There is nothing wrong in buying any of these items, if they meet the quality test. The way to take the best advantage of these loss-leaders is to spend a day or weekend when you are not under any stress and shop in your own wardrobe. Make a list of all your outfits and find out what you really need to complete this season’s look. Most likely you have most of the basics, but plan on spending less than 10 percent of your clothing budget on the trendy new item that is so “in” now and will be so “out” next season.
True bargains can be found as the seasons change and unsold items are reduced in cost. Evaluate the items you may choose to purchase carefully. Is it a basic staple of your wardrobe? Will it go with other items already in your wardrobe? It’s really not smart to try to introduce a new color scheme of clothing late in the season, unless all the pieces you need are right there on the sales rack. Even then it’s a risk; do you have the necessary accessories to make this new blend of colors work? Do you then have to find shoes and other accessories? Is this color going to look dated in a year?
Unless your life style revolves around dressing in evening clothing and going out frequently, only purchase cocktail dresses, suits, tops, pants, and skirts when they are on sale. Think about cost per wearing. If you blow your budget on a “must have outfit” that you only wear once—it was very expensive indeed. A far better choice would be to invest that money in an article of clothing that you will wear twenty times a season. Evening separates have made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of this look by adding a new top and wearing with evening pants or long skirt.
Happy shopping!
