Budget Saving Tuesday Tip: Clothes
Welcome, everyone, to the second Budget Saving Tuesday Tip and today we discuss clothes!
Last week was fun to learn about how to save on fresh flowers, and today let’s discuss budget saving for our clothes.
This is not about how to find them in thrift shops or lower price point retailers…it is about something that really changed my wardrobe and way of thinking.
BUDGET SAVING TUESDAY TIP: CLOTHES
I discovered first hand, in order to save money on my clothing, I needed to have a wardrobe fashioned around my best colors.
By wearing my best colors, and styling my five style adjectives, I now have a functional wardrobe that all works together for me.
It is so much easier to know the colors to walk away from and not waist money or time on….that is a true budget saving tip.
I don’t question it at all…but stick to my autumn, warm palette…and leave everything else behind.
It has been right at one year since I made this discovery and it really is life changing when it comes to your wardrobe.
But, don’t take my word for it…let’s go to an expert…the stylist who helped me the most Annie Castano from London.
She is fresh off of celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s historic 70-year reign! I am thankful she would take the time to send these thoughts.
BUDGET SAVING TUESDAY TIP: COLOR
“Hello everyone,
My name is Annie Castano (@justanniecastano) and I’ve been working as a personal stylist for 18 years in London.
The three most important things when investing in your clothes are, get the colors right, get the shapes right and inject your personality into your wardrobe.
The theory of color is a scientific one which I will simplify by saying that each color affects its neighbor so when you put a color next to your face it will have a positive or negative affect on how you look. Wearing colors that flatter our skin tones will make us look vibrant, healthy, friendly, younger and most importantly more ENERGETIC. Wearing the wrong colors will have the opposite effect and you will look tired, perhaps unfriendly and definitely lacking in energy.
(Note: This also means you will save money on facial products, because your skin looks better in your best colors! You will not be attempting to fix things with products)
It’s no secret that people make their minds up about us in just a few seconds and it has nothing to do with what we say, but everything to do with how we present.
All colors have yellow and blue in their mix and the more yellow we add, the warmer they become. Adding more blue makes them cooler. The 4 palettes are Spring (warm and bright) Summer (cool and soft ) Autumn (warm and soft) and Winter (cool and bright). Once you know where your skin tone sits in one of these four palettes you will receive compliments on how well you look rather than being complimented on what you have on and these are two different things altogether.
Investing in clothes that flatter your coloring and body shape takes the guesswork out of shopping and you’ll save time, money and space in your wardrobe.
Also, instead of wearing 20% of your clothes 80% of the time (which most people do) you’ll enjoy wearing them all of the time.
Getting the colors right (the shades of color) understanding and accepting your body shape and getting your personality into your wardrobe is all you need to know.
That way you’ll be confident knowing that you don’t need to listen to fads and trends, but you’ll gain understanding in what works for YOU. It’s a wonderful tool to have no matter what your budget is.”
BUDGET SAVING TUESDAY TIP: COLOR
After I learned from Annie my true Vibrant Autumn palette, I did a huge closet purge…no more black or white for me. They did cast shadows on my face!
The outfit I am wearing today features three pieces from Chico’s that I kept during the purge…the tank is a warm brown.
The denim crops in sand even have a coastal touch to them.
I added my creative touch with the fun necklace from World Finds…..look for a giveaway here soon featuring their creations.
I think this time of year is a challenge for the ladies with warm palettes…but hold fast to your colors…
That decision will stretch your dollars and your wardrobe.
My colors also guide my decisions with accessories and makeup…I no longer wear silver, for example.
Of course, the best way to discover your true colors is in person with a professional color expert.
However, if you cannot do that …the next budget saving tip is to take the free color and style quizzes at Kettlewell.
I was surprised to see how the free quiz results synced with what I was being told from professionals…and they are fun!
I have a local reader who loved their quizzes and purchases their clothing with success.
Summer is a great time to purge your wardrobe and think about how to make it most functional for you.
And those of you who are retired…DON’T RETIRE YOUR STYLE!
I want to thank Annie again for sharing her thoughts in relation to Budget Saving Tuesday…she Is so much fun and I love to follow her Instagram!
She is also the creator and partner to Castanohel …stunning silk scarves…one of which is worn by the Queen!
Thanks for stopping by for Budget Saving Tuesday…I truly hope these ideas will help you stretch your dollars! Any questions?
KEEP SMILING, EVERYONE AND STAY SAFE!!
