopping and do whatever I can to shop on-line. Maybe twice a year I will hit the mall to try to find some unique things but I can only last 2 hours at most. When my one D is here we will go to the mall, as she is a shopaholic, but she can tell when it’s time to leave by the glaze in my eyes. I do have a few special occasion or evening-out-with-my-husband kind of things, but for the most part I will shop if a wedding or party comes up. For the most part we are very casual and in our area, pretty much anything is acceptable for going out. I admire you, but would never myself take the time to make a spread sheet- I pretty much build with basics and then just add fun pieces to spice it up.</p>
<p>Like Takeitallin I also like unique accessories. I love beaded necklaces, earrings and interesting belts. Otherwise I am what my bff says is a “targeted sopper” I go in looking for jeans and I try on 50 jeans all over the mall and nothing else. I am not a casual shopper. </p>
<p>Shop for events and then otherwise, refresh for each season. I love shopping but stick to just a few stores or websites. Avoid big department stores. </p>
<p>I have been on a diet for 3 years, which is about how long I have been financially responsible for my own clothing, so realistically I wear clothes that are too big and shop for an outfit or two at a time when there is an event where looking like a clown might be inappropriate. The first year I was on the diet I think I spent $2,000 on kohls quality clothing because I kept losing weight as soon as I bought a whole new wardrobe, which I could not afford to continue doing! </p>
<p>Now that I am approaching goal weight, my ideal closet would have a lot of basic, timeless favorites. My style has always been timeless. I do not like to shop unless everything I have to wear is worn out or doesn’t fit, I don’t like to dress trendy or spend money on clothes, so I would rather have beautiful classic clothing that I can wear for years and replace as needed. About once per season, or perhaps every other depending, I will prune out worn out items and buy a couple new ones as needed. I do love clothes and am learning to love shopping, but that’s just it-- I like my clothes so much, I don’t want to keep changing them out for new ones. Creature of habit!</p>
<p>I look online, but realistically all my clothes come from actual mall trips. I’m short waisted and big busted, and now quite slender to boot, so fitting is impossible. Im very hourglass shaped so I need a fitted waist, but my waist is so short that the waists on many shirts and dresses are in the wrong place. For a while most of my body was a misses dept Medium while my chest was still plus sized. I was terrified I’d have to start buying plus sized clothes and having them all tailored to fit my size 8 waist, but I seem to be doing okay still with finding clothes if I am willing to work at it. But that makes shopping online no fun! </p>
<p>I shop twice a year for my regular wardrobe, in spring and fall. Often I will also buy several out of season on sale pieces at the same time. If I have a special event where I need a new dress obviously, I shop. But I always look in my closet to see if I already have something appropriate. For instance, I have a Sunday, noontime wedding at the end of April. It could be cold and snowing, 80 degrees or something in between. I’ve decided not to buy anything because too hard to know in advance what kind of day it will be. So I shopped my closet and decided on a sleeveless Nicole Miller periwinkle blue dress with ruching at the waist and V in front and back, black patent strappy heels and a black pashmina. If it’s very warm I have a lovely pretty watered silk irregular hem length dress with an underdress that also has an irregular hemline. I wore it to a wedding last summer on a 95 degree day. </p>
<p>I shop basically at two boutiques and Saks. </p>
<p>Ever since it became possible to buy lingerie on-line, I avoid the mall as much as possible and only go if someone needs my company. Or my charge card. : ) I used to love Department Stores, but even the best these days seem such a sad approximation of what they were in my youth. It makes me feel old and cranky and depressed.</p>
<p>Like emilybee, I used to have a couple of favorite boutiques and the owners did special orders for me. They didn’t survive 2008. Now I get the upcoming season look book and swatches and order directly from my favorite small company. I’m down to one clothing supplier and one on-line shoe store. This makes my life simpler in a lot of ways. I like a whole lot of consistency.</p>
<p>Instead of jeans or pants I wear casual dresses. I am short. Pants are difficult to fit. Dresses are easy. That is why I prefer them for myself. My goal is not to have to buy something when an invitation arrives. I want to be like emilybee and shop my closet. I have fewer clothes at the moment than I probably ever had in my life, but I believe I have something for any occasion.</p>
<p>I don’t have anything to wear snow skiing, but that is not my sport. I have something to wear in the lodge. However, I don’t anticipate being in the mountains in winter any time in the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>I’m a big believer in trying on 20 or so bras before deciding. IME, a good bra can make all the difference.</p>
<p>Im my old life, I had to dress for work. Only was my last job truly business casual, and that was when I was working for a fashion/design company, so I still had to look sharp. My best shopping was at the Talbot’s Clearance Center, where I could sometimes get a $1,000 worth of clothes (at regular prices) for $100 or $150. I also got some extraordinary deals with my employee discount from my company – like, an $900 belt for $75!!</p>
<p>Nowadays, I work in my PJs or crummy jeans, so I don’t do much shopping at all. Lands’ End for T-shirts and shorts. Jeans are an all-day-at-the-mall affair.</p>
<p>Whenever we go somewhere, it seems to be black jeans, a black top, and either a necklace or a scarf. I’m boring.</p>
