Fashion isn’t just a way to clothe and express yourself. It’s also an investment.
If you do a quick tally of everything in your closet you’ll probably come to two conclusions: you’ve spent way more on fashion than your realized and you don’t even wear a lot of it. Seems like a waste, but there are better ways to invest in fashion.
When you shop for fashion using the rules below you’ll find pieces that play up your best features and will have a prominent place in your closet for years. In other words, you’ll get your money’s worth.
Know Your Face Shape
The shape of your face should come into play when you’re considering how you look from the chest up. Your face is your central feature, which means everything around it will be summed up collectively.
Sunglasses are one accessory that’s designed around face shape. Getting affordable women’s designer sunglasses that look great is a matter of personal taste and how a face is shaped. Anyone who wears glasses already knows a pair of frames can look dramatically different from one face to the next.
Jewelry, hairstyles, scarves, necklines – you have to know what type of face shape you have to find accessories that are the most flattering.
Dress For (Not Against) Your Body Shape
Next up, body shape. This is just as important as face shape, if not more.
The importance of fit cannot be overstated. The fit of clothing and accessories not only affect the contours of your body, it also affects comfort. The only way to get a perfect fit is to know your body shape and dress for it rather than against it.
Start by measuring around your chest, waist and hips. You can get an even better idea of your body shape by measuring across the shoulders. Use these measurements to determine which common body shape category you fit in: pear, rectangle, inverted triangle, apple, or hourglass.
Body shape comes into play beyond clothing. Do you know the best type of purse for your body shape? For example, if you’re tall and lean you can pull off a mid-size tote or hobo bag that will balance out your proportions.
Dressing for your body shape plays up the best parts of your contours and draws the eye away from your trouble spots. It also helps you avoid following unflattering trends that will probably be over within a few seasons.
Choose Color Combinations Carefully
Color combos are way more influential than many people realize. We human beings are immediately affected by colors and color combinations. It’s something that automatically happens in the brain with very little forethought. Researchers have identified three color effects:
- Psychological effect – This refers to how color can impact mood and is based on personal experience.
- Cultural effect – Cultural beliefs and stigma also impact the way we feel about certain colors.
- Symbolic effect – Colors associated with a particular object may also be symbolic.
It’s not enough to carefully consider the colors in your ensemble. You also need to think about your coloration. We’re talking about hair, skin and eye color. Some colors clash with certain skin tones but go with a slightly different hue and everything plays together nicely.
Take a few hours one afternoon to look at how different colored clothing looks against your skin and hair. You’ll probably notice that cool and warm tones don’t have the same effect. Likewise, you may find that lighter shades work better or worse than dark hues.
Always Buy the Best Quality You Can Afford
We’re not advocating that you put purchases on a credit card or blow your entire savings to get the latest designer bag. However, quality is extremely important in terms of longevity and value.
Look for fashion accessories and clothing that are made with quality materials. Examples include 100% cotton, linen and leather. Examine the stitching to gauge how well it’s constructed. The threads should be completely intact and the stitches should be smooth.
Items that are constructed well using high-quality materials can be worn for years and still look just as good as the day you bought them. When you’re splurging on a high-quality fashion accessory it’s also smart to stick with classic designs that are guaranteed to stay in style.