Are you one of those together people who coordinates everything and always has something to wear? Oh, I hate you people; you always make me feel like such a slob.

Do you buy new clothes a lot? Do you buy on impulse or do you shop carefully? Do you ever have a day when you have nothing to wear, and if so, what do you do?

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

Answers

I always seem to buy clothes in spring. I don't know why, but that's when I buy them. I typically buy stuff when I am out of clothes, like you, too, but it's the bare necessities.

If ever I have a day when I have nothing to wear, I grumble and curse and then I pull out the iron.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

Geez, I hate to stereotype myself, but I only buy new clothes when I run out of stuff I can wear to work (which drives my wife nuts, because she has to watch as my clothing slowly deteriorates and I never buy anything... but then she always takes my clothes to wear when she's not at work, so they wear out even faster, so it's really not my fault...). So far, luckily, I've tended to work in business-darned-casual kinds of places where jeans and knit shirts work okay; if my next assignment is in a suit-and-tie place, it better come with a big fat raise or I'm going to be wearing the same suit 5 days a week.

I used to coordinate everything: I only bought blue clothes. Then my wife pointed out that, as a Winter, or something like that, I could actually wear other colors, like red, and green, and black. I tried them, and they work, but sometimes, now, I have to wonder... do I look like a goof? Oh, and what a coincidence, my wife's a winter, too...

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

Sometimes I feel like everything comes together when I put on a certain outfit. Unfortunately, the only time I feel like this is when I wear this certain black leather jacket. I look strange if I wear it all the time - especially indoors - so I go around comparing myself to everyone else most of the time.

I go out and buy clothes as often as I possibly can. I don't make that much money, so I kind of have to budget, but I suppose I get by.

I wish I could borrow Troy's clothes when I feel like I don't have anything to wear, but he's 6 feet and 235 pounds, and somehow I just can't make 5'2" and 105 pounds look good in that stuff.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I seem to buy a lot of stuff in the fall; hence my fall/winter wardrobe is infinitely better then my spring/summer. But that's not to say it's great either (must have something to do with back-to-school sale habits).

I finally have a good job, and when I got my first pay cheque, I realized I could buy whatever my little heart desired. Hence, I have a closet full of clothes that don't match, or I don't have quite the right shoes (shoes, the bane of my existence -if only I could find *just* the right pair!), or the right jacket for, or a bag that goes just so. I'm thinking of chucking it all and starting from scratch. But of course, now I'm buying a car, and moving out of my mothers house (again) and so I have *no* money. *SIGH*

And I love clothes. I just *love* to shop. So why can I never buy the right stuff? Should I pay for the service of a personal shopper or is it shopping assistant? I hear you can just make an appt. and get them to help you like once - and that it's either free (depending on the store) or not too expensive. I might do it on a one-shot deal. The weirdest part is - I'm *GREAT* at telling other people what to keep, what to get rid of, what to wear and what not to wear, what goes with what - why can't I dress myself???

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

Oh, Jennifer, those personal shoppers are pretty cool. I did that once for my birthday. I didn't plan it ahead, though. I was just shopping on my own at Macy's and I looked kind of lost, and a woman came and took me by the hand, stuck me in a dressing room (a special dressing room -- very big with mirrors everywhere and a comfortable sofa), gave me a cup of coffee in a silver cup, and then went to find me a bunch of clothes. She told me which ones she thought worked and which ones didn't cut it. She gave me advice on what styles to wear and what ones to avoid, and she found things that were on sale, too.

It was free, it was fun, and it made me feel like a princess. I should do that again.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

Eeeecchhhhh. I despise clothes-shopping. Dont get me wrong: I'm as big a clothes horse as the next girly-girl, but -- dang! -- hunting and gathering is a depressing chore.

I'm all the wrong size. It's terrible! Petite is 5'5" and under. Average is 5'7" and over. HELLO?! I'm 5'6"! And if I happen to find a short Average or a long Petite, the waist is always too big and the butt is always too narrow. And I never, never, never have enough boob for THAT perfect dress.

Argh. If I could run around nekkid and barefoot, I probably would... though the neighbours mightn't be too pleased about it.

Well, except that one guy up the block...

Er... That's a different faerie tale!

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I used to buy new clothes all the time, back when we lived closer to civilization. Outfits were co-ordinated, pantyhose never had a run. That was also back when I had only one child (or none), a job, a place to go to need dressing up every day.
Now, its fifty pounds, two more kids and a zillion bra sizes later, plus I work at home. No need to dress up, no clothes that fit anyway. A 14 would actually fit, but it gaps like you would not believe at the bustline. Also, to make matters worse I'm only 5'2" in shoes. Sounds like a big round ball.
i did discover recently that since I looked like a rectangle anyway, the big sweater and long flowing skirt look can actually work for me now. Trouble is, I only have 2 of each.
Weekdays are mostly choosing between the navy, purple or hunter sweatpants, and whatever sweatshirt is clean. Double up with a t- shirt underneath too, because it's chilling off up here in Canada.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I do not like to shop. Have always been a penny-pincher so I would browse the garage sales and Goodwill stores. Lately, though, I've been going to this up-scale department store when they have their clearance sales at the end of the season. If I also clip their coupons out of the paper, I can get some really nice clothes for very cheap prices. One of the gals I work with has 3 daughters who are clothes-horses. She brings in the discarded clothes for another gal (who makes much less money than I do) to go through. When she is finished, I will look through them as I am a bit smaller than this other gal. Today I got a nice pair of navy sweatpants and a navy turtleneck. I'm always amazed at the nice stuff I get from her as I, myself, almost always wear things until they are faded and frayed. Guess that's why I can't make any money at my own garage sale!

