Jewelry is a balancing act.  It’s all about size, scale, and proportion.  If you’re wearing huge earrings, skip the necklace and go for a fabulous bracelet or ring instead.  If you’ve got an exquisite necklace on, go small with the earrings and maybe just do a cocktail ring.  If an arm full of bracelets is your thing, counter balance them with fabulous earrings.  You get the idea.  You’re better off having one focal point, and one or two important pieces of jewelry than a smattering of small, meaningless pieces.   

You also want to keep scale in mind when choosing accessories.  If you are a very petite, small boned, 5 foot tall woman, you don’t want to over power yourself in a super wide cuff bracelet, or a very large, chunky necklace.  Your delicate features are going to need more delicate pieces.  Same goes with a very tall or large woman.  You will need accessories that are more substantial to look in proportion to your body.  If you put a very thin, delicate bracelet on your wrist, it will look ridiculously small compared to your larger limbs.  This is one of the most basic tips, but I’m telling you, most people don’t know it. 

Excessive Detailing – The more detail you find on an inexpensive item, the cheaper it will look.  Most top designers are very subtle with their detailing on their ready to wear garments.  Obviously they go nuts with their couture lines, but their day to day items are normally very sleek.  For some reason, when you enter the inexpensive stores, they have gone overboard with their detailing.  Keep the details simple and no one will know that it’s Forever 21.

Bad Seams – Pay careful attention to the construction of the garment.  If the seams are uneven or busting, the garment will never fit properly.  One of the quickest ways to tell how well a garment is made is to look at the seams, buttons, and zippers.  You will be able to instantly tell if the garment is even worth trying on.  Don’t bother buying an item with bad seams, it will never look right and it’s not worth the price of redoing the seams.

In this economy, we are all watching every penny very carefully.  Although the wealthy are probably able to continue their healthy shopping habits, most of us are seriously reigning in our spending habits, especially on non-essentials like clothing. Yes, Of course we all need some clothes, but you know as well as I do, that we don’t need ALL the clothes in our closets.

Our economy is in the tank, and our pocket books are tighter, but our image is still a very important piece of our personal and professional image.  Over the next week I am going to be talking about a few things to avoid when dressing on a dime.

Shiny Fabrics
Shiny, inexpensive fabrics always looks cheaper than shiny, expensive fabrics. So if you are shopping at inexpensive stores, steer clear of shiny fabrics.  As you can see in the images above, the picture on the left looks cheap, cheap, cheap.  The picture on the right, however, looks beautiful and luxurious.  The cheaper the fabric, the more matte it should be.  Keep this in mind at all times when shopping on a dime.

Most people tend to shop at the same stores month after month.  Whether it’s that the clothes in that store fit you well, the store is convenient, affordable, or you’re just plain lazy, the reality is that we are all drawn to certain stores more than others. 

If you frequent a store, it makes sense to introduce yourself to one of the sales people and get to know them.  Try to use the same person every time you’re in that store.  After a few trips, you will start to develop an invaluable relationship.  Your sales person will get to know your size and style, and will be able to save you time and money by pulling clothes in advance for you and letting you preshop sales.  They will  call you when new merchandise is in and you can call them before venturing into the store to make sure that they actually have what you’re seeking.  For even more attention, make sure to shop mid week when the stores are empty.  

As a professional personal shopper, this is one of the keys to my success.  Knowing the sales people makes my job so much easier and helps my shopping trips with my clients be successful. For more information on my services, please visit www.erinstafford.com. 

The key to a successful shopping trip is having direction.  Know what you’re looking for in order to shop with precision.  When working as a stylist, I always know what look I am trying to achieve for a photo shoot, movie premiere, or commercial.  I get a brief from the art director or from a client’s publicist and that sets me in the right direction.  The brief will help me figure out if the look should be sweet, edgy, funny, etc.  Obviously different designers would be used for each look.  For example, you’d never use out Dolce & Gabbana for a sweet look…only the most sexy.

The same can work for you when you’re out shopping on your own.  What look are you trying to achieve?  How do you want people to think of you?  Remember you?  Seek out those stores and designers that will help convey that image.  If you ever need any guidance or specific stores/designers for a look, you can always call me, your personal stylist, and I will give you a list to work with.  Happy shopping!

We all know the importance of wearing sun block and covering up when the sun is blazing, but so many of us look ridiculous in hats or just flat out don’t like wearing them.  What do you do?  End up with premature aging or skin cancer?  No, that is certainly not what you want!  Opt instead for one of these great straw hats to look fashionable in the sunshine. 

Worth & Worth have been around since 1922 and truly make the finest quality hats.  Check out their website www.hatshop.comfor their full collection.  I’m sure you’ll be able to find one you love.

Lola is another fabulous brand that is available at stores such as Intermix and Saks.  All of their hats have a little something extra in terms of design.  They won’t just give you a fedora or cloche.  They’ll give you one with the most interesting details that everyone will wonder where you got your hat.

Find yourself a hat you love and get out and enjoy the sunshine today!