when shopping for clothes...

[Sara Noel]

do you have a list of what you need? Do you ask yourself before buying if you really need it or if what you have is enough or do you see an item and tend to purchase it because you like it or it's just on sale?

I was thinking about how I dress pretty conservatively. Mostly solid colors and colors that match one another to help me cutback on the amount of clothing I purchase for myself.

I tend to wear a jacket if I'm dressing up or nicer shoes vs. a new outfit.

Examples of my clothing choices are items that don't have any frills that could wear down in quality with wear or lose their shape from stretching out and the less ornamentation on the clothing the least likely it is to go out of style.

I was also thinking how I use a lot of the same colored socks too, so I always can just grab two white socks and they are a match.

I love the thrift store too, so am able to find some great shirts there for very little money.

I don't own a ton of clothing. In fact, I have the the basics to get me through the seasons.

I only own a few prs of shoes too. I don't even own a pair of heels at the moment.

How are you with clothing?

[Missy]

i have clothes in my closet that i will never get back into. and i have clothes that i hope to wear again after baby is born

lately i have been looking at clothes for their baby friendliness

i'd like to scale down my wardrobe, and plan to soon. I tend to wear jeans and a t shirt most days

[gkp1031]

I have more clothes than I need, but am cutting down on shopping. I wear mostly business casual to work, I have a lot of neutral colors that go with everything and then on weekends I wear jeans or sweats. I have 2 dresses that will fit just about any event that I have to go to! I do have a lot of shoes and a ton of sneakers. I buy 99.9% of all my clothes on sale. I look for comfort, simplicity-I'm not into the latest trends, and quality.

[kimmee]

I have had until just recently not outfits but entire wardrobes for different things or moods in my life. I have a wardrobe of "rebellious clothes" all leopard and black and leather and spiked: I just gave away a huge professional wardrobe of pinstriped suits, houndstooth suits, slacks, vests, blouses, conservative dresses and all the matching pumps and heeled boots of different heights. I still have all of my summer surfer chick stuff - vans, board shorts, minis, tanks & tees and shortie short dresses. I have my western wardrobe - jeans and boots and tees and hats and skirts and belts. and I have my comfy wardrobe of workout clothes- yoga pants and tanks and hoodies and different athletic shoes. I am debating giving away my evening wardrobe - slinky dresses, sexy pumps, faux fur, sequins, etc cuz I will probably never get to wear any of it again.
I will not be buying anything new til I lose all the weight I want to lose and new stuff tends to be in four basic colors - black, red, white and denim and one print - leopard. I do like nutty shoes though!!

[bamamomto4]

I guess I'm kinda plain Jane when it comes to clothes. I wear mostly jeans or sweats with tshirts or sweatshirts and shorts and tshirts in the summer.
I do have dresses for church but haven't been in 2 years.

I have prob 15 pairs of shoes but tend to wear the same ones all the time.I've been throwing some out or giving them away but this has to be in baby steps I love shoes!

I also love thrift shops and most of my clothes come from there

[SewCrafty]

I am a clothes horse!

I have clothes that are brand new and have been new for many years that I haven't worn yet. Shoes I am getting better on barely (Sara I do have 2 pair of heals both black different heal heights though) and purses up the wazoo! Purses are my downfall really and when I get a new one, I use it for a month and then go back to my old favorite!

[gkp1031]

Originally posted by SewCrafty
Purses are my downfall really and when I get a new one, I use it for a month and then go back to my old favorite!

Dee, I'm the same way with purses!!! Finally, I found a purse "fanatic" like myself

[britbunny]

My wardrobe is probably in better shape now than it has been in years!

I have about 5 pairs of trousers and 4 skirts but they are all in a different style so I will usually look quite different whenever I go out.

It's the same with tops and accessories too, I have quite a lot of plain tops but will team them up with different shirts and jumpers so they look different and then I just have different styles of costume jewellery and stuff to create different looks with the same outfits.

I am on a no-clothes buying for a year kick though (apart from my new socks), I have got round that by telling people things that I liked so I got stuff for my birthday last week! (a bit cheeky but what the heck).

When I do go shopping because I know what is in my wardrobe I write a list and know exactly what I want, I also wear the clothes that I wear most frequently so I know anything new will go with them.

I don't have any particular colour theme, I just buy things that will complement at least 3 other things in my wardrobe so I'll always have something to wear it with (which doesn't explain why I own 5 pairs of pink shoes but never mind)

[Early Bird]

After reading a bunch of articles/posts about 'clothing capsules,' I decided the concept made sense. Now, I'm a SAHM, so my wardrobe is far too casual for most office work.

So, in my closet I now have two capsules: navy/denim and brown/khaki. All my skirts/pants are in those capsule colors; my winter sweaters are brown or blue.

(The only exception is a few black items for dressy occasions. For example, a long black velvet skirt. I generally don't look good in black, so I wear black items away from my face.)

