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Thicken My Wallet

Everything to do with thickening your wallet

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Money Matters by Mom2KG

Posted by admin on March 31, 2009 in Mom2KG Columns

Our regular columnist is back for this month’s edition of her column.

Women need a lot of clothes. And shoes. Hair. Make-up. These things cost money, so make sure you budget and buy the right things. Need help? Here are my tips on making the most out of what you have.

Be organized

To make the most of your clothing collection, and your available closet space, you need to keep your threads properly organized. Every change of season, take last season’s clothes and store them somewhere. This goes for outerwear, accessories, casual and workwear.

Edit your wardrobe

I love de-cluttering, and my closet is no exception. Get rid of anything stained, out of date (nothing ever really comes back in again – Harry Rosen said that), ripped, too big or small, and anything you haven’t worn in a year. If a whole year has gone by, and you couldn’t find anywhere to wear that giraffe-print cotton tank, there’s a reason. Be honest. Toss it.

Take an appraising glance

Many stores offer styling advice, which often starts with a current-wardrobe consultation. An office tower I used to work in offered a free personal shopper service, and what I learned from her styling advice was invaluable.

Once you’ve de-cluttered and organized, look at what you have left. Now, what do you really need? At a minimum, every professional woman should have:

• A classic trenchcoat and a very good wool winter coat
• Great boots and leather gloves
• Shoes: grey, black, red, brown – flats and heels. You can add a lot of pop to a wardrobe with just shoes, so splurging here is allowed – yes, buy those purple snakeskin stilettos (if they’re on sale and you’ll wear them).
• Scarves and great jewellery – again, you get a lot of use from statement necklaces and good earrings.
• High-end briefcase, plus a clutch and 1-2 good classic purses
• Two black suits – one plain, one pinstripe. You can wear the pants separately, and of course black is a good staple that works with everything else.
• Two more non-black suits, at least one with a skirt. Chocolate, navy, grey, camel and red – start with neutrals (yes, red can be a neutral)
• Sheath suit dress with matching jacket-good for work and going for a drink
• 1-2 blazers
• Nicely-fitting sweaters and wraps – 2-5
• Camisoles high enough to wear as a blouse
• 2-3 crisp, white tailored shirts
• 5-8 other blouses
• 1-3 skirts and 3-5 trousers

Once you have these basics, you can wear them in all seasons, changing up the blouses under the suit, as well as the shoes and jewellery. When you can afford it, add in more trousers, skirts and suits. Unfortunately, women’s suit are often cut in trendy, up-to-the-minute styles, which are lovely, but only last you a year or two. Go for classic cuts to stock your wardrobe, then layer in unusual pieces.

Make-up and Hair

Get a great cut and visit the salon at least every eight weeks; more if you have short hair or complicated colour or highlights. Nothing looks less polished and professional than roots.

Also spend some money on make-up. Go to a make-up counter and ask for a full make-up application (often there is a minimum purchase fee, but it’s worth it). Practice at home as well. You don’t have to wear make-up, and I suppose there’s something very non-feminist about advising you to do so. But I take a post-feminist view of this and enjoy the perks of being female.

If you can afford a manicure on a weekly or monthly basis, that’s great. If not, invest in manicure tools and do this yourself at home.

Tips

• Now is a great time to be a consumer. Look for and shop sale items only.
• Stock up on gloves, belts, socks, and nylons
• Most chain stores now have websites, and very often have e-mail subscriptions. Sign up to get deals and notifications of sales.
• Don’t buy it if it really doesn’t fit. It will look horrible, you won’t wear it, and it will be a waste of money.
• However, if it almost, almost fits, buy it and take it to a tailor. It’s a small, worthwhile cost.
• Keep the receipts in your wallet. Don’t let the store put it in the bag – they know it will get lost easily and you won’t be able to return it!