<p>Ha ha-you guys would just cringe at MY shopping habits! I wear mostly clothes from the higher-end stores such as Nordstroms, but I get most of it at Goodwill. We supposedly have the largest on in the US and whether or not that’s true, I always find treasures there. Today my light sweater is a Jones New York, my “work jeans” from one of Macy’s in-house lines and my shoes, Softwalk. If I’d paid pull price I’d be approaching $300, No thanks.</p>
<p>I shop when I need something and I love sorting through racks finding exactly what I want. If I HAVE to go to a full-price store, I try and stick to the sales, and do like Khol’s. I don’t shop “seasons” or trends, I just buy what I like. I love dresses but I find them restrictive and not very practical, so I rarely wear them, even though I am short. </p>
<p>My current favorite things to wear are “boyfriend jeans” from Old Navy by way of Goodwill, and a variety of cotton tops from several “name” stores, also from Goodwill. I get my lingerie from the outlet mall and stick with one style until they stop making it once I find something I like. </p>
<p>I buy bulks of clothing at the change of seasons (i.e. early August, November, and late April). I look forward to having some new clothes to look forward to. When I’m not bulk buying for certain looks for the season, I will buy basics such as v-necks, tank tops, jeans, jackets/cardigans/outerwear, and lounge wear. The basics are replaced if need be while the seasonal clothes are more in style and for seasonal looks.</p>
<p>I buy for events, as well. If I’m going out for the night, I will buy an outfit for the night. If I’m going to a formal party or special church service, I will buy an outfit for that. Pretty much, I’m constantly buying clothes. I have too many. I clean out my closet bi-annually and donate what I don’t want. </p>
<p>I don’t see myself building a wardrobe where I’ll be only replacing items. I like a variety. </p>
<p>I’m just not that into clothes. My work outfit is jeans, cords or when I’m dressed up black pants. I tend to wear either a simple t with a blazer or a nice sweater. My contractor told me I looked dressed up when I wore a Liberty cotton blouse! I go to a few gala sort of parties every year - weddings, graduation hooplas for my husband’s students, etc. when I think I’ve worn my nice dresses enough I go get new ones. I’ll probably wear the same Modcloth dresses to dh’s reunion that I wore to mine. I’ve been known to buy things at Goodwill. We also have a designer clothes outlet that I check out occasionally. I actually don’t love shopping on line though I do more and more of it. The last shopping I did was to buy several sweaters on deep discount at Lord and Taylor’s while looking for birthday presents for my husband. The time before was a wedding outfit which I did via Nordstrom’s online - free returns - yay! One dress fit perfectly, the other not at all.</p>
<p>sseamom- I actually LOVE thrift stores even though I hate malls. I have made some great finds in thrift stores., including designer clothes and handmade sweaters. My problem is that I tend to pick up things I don’t really need, or find furniture that with a creative coat of paint could become a conversation piece. I have to really reign myself in when it comes to thrift stores. We don’t have any great ones right near us so every once in a while I make a special trip to a few known ones in the area. My SonIL’s family actually owns a very large one about 20 minutes away and it’s always fun to go browse there and visit. </p>
<p>I went to a high school with a uniform, and I still–a million years later–pretty much wear a uniform. I wear black pants and a long-sleeved lightweight wool shirt and a sweater in the winter; black capris, t-shirt in the summer. It makes it easy to shop the sales.</p>
<p>I do have a wardrobe of “athletic shoes”. Which ones I wear depend on exactly what I’m doing, I pay full price for them, and I’m VERY picky. I do have one pair of “dress shoes”–purple suede boots–and a pair of dressy black pants that I wear with a silk shirt. </p>
<p>My husband likes clothes from a store that has a shop in Las Vegas; he shops there. Once a year.</p>
<p>I also shop before each season to refresh my wardrobe, then adding something here and there throughout the year. If I see a dress that I really like, I’ll usually buy it so that I’m not forced to shop for every special occasion. I agree with emilybee - I like to have a few good options in the closet for parties or events, so that I can change at the last minute depending on the weather or how I feel. I also like to shop before vacations - fresh pjs, underwear, tees, shoes, etc. for packing.</p>
<p>I like to buy fresh pjs, underwear, tees before vacation, too. However, if I’m going overseas, I’ll leave the new things in the drawer, take the older things and leave them at my last stop so there’s room in the carry-on for something purchased while traveling, usually not clothing. I try my best to only travel with a carry-on. It’s a rather silly point of pride.</p>
<p>Like many, my major mall shopping happens twice a year when stores clear out seasonal clothing. I typically grab a few pieces on sale that can be worn for several more years, nothing too extreme. I mix in a few “trendy” things when they just appear in stores. I also shop throughout the year at the usual online discounters (outnet and yoox) and I’m not averse to checking the Goodwill mega store - sometimes I feel like Macklemore when I get out with a (not so much needed) designer piece for 99 cents. ;)</p>
<p>Well, you know that’s the Goodwill Macklemore has been known to frequent, BB. I swear I had seen him in there before he became famous, but that might just be wishful thinking. </p>
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We also have a designer clothes outlet that I check out occasionally. I actually don’t love shopping on line though I do more and more of it. The last shopping I did was to buy several sweaters on deep discount at Lord and Taylor’s while looking for birthday presents for my husband. The time before was a wedding outfit which I did via Nordstrom’s online - free returns - yay! One dress fit perfectly, the other not at all.</p>