I have a big butt in proportion to my waist; so I have very few pairs of pants. Knit pants work best, but they are very casual. I live in a climate that's mostly warm. In winter, I wear a turtleneck w/ a pullover -- and turn the heat down.

So, here's what I have:

BOTTOMS:
2 denim skirts (*)
2 navy knit skirts
2 long black skirts
1 black knit skirt
1 brown knit skirt
1 khaki skirt
1 pr navy pants (but they don't flatter me)
knit pants -- navy; khaki (*)

TOPS:
4 ivory/white turtlenecks
2 navy/blue turtlenecks
1 rust turtleneck
1 red/black print turtleneck
1 dressy (colorful) blouse
3 short sleeve white knit tops
6 short sleeve print knit tops

SWEATERS:
1 navy chenille ragg
1 brown chenille ragg
1 brown/black chenille
1 navy cardigan (*)
1 berry cardigan (*)

SUMMER:
2 khaki shorts
2 navy shorts

CHORE CLOTHES:

2 pr work jeans
2 old sweater/sweatshirts

SHOES:
2 pair sneakers
2 pair sandals
3 pair walking shoes (2 still in pkg)
2 pair loafers (1 navy; 1 brown)
black pumps

OUTERWARE:
1 stone-color Lands' End Gortex jacket (bought on sale last year; I love it!)
1 berry Lands' End fleece jacket. (doesn't go well w/ the brown skirt though).
1 khaki down coat (just in case)

That's most of what I have. It's a very basic wardrobe, but I can make a bunch of outfits from that collection. The (*) means 'soon will need replacement.' My denim skirts are wearing out, so I'll be shopping for new ones next time I get to the Liz Claiborne outlet. I'm watching winter clearance sales for knit pants too.

Now that I've got the basics down, I can have fun with additional purchases. For example, I'm keeping an eye out for a winter sweater or vest with snowflake designs.

[Hollyhandi]

I have way to many clothes but my neice cleans her closet 2 times a year. Half the clothes she gives me still have tags on them.
I have to go through them and see what i can take to the
thrift shop and what i can use for some quilt tops for our own use next winter.
My sis ter just bought me a $40.00 jacket for $10.00 after Christmas for my birthday. Its the first new coat since she got me one in 1993.
Been wearing my DS's hunting jacket he grew out of.

[ScrapMama]

I LOVE clothes, but put a stop of shopping when I started losing weight. Then I got pregnant, so I'm still at the bare necessities in my closet. We live in a warm region and are planning a move to an even warmer area. I have jeans, capris, plain colored tshirts, tank tops, and a few dressy tops for church. I'm pretty much done shopping until I have the baby, I'll buy a few more tank tops and shirts. I am definately a shoe person. I am a flip flop queen, so I'll definately get some more flip flops for the upcoming summer and a pair of cute sandals. I already have sandals for everyday wear. I bought some cute capris for after I have the baby, so I'm pretty much covered there.

[Telephus44]

I used to buy clothes all the time, but now I buy maybe 5-6 pieces a year - I try and follow the rule of get rid of one item for every item I bring in, but its hard. Most of my warobe is business casual for work.

I rarely keep lists of things I "need". Every now and then I'll think of one thing I "need" and I'll go look for it, but rarely.

And shoes - I really don't care about most of my shoes except sandals! I have about 4 pairs. I love painting my toenails and showing them off in the summer

[daddys3chicks]

I try to keep the mix and match thing going in my closet. I wear jeans and a tshirt or shorts and a tshirt most of the time. I work in the nursery at church a lot, and am up and down off the floor, so I keep basic slacks - navy, black, khaki, olive and grey. I can mix and match these with basic long sleeved or short sleeved tshirts. I have started buying my shirts, pants and shoes from Land ends because they fit me better, last longer and hold their color longer. I think they end up being a better value in the long run.

I buy good tennis shoes because I wear those most of the time. My second in line shoes are from Lands End too, clogs, hand sewn mocs and summer slides. They last forever. I have a couple of pairs of heels - taupe, black. white, navy if I have to dress up.

I have a denim skirt, black skirt, one printed skirt and one washable suede skirt. I have several sweaters to combine with the skirts. For church I have a 3 or 4 dresses.

I generally buy from Lands End, or off of eBay. I have a barn jacket, fleece jacket, denim jacket, and a hippie patchwork suede and fake fur trim jacket I got off ebay - my whimsy.

I wear jean shorts mostly in the summer with tshirts, and have the same basics in shorts - black, navy, khaki - to mix for a little 'dressier" look. Oh, and I have several pairs of capris for the inbetween times.

I have really pared my closet down. I just bought 2 new dresses off of ebay and I have 2 olds ones that are going to Amvets next week. Same with the 2 new pairs of dress slacks I got from ebay for $3.99 - 2 old pairs are going.

When I buy for the girls i make a list of what they have and try to fill in the blanks. Mostly we just shop for underwear and socks.