How to Keep that Tan Leg Look – Tip #29

I know that for many women, summer is a challenge time of the year given that you want to have that tan look yet without sitting in the sun and possibly damaging your skin.  One option is the spray on tan and another I would recommend is the tanning product  Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs.

It’s funny, I’m trying to find a way to say, it’s OK be fair skinned and it’s OK to walk outside without color while at the same time I know that many fair skinned women want to have a little color since the American culture tends to favor a little bronze.

I know, I’ve lived with a beautiful fair skinned woman for 23 years.

There’s Clothing Out There for Everyone – Tip #28

Chris stated that she often goes shopping and finds there is nothing out there for her to wear. C’mon. Nothing out there. There is so much out there for women it’s incredible. In fact, there may be too much, if there can be such a thing.

Chris, there are a few things you must realize.

First, I’d bet the reason that you’re not finding anything is that what you’re looking for does not work for you, and therefore, when you try on the clothing it all looks bad. The color, the shape, the patterns.

The solution: start with the basics. Have your makeup touched up to fit a today’s you. Next, invest in a great a color chart to weed out what does not work. Next, focus on today’s basics. Pants that don’t hug the hips up high (think “Mom jeans”), straight-leg pants, cut tops and fashionable shoes. This goes for casual or for upscale.

Second, I’d bet that your eye is also looking for specific styles that you expect for your perceived age appropriateness, but what you think you should be wearing may not be currently available in stores. Here’s an analogy. When you start looking for a car, your mind learns a new shape and miraculously you start to see the car all over the place. The same with style. You need to train your eye to shapes and patterns that look like today’s women in your style.

The solution: find a body shape that mimics yours in magazines or in real life, and then start to watch what they wear. If they’re contemporary, you’ll start to create a new awareness and then the clothing will jump off the rack.

Third, just because you’re a “shopper,” does not mean you know how to shop efficiently enough to avoid frustration. Walking, perusing, and purchasing seem simple enough, but without a strategy, you can end up at the finish of the experience frustrated that all you did was walk, peruse, and maybe purchase. Remember, the best shoppers shop in preparation and not desperation and say no a lot as they have the mindset they are building a wardrobe and not building a closet.

Based upon our conversation, this will take some changes, however it’s achievable.

What Men Think: Men Look, Women Peek

Here’s something I learned from my wife and something that few men know.  It’s that women may take just a quick peak at a man and then sneak peaks there after.  Men on the other hand, for some odd reason, keep on looking long enough so that woman see the look.  Most likely a trait that’s developed over 1000′s of years.

Now what does this have to do with you?

Think about it.  If a man does not know your interested, how can they react appropriately.  My suggestion is that a little longer peak would do a woman good.  Those few extra seconds give a signal that at least the door is open.  Otherwise, we have no clue!

Remember….Men Look and Women Peek.

Buying Smart When the Economy Is Failing – Tip #27

I’ve got to begin by saying that if you can’t afford to shop, DON’T shop.  I think too many people believe that because retail is doing poorly and there are bargains all over the place, that they need to pick up deals.  That’s plain wrong.  Even if the item you wanted was 90% off and you’d love to have it as part of your wardrobe, if you can’t afford to pay your credit card bills, then stay home.

What you can do, is start to think differently.  Change out the buttons on a suit and now you’ve got a new look.  Start to look at making different combinations of accessories and not the main garment.  This would mean that you wear your skirt without the top and fancy up the outfit with a blouse or your hair up.  Changing makeup applications and altering your shoes all make you look different.

Men do this all the time.  We don’t have 70 pairs of shoes nor do men have 40 outfits.  What they do is take the same outfit and modify the tie and wear a different color shirt.  Cuff links, watches, socks, rings, scarfs, overcoats all play a role.

Now, if you do have some cash, start to think how to change your look with little to no cost.

This means that a $500 designer blouse at a discount to $150 is still an expensive blouse when you can find similar garments for less, and no one will know the difference.  No one besides you and those you tell.  Besides, who do you need to impress all the time.  Good grooming doesn’t have to go designer.

(Please do believe that I’m not saying you need to shop at stores where there are poorly made products that don’t last or hurt to wear.  I am. however. saying purchase the Nike shoe from last season at $49 down from $110.)

This means to shop not at the top but at the bottom and look upward until you see something that works.  Drop by H&M or Macy’s or better yet that discount mall or store and start to scour the racks.  If there is nothing in terms of color, quality and fashion (remember color first) then jump up a notch.  Slowly.

Let me give you a personal example.  My wife and I were in NYC this weekend and she needed a white blouse that fit her color pallet.  We started at a discount store where there was nothing that worked, hit H&M and the kept moving up the line until we found a garment that was $60 that worked.  Then we discussed the style and in the end, she decided that the garments she found would not add to her wardrobe. The primary reason was the color was off a hair and the shirts looked similar to what she had at home.  We stopped.

I, too, do the same with all clothing.  When I look at ties, I don’t start at Versace even thought they have great designs.  What I’ve found is in ties, just as jeans, shirts, belts, etc., price does not dictate quality. When the Hummer was sold in the US, it was considered one of the worst cars in need of repairs right off the factory floor.   With sticker prices of $50,000+.

So, I start down at the bottom, and work my way up. I scan the discounted and cheaper garments first to see if there is a steal on the rack. I have a $400 leather jacket for $30 to show for it.

At a recent visit to one of my favorites stores, Century 21 in NYC, down in the Financial District, I went looking for a new pair of shoes and some ties realizing that these two items change my wardrobe quickly and less expensively than a suit.

I began to scour the racks for a pair of shoes in my size and then color.  (I only pack blacks–not black and browns–so that when I travel, I don’t have to have a second set of belts, shoes, and other items that match brown.) I then found a pair of Dolce & Gabbana shoes that were just perfect.  Unique and yet stylish.

On the ties I began at the cheapest section where ties run $9.00 for an $80 tie.  I found two and then I found several more for $12 and $16 and $24.  In the end, I walked out with one tie that I would wear.  Ironically, the tie I wore the next day to a friend’s wedding, that cost me $12.99, had more compliments over the past two months than any other tie I’ve owned (some very expensive).  People have actually gone out of their way to say they loved the tie.

So in a climate with or without opportunity, you don’t have to shop if you can’t afford it.  You can change a garment with simple button, or configurations of existing clothing.  You can shop more intelligently from the bottom up and find deals that give you the wardrobe you need.

This is also assuming you need something new, and it’s not your ego or need for affection that makes you have to buy. Maybe you should take a trip inward before taking a trip to the store.

Long Sleeves Make Great Short Sleeves – Tip #26

I can’t tell you how many shirts I’ve lost due to a small spot, a tear, or shrinking.  You know what I’m talking about: the shirt that once fit and now it does not; the shirt you don’t want to throw away, because you spent a small fortune or worse yet, you just looovvvvve the shirt and can’t stand the thought of its demise.

Maybe you’ve found a fabulous top but the sleeves are just too short.  Take the item to a tailor and covert it to either 3/4″ length sleeves or short sleeves.  A tailor might charge $8.00 and you get extended life out of the garment.

My entire short-sleeve collection has grown with some fancy fabrics using this tip.