Extend Your Budget with Clothing Capsules

by Diana Pemberton-Sikes

Clothing capsules offer a clever way to extend your wardrobe and do a lot with a little. By using the clothes you already have in new and different combinations, you give yourself lots of options without buying anything new. In fact, once you understand how clothing capsules work, you can build your wardrobe around them and give yourself tons of outfits -- and stop wasting money on impulse items that don't go with anything else you own.

The first thing you need to do is remember when planning clothing capsules is that you CAN mix and match your clothes. Often, we get in such a rut that we forget that there's more than one way of doing things. Once you break out of that way of thinking and try different things, you'll be amazed as what you can do.

So what's a clothing capsule?

A clothing capsule is a group of 5-12 pieces (jacket, skirt, slacks, etc.) that work in combination with each other in color, style, or mood. Black pants with a leapored print scarf, for example, or a white skirt with a navy and white top.

If you always wear certain tops with certain bottoms or always wear the same jewelry with a certain dress, realizing that you can wear those tried-and-true combos in different ways becomes very liberating. It also allows you to do a lot more with your wardrobe, enabling you to buy less, save more, and still look great all the time.

While there are no set rules, here are some general guidelines for building wardrobe capsules:

*Solids mix more easily than prints.

*Prints can bridge two completely different solids.

*Simple, untrimmed styles are more versatile and become less dated.

*Each piece should be in your most flattering color palette and fit both your shape and your clothing personality. Don't buy items that don't fit or make you look good.

*Avoid trendy styles. What's 'in' this year will be 'out' next year and you'll be out the cash. Invest in classic styles instead to get more wear out of your clothes.

Now I know from experience that some women are really good at mixing and matching while others need a little more help. Arrange your closet for easy access by keeping all the pants together, all the jackets together, all the skirts together, etc., by color, so that you can see at a glance what you have to work with.

Study catalogs and window displays for ideas. Make note of how a jacket might be worn a little differently or how an accessory might be worn in a new way. It doesn't take a lot.

To re-emphasize: Start building your capsules with what you have. Often, the first inclination is to go run buy something new. It's not necessary. See what you have, see what you need, and add pieces as your budget allows.

In the meantime, experiment with what you have. Write down the combinations if necessary. You'll get the hang of this in no time.

Once you unlock your creativity by looking at your wardrobe every which way, you'll soon find yourself doing the same with other aspects of your life, like your home, your job, problem solving, etc. When you do, you'll be delighted at what your imagination can come up with. In the words of fashion designer Jil Sander, 'Think more, buy less.'

Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of 'Wardrobe Magic,' an ebook that shows women how to transform their unruly closets into workable, wearable wardrobes. Visit her online at http://www.fashionforrealwomen.com.

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

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The Plus Size Clothing Nightmare

by Amy Hutton

I've worn plus size clothing most of my adult life. And let me tell you, clothes shopping has really been an agravating experience to say the least. You go to the mall and visit the one store that carries sizes more than 1X. You browse the racks and find a nice pink blouse you'd really love to buy, and they DO have plus sizes, but YOUR SIZE PINK BLOUSE IS MISSING. ARRGH!

Or, you might find a pretty black bra that you'd love to have, but they are out of the 42DD. Plus size clothing can be Pure Frustration.

At first glance it looks like the big and beautiful store has a lot of items, but when you take into account that each item probably is displayed with 4-6 sizes, there really isn't that much in one store. Even the big chain stores like Target, Walmart and K-Mart really have a limited supply of plus size clothing. And most of it isn't very stylish.

And why do all other stores always put the women's plus size clothing section right next to the Maternity section? I'm offended by that as a large woman, and I'd be offended by that as well if I were a pregnant woman. You have to make sure that you aren't checking out the clothing that belongs in the maternity section.

Speaking of maternity wear, I know from personal experience that finding maternity clothes as a larger woman is murder! I seems that only the skinny girls get pregnant as far as the clothing manufacturers think. You have to find a special store that carries nothing but plus size maternity clothing, and lots of it.

To add to the frustration, they put the Petites section on the other side of the Women's section. Come on...no big woman wants to shop next to all those perky little skinny girls.

It's all so darn frustrating. But there is a solution. Shop online. More items, and more sizes, and total freedom to choose in your own home. An online store doesn't have space restrictions and can display a thousand items with relative ease.

That's easier said than done. Some online plus size women's clothing stores carry a limited line. You have to visit many online shops to find what you want. It's hard to find an online plus size fashion site that offers bigger size shirts, pants, suits, etc., from many designers and retail stores. An online plus size clothing store can pick clothing from many suppliers and designers, and make plus size clothing available at all price ranges. It can offer plus size lingerie, plus size boots, plus size coats and plus size swimwear. And it can stock a limitless selection of products, and sell them all in one place.

Sure, there are one or two large scale (excuse the pun) plus size clothing stores online, if you can find them. Still, online shopping is definitely the way to go for us plus size women!

Amy Hutton is a plus size woman living in Florida writing on subjects that concern plus size women. Her favorite plus size clothing store is http://www.Plus-Size-Heaven.com.

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Fashion Clothings Products information... visit our site at http://www.fashion-clothings.com/.

Clues for Dating Vintage Clothing

by Karen Richards

With celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Sarah Jessica Parker, Winona Ryder, Sharon Stone, Drew Barrymore and Michael Richards flaunting their trendy wardrobes vintage fashions have become very popular. Whether you want to establish a collection of clothes from bygone eras or you would just like a few unique pieces to add oomph to your wardrobe, it is interesting to know the history of your piece.

