What to look for when you shop - this will save you time and money

Ok so you’ve had your permission slip from last week’s Nothing to Wear that sometimes… it’s perfectly fine to shop. 

Having a little ‘shop up’ only becomes a fearful experience when: 

• You’re overconsuming
• You haven’t done the prep work 
• You’re not going to wear the clothes

But because you're reading this, I'll take it as a sign you're not there. And you're on the look out for some new pieces to elevate your style and help you make money (yes, once again for the Barry's at the back; clothes are business tool)

So now the question becomes - what the hell am I looking for when I shop?

Not all clothing is made the same. And yet you - with no formal training in this stuff - are expected to walk into a store and pick items at random.

Oh how the CEOs of {insert high street store} laugh when they watch back the CCTV of us mere mortals aimlessly wandering from one rail to the next.

(OK I have absolutely no evidence that this happens, but the point is - shopping without any knowledge is disempowering.)

The first thing you should know is - the name of the brand does not always reflect the quality.

And in this Save-for-the-next-time-you-shop guide, I'm going to give you the lowdown on what you should be looking at.

Why?

A recent client had got a promotion and wanted her wardrobe to reflect who she was… 

When we’d been through her wardrobe, it was clear she had some obvious gaps - she needed good quality foundations so she could stop wasting so much time fretting about what to wear and actually, ya know, get on with the job.

But, like many, this client was reluctant to spend. Or correction - she was reluctant to spend on quality.

She was convinced that MORE was MORE - and that £500 spent in a lower-end high street retailer would get her more wear than £500 for boutique or even bespoke.

I decided it was time to pull out the big guns - a trip to the shops.

We went into one particular high street store and spotted an oversize striped shirt. It was ‘classic’ in terms of aesthetic and had the potential to work across seasons.

And it was only £19.99.

ADD TO BASKET, right? 

Well…hold on a second. 

I showed this client what to look at - seams, stitching, buttons, the care label (because be honest, when have you ever looked at a care label?!)

She noticed that the material had been folded badly and sewn skewwhiff at the pocket, creating a diagonal stripe in the pocket as opposed to a straight line. From far away, the shirt looked fine... but up close this wonkiness was a dead giveaway of rushed workmanship.

We looked at a few more items and once the client had seen it, she couldn't UNsee it.

Suddenly something that looked like a £19.99 bargain looked like £19.99 which would soon be in the bin.

The most important equation you can do with your potential purchases is Cost Per Wear.

Like this client, many of you are walking around with the false idea that more stuff is better style.

This is wrong on so many levels, namely:

• Low cost means corners have been skipped to turn a profit - whether in materials, or in paying those who make your clothes
• Overconsumption leads to overwhelm. It's no wonder you keep reverting back to same sad old items when your wardrobe is a mountain you 'never have time' to tackle

Being armed with little bits of knowledge - many of which I'm giving you here - leads to empowered, not disempowered shopping.

When you know what to look for, you're going to make much better buying decisions.

And not only will that save you money, it will also help you make it.

When you know you're wearing good quality clothes that you identify as belonging to someone with their sh*t together, guess what? You become someone with their sh*t together.

1.Think about maintenance

As much as you might LOVE the idea of a white pantsuit or a silk shirt…if you’ve got a 2 year-old at home, it's likely getting covered in chocolate (and other more unpleasant brown materials)

Equally, if you hate ironing and have a huge pile of un-ironed shirts looming in the corner of your bedroom… Don’t buy something that needs ironing. 

If you KNOW you aren’t the kind of person who’ll divide up your laundry and take certain things to the dry cleaner... don't buy dry-clean only items.

Good style sits between functionality and self-expression.

And on this note, check the care label (No, not the size label, buy the size that fits and stop attaching so much worth to a made-up system of numbers).

What temperature wash does it suggest? Can the item be ironed or not? Is it dry-clean only?

To get you started:

2. Natural fibres

As a general rule, anything made of natural fibres will be higher quality - wool, cashmere, silk, cotton. BUT blended fabrics (a mix of a natural and a synthetic) can be more durable and last longer.

Watch out for polyester (cheap) and acrylic - anything with more than 50% acrylic ain't gonna last you the season.

3. Check the hardware

There are certain high street retailers who make aesthetically-pleasing clothes… that are ruined by terrible zips (looking at YOU, Zara) 

Having a zip replaced can be costly depending on the construction and material of the dress/skirt. Avoid bad zippers. You might be tempted by the allure of sequins now, but wait until your dry cleaner tells you it would cost you double what you paid for the skirt to repair it, if they can repair it at all.

Also check buttons - not only to make sure you like them (a bad button can throw me off) but that they’re secure. AND does it come with spares?

Imagine a flimsy-placed button coming off your new blazer and you don't have a spare in sight to salvage it. You've got to either

A) have all the buttons changed

or, more likely

B) put it away in the cupboard and tell yourself 'one day I'll get those buttons changed' and you never, ever do...

4. Lining and facing

Lining and facing (extra material around the seams) will:

• help a garment wear better 
• make it look better 

Lack of these can indicate the manufacturer was saving costs and cutting corners on the construction, and likely you'll end up with a hole in the armpit where your sleeve rubs, or a skirt that never seems to sit 'quite right' (and never gets worn)

Have you ever been to a charity or vintage shop and seen a skirt from the 70s-80s and wondered how it looks so good for its age? The construction.

Clothes back then were made to last in a way they're not now.

Sometimes you'd be better of buying a vintage garment of better construction than a poorly-sewn together high street piece.

And (another sneaky tip here because I'm giving it allll today) - invest in your foundations. You'd be surprised how much difference your undergarments can have when you're wearing 'off the rack' clothes.

5. Know your stores

As awful as Zara zips are, it’s probably one of the best retailers on the high street for blazers. 

I know it feels easier to do a huge haul from one brand (our brains will always look for the most convenient option) - but you’re in danger of looking like a walking advert for said brand, as opposed to someone with individual style 

Take some time to go to the shops.

Plan a trip that incorporates high street, high-end and boutique if you can.

Touch the fabrics. Look at the construction. Check the care labels. You'll expand your knowledge of what's available, and you'll end up with a more eclectic style, because you'll mix and match pieces from different places.

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I'm Samantha, the Style Editor, and I help women in business save time and make money through the power of their clothes.

If you'd like my help elevating your style so you can stop saying 'I have nothing to wear', and start using your wardrobe as the business tool it has the potential to me - get in touch with me.

You can find out more about working with me here