Making the Most of Your Clothing Dollar

Andrée Putman, the acclaimed French designer and interior architect, once said, "I love America, and I love American women, but there is one thing that deeply shocks me......American closets. I cannot believe one can dress well when you have so much."

If you have so many clothes the racks can't handle another hanger, and still end up shopping every time an invitation comes, your closet is letting you down. This is a Good News Girlz Closet Intervention. You want to look and feel great every single day. Unless you wear a uniform, that means having a wardrobe that's flexible, deep in the places you spend most of your time, and full of pieces you love. There's a way to have clothing that works for you and fills your needs without having to take a second job.

The first step is figuring out what you already have and what's missing. If you have a patient friend, have her sit with you as this stage can be traumatic. Good music or talk radio can help too. Every piece of clothing you own needs to be assessed. Make five piles: "I love it and feel beautiful when I wear it", "Someone I know will love this item", "Someone I don't know will love this item", "I can get good money for this thing", and "Why is this still in my closet? it's stained, torn, doesn't fit, or just plain ugly".

This cleansing is critical to the process. As you discard items, try to pick up themes: Were they all purchased on sale because the deal was too good to pass up? Was there an expensive garment you really wanted and bought a knockoff instead? Are there certain colors/cuts you admire enough to buy but don't wear once you have them? Or, and this one is difficult, do you notice that clothes you bought shopping with one particular friend have all gone into the reject piles?  Do you have 10 t shirts you keep for messy projects, like painting a wall? Really, how often do you paint walls?

The hardest pieces for most people to part with are the mistakes: the ones that looked good in the store but you've never worn, never even removed the tags. Be hard-hearted and promise yourself never to make that same mistake again. If you can't think of someone who can pull off that peculiar shade of orange, consignment stores, online vintage and couture sites such as Still Haute!, and eBay will try to sell it for you. Or there are nonprofits like Attitudes and Attire, the Salvation Army, and the Prom Dress Project that will make your mistake someone else's heart's desire.

What's left in your closet should make you feel fabulous. Quantity is not that critical. Remember you had mountains of clothes and nothing to wear. Now you have fewer pieces, but all of them fit, look good, and make you feel comfortable wearing them. Less really is more. A recent study claims the average woman wears twenty percent of her wardrobe eighty percent of the time. You can improve your percentages by having the right pieces.

Are critical items missing from your wardrobe? There are a few classics no woman should be without: A trench coat in khaki or black, a great-fitting white blouse, classic black trousers, a jacket that emphasizes your figure strengths, well-fitted jeans, pearl jewelry, black flats, black pumps, great sunglasses, and a little black dress, of course.

These basics can come from Target or T J Maxx. The price is not important, the fit is. With these pieces, you can saunter into any soiree with sass. You'll know that you're dressed appropriately, you look amazing, and you've stayed within budget.