By Pamela Lutrell
REMEMBER, there a lots of Father’s Day sales happening now!
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Email is over50feeling40@gmail.com.
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Yes, it’s so much easier to shop when you can ignore those colors that you feel are not complimentary to your coloring. I’d think that you “warm” folks would not have too much trouble since there seems to be much orange and yellow as well as muted shades of these colors in the Spring/Summer clothing lines this year. Since I cannot wear either shade, I’ve been frustrated at their abundance. As you have said before, when colors you wear are available in abundance, you better buy them then before the fashion industry switches to different palettes.
You are right, Celia. Get your colors when you see them in garments that work!
Great fun to have Annie on again. Isn’t it amazing, with all that vibrant colouring she is wearing, the focus is on her face and the outfit just supports the look. After having my analysis this last time, it all comes together and like you, I got rid of the black, white, red and all the really dark colours in my closet first. Such a difference. I am still tweeking and discovering, and realize it will continue for some time. Once you see the difference, you cannot go back. Even as you say, the jewellery has changed, a softer look has emerged. And yes, you really can save money on things that don’t sit in the closet anymore reminding you that they are wrong after all.
Fun post, and love the budget Tuesdays.
Thanks Diane!! I completely agree that once you experience the benefits, you can never go back!
I am so happy with my wardrobe since I retired, and I have you to thank, Pam. Some of my old, “winter” wardrobe works as a blue autumn (both gold and silver jewelry, red, navy). Since making navy my new black, I have fewer choices (in larger clothing, black and gray are staple offerings), but plenty to wear. It’s hard to tell if that is saving money because I transitioned a professional wardrobe to incorporate much more activewear, but I think it likely has and will going forward. Certainly it hasn’t been more costly, and it’s easier to shop in so many ways (I can mentally discard whole collections and racks). I have kept black pants, black tanks and white jeans, and find those work if I’m careful to put the correct colors next to my face. I won’t replace the black pants, but I couldn’t justify getting rid of them if some creativity and attention could make them work. Thank you for not constantly advocating super inexpensive clothing as the sole way to save money, as many experts are starting to do. Your system works for any budget.
I also kept black and white bottoms and make sure to put the color near my face, but I also transitioned to navy and only kept a couple of black and then my white denim. Thanks for the affirmation, Linda. I do believe knowing your best colors and sticking to style adjectives will save in the long run….with quality pieces that withstand time. Low cost per wear is also important.
What a great column today, Pam. I have always followed Annie and I delight in her autumn pairings. You are lucky to have her as a consultant and to know her personally. She is a dynamo! I love how she simplified the reasoning for knowing your colors, shape of clothing, and dressing to your personality. She made it easier for me to promote why I follow my deep autumn palette when people question it. Between you and her, I get my fashion fix!
And we are so happy to provide your fashion fix, Deborah! I adore Annie…she is genuinely kind and really funny at times. She finds her joy and lives it!
The necklace you are wearing is nice. Etsy has paper bead jewelry which is less expensive!
Thanks Linda…I watch artisan jewelry often and I have not seen anything yet on Etsy that is this pretty. World Finds is doing a really nice job and for those who agree…watch for a giveaway coming up!
I would love to have someone help define my colors. Where do I look for professional advice?
PS I’m retired, budget conscious, and a non-shopper!
Hi Sue…do you see the link to Kettlewell? Start by taking those quizzes…they are free and very helpful!
What a great blog! Can you recommend a good color consultant in San Antonio? Thank you!
Fantastic column today! 👍
Hi Jenny, Yes I can! Christina Welch is with House of Color and her number is 210-823-0180.
She helped a good friend of mine and her daughter and they were very pleased!
So glad you liked it Connie!!
Thanks for sharing that Kettlewell link! I had fun taking the quizzes and looking at their clothing which is easy to shop by color pallet. I bookmarked it because I have a feeling I will be visiting more often.
It is fun! I like what they have done there!
Great column and such fun! Thanks for the Kettlewell link: I did color and style quizzes and thought they did a great job. Now, though, I may have to find a color specialist because even though I’m a Winter, I have the yellow skin tone of a Spring (so look better in cream than white). Also, while the personality summary was accurate, I have some of the Spring traits (e.g., having plants and flowers, including several vases of what’s in my garden-yard).
For me, Kettlewell opened the door to be open to my true colors but it was Annie who brought it all home and more specific!
Thank you!