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I both love and hate shopping, so the 'net at its attendant online shopping sites have been a real boon for me.

You see, I like to get new pretty stuff, but I HATE going to the mall, which is invariably where we end up when all the cute little hole-in- the-wall shops wind up not having anything that I would remotely want to buy.

I tend to buy when things wear out. I find one or two particular combos that I really love that fit, come in a range of pretty colors and are very comfortable and I buy 3 or 4 sets of interchangeable items so that I don't have to shop again for a very long time.

I REALLY hate dressing rooms, so I prefer to shop by mail and try on in the relative safety of my own bedroom.

I even by my undies/bras online now, from onehanesplace.com

I buy in a mix of careful and impulsive, like the other day, I did a run through onehanesplace to replace two bras that gave up the ghost and while I was there I checked out the sales/holiday pages and they had these gorgeous empire waist dresses in rich cranberry red, hunter green and floral print on cream that I just couldn't resist.

So I bought two on impulse, and I'm glad I did because I can just toss them on with a matching headband in my hair and throw on some knee-high socks and voila, I'm dressed for work in about 2 seconds flat.

I'm very fond of empire waist dresses in that way and I'm slowly building a collection of them in different weights, colors and sleeve lengths.

In fact I'm very annoyed because Land's End has alrady shifted their catalogue over to the fall selections and the yummy high waist dresses that I wrote on this board about before are no longer available.

Grr. Argh.

I generally have nothing to wear right before and rigth after we've done the laundry.

Like right now.

There is a massive pile of clean stuff on the floor and the hamper is full and I can't find any of my work clothes without making massive excavations into either pile.

I don't actively coordinate everything, but my color tastes tend to run towards color combos that look good together.

I buy lots of navy, black and neutral colored shirts so that I can mix and match pieces. For example, I have three cotton interlock navy cardigans with matching pants and skirts from Land's End, the same in black in lesser quantities and a plethora of semi-tailored off-white t- shirts, both long and short sleeved, which are what I usually wind up wearing to work.

I've also got some deep purples, lots of hunter green and a splash of dark reds here and there.

Blue is my favorite color though, so I have TONS of blue of all shades in my closet.

My biggest problem is usually shoes. I hate wearing dressy shoes all day long, because they hurt my feet, so I'm always on the prowl for shoes that both look good with work clothes and are good enough to wear to interviews, but are also good walking shoes.

Hence, I own a lot of shoes that I never wear for one reason or another.

Recently though I blew money on two pairs of LL Bean's Flexlite shoes - - the T-strap and the Oxford lace-up varieties and I have to say that these are GREAT. They broke in really quickly and they feel like sneakers but look like those nifty suede oxfords that a lot of guys wear. Yum. Like getting a hug for the feet.

One final note -- because I am currently overweight, I haven't bought anything that is fully tailored in a long long time. In fact the only piece of clothing that is so, is my "interview suit" a pseudo-linen thing in navy that I bought from Lane Bryant. I hate it, mostly because it itches terribly. But this I think is why I so rarely feel like I have nothing to wear.

The line between my work clothes and my weekend clothes is very fine. I usually just take off my cardigan when I get home and my interlock pants are perfectly comfortable to lounge around in. They're also very easy to wash -- just toss into the laundry with everything else. So it's rare that I'm scrambling around on the bottom of the closet looking for anything.

I also have a thing for split-skirts -- you know those loose pants that look like a skirt but are split up the middle so that you don't get fat-lady leg chafe.

If I had any money right now, I'd buy a whole bunch of new t-shirts actually, because most of the ones I have are starting to get ratty around the edges and some of them have shrunk a bit so that they're a little short in front.

OH yeah and I forgot, I tend to be a seasonal shopper. When the new lines for Fall/Spring/Summer/Winter come out I'm always oohing and ahhing over things, or conversely growling because the colors have swung into a bad place for me.

My favorite seasonal clothes to buy though, are fall/winter, hand's down, because of all the neat fabrics and the sweaters and hats and scarves and and and ...

Yep I'm a sucker for knit cardigans and corduroy pants and plushy shirts.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I shop year round. I only buy new clothes, I never shop at used clothing stores. I buy classic shapes in earth tones and neutrals. I don't buy many clothes because everything lasts so long. Everything mixes and matches. I never worry about what to wear. You may hate me if you wish, but the truth is I am neurotic about clothing. Because I, too, won't leave my house if I have Nothing To Wear. And I have been known to go home at lunchtime and change shoes if they were The Wrong Shoes. It used to make me crazy, especially in school. Now I stock my closet with impeccable outfits just so I won't have to flip out about what to wear when.

But I never have much in the way of special occasion clothes, which is a drawback. And of course I'm never, ever trendy except with accessories. Take my advice. Spend the big money on clothes that look good, and go ape on accessories. Then, when you tire of them, or decide you were mad for buying them, it won't bother you to leave them in the closet.

I secretly want to be a Personal Shopper. Shh!

-- Anonymous, November 18, 1999

I nearly always shop from catalogs, so I buy things when I see things I like. I'm kind of a frumpy dresser, I'll admit - lots of things like denim skirts and baggy t shirts, and dresses from L. L. Bean.

I was just thinking that this is the longest I've been at home without ordering some clothes. Better go through those catalogs again...

-- Anonymous, November 19, 1999