How do you know if the 1930’s silk charmuese nightgown advertised on Ebay is really from the 1930’s era? Now if you absolutely love the colour or style well maybe the age does not matter. If you do not want to pay a premium for something that is not as advertised, it is important to learn a few pointers.

There are numerous ways to date garments. You can shop with confidence when you know what clues to watch for.

For instance - How are the seams finished? Are they pinked, Frenched or serged? Sergers and overlock machines have been around since the 1950’s, but were not in homes until around 1964. Inspecting the seams of custom-made items may not tell you for sure when it was made, but it can let you know for sure when it wasn’t made.

Examination of the seams on store bought, mass produced clothing of the 1950’s, shows that most were pinked. Overcast seams, welted seams or Frenched seams were usually only found on very expensive garments. Overlock seams did start showing up in lingerie during the 1950’s. By the early 1960’s all lingerie had overlocked seams, and the use of the overlock stitch was beginning to appear in other garments made of fabric that would frey easily.

A 1965 catalogue ad mentions that a garment featured overlocked seams, while another ad boasts overlock seams in 1960’s lingerie. The term is not a selling point in fashions of today as most attire has overlocked or serged seams.

Another indication of age is the use of the zipper. Patented in 1893 the first zipper was called a clasp locker. These zippers were not practical. Although a zipper was developed in 1913 with interlocking teeth, it was slow to catch on.

Zippers were first put in children’s clothing in the 1930’s and replaced the button fly in men’s trousers around 1937. There were a few zippers in women's clothing of the 1940's, but most garments still possessed button fasteners, until the 1950’s when they finally became popular.

Catalogues from the mid 1960’s boast about the wonders of nylon zippers. Nylon zippers were thought to be less bulky, easier to hide and more comfortable than the old metal zippers.

Keep in mind that the presence or absence of a zipper and the type of zipper provides clues to the age of the garment but that other factors still need consideration. As zippers can be replaced, metal zippers are not a guarantee that the item was manufactured before 1960. Similarly, a vintage garment may have had a broken zipper replaced by a nylon one.

These are just a couple of points to consider when identifying vintage clothing. Other factors to take into account are fabrics, styles and labels.

Use a bit of logic with what you learn to decide if the item is desirable.

Karen Richards grew up surrounded by collections of all kinds. She inherited her love of anything with a history from her parents who have collected and dealt in antiques for over half a century. Her passion is vintage fashions, textiles and catalogues. She owns The Cats Meow- Classics in Vintage Clothing and Accessories a great place to find that one of a kind quality garment. Visit her online at http://www.catsmeowclassics.com. If you would like to sign up to this newsletter directly, please go to: http://www.catsmeowclassics.com/subscribe.html.

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

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A Treasure Chest for People Who Love Funny Clothing

by Michael D’Elena

I have always been a big fan of funny clothing. I am always on the look out for all types of funny clothing, especially when I am out of town. You see, funny t-shirt are the thing in our city and practically everybody has one. Well this has become a disadvantage, at least in my own point of view. I just hate bumping into someone with an exact same shirt as mine. So I like to buy my funny clothing somewhere outside the city; but only until I happened upon a wonderful website. It’s called recklessts.com. You open the page and you’re greeted with amazing funny tees. It’s practically a treasure chest for me. What is even better about the site is that you don’t only get funny tees, but you get original funny t-shirts. Now I don’t have to worry about embarrassing encounters with people wearing identical shirts.

Now let me stress this—recklessts.com offers not only unique funny tees but hilarious tees at that. By this I mean really funny shirts. Now you’ll have people laughing out loud. You can’t get any cooler than that. And because they’re unique, you are assured that you are not wearing yet another old joke. Most of their humorous T-shirts are not very wholesome. Well, this is the exact reason why I like them. Whenever my Mom gives me “her look,” I simply say,” Mom, we call that wit.”

Don’t get the wrong idea. Recklessts.com is not all about t-shirts. As a matter of fact, they now offer funny hats too. Now I can have a whole new range of collection. And did I mention that they offer custom screen printing in Tempe Arizona?

Not only does the website offer amazing products but it also provides great customer service. Ordering is pretty simple. You simply click on the product you wish to purchase (plus the size of your choice). After which you click on the button that says “ADD TO CART.” Then the site will do the rest. You will be automatically transferred to PayPal’s shopping cart where you only have to enter your shipping information and the payment method of your choice and you’re done with the transaction. If you still find this simple procedure a hassle, you hold the option of calling Recklessts.com via telephone no. (480) 678-4488.

Another wonderful thing about Recklessts.com is its Return Policy. The site guarantees refund for shirts that are returned unworn and unwashed within 30 days of purchase. This is one feature I don’t need though. I have always been satisfied by the shirts I order from the site. I find the site’s privacy policy more important. You see, I am a security buff. I worry about identity thieves who manage to steal from people’s credit card accounts. Credit card security is one area where I lose my sense of humor. It’s all business for me. It’s a good thing Recklessts.com uses PayPal, a secure network that is well worth my trust.

Michael D’Elena has been managing and building Reckless for the last several years. Reckless Tees specializes in for Funny t-shirts and other funny clothing. Visite us on http://www.recklessts.com

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Fashion Clothings Products information... visit our site at http://www.fashion-clothings.com/.