Family Finance and Budget By Michelle P. Sharrow, MBA - Did you know that you can make it through the fall and winter without spending a ton on weather appropriate clothing? .
Yes, you can and I am going to tell you how. This month’s column provides a few wardrobe tricks for both women and kids to extend the wear of their clothing all while remaining fashionable.
Women
If you have sleeveless dresses, you can wear them through the fall and early winter by pairing them with long sleeve shirts. Whether you wear them with cotton pullovers or button up shirts, your options are limitless. You can wear the shirts underneath the dresses or over them to make the dresses appear as skirts. This latter option will work best with a button up shirt that is tapered at the waist. The paired shirt and dress look is very professional and will help you get more mileage out of your existing wardrobe. In addition to this, tights and leggings work wonders. You can wear tights with these same dress and shirt combos for a trendy look that not only will make you look great, but it will also keep your legs warm as the temperature continues to drop. Lastly, pair your footless leggings with boots to take it up another notch. Light weight leather jackets are also good items for pairing with sleeves dresses and heavy weight cotton tops.
If you are looking for reasonably priced tights, warehouse shopping clubs like BJs and Sams Club are excellent places to load up on them for cheap. Additionally, don’t forget places like Wal-mart and Kmart. You can purchase a pair per week to gradually increase the amount that you own so that you can extend the life of the ones you have by not wearing the same few pairs throughout the season. Additionally, removing them as soon as you get home, keeping your toenails trimmed, and hand washing them with a mild detergent will all go a long way in keeping them in pristine condition.
Kids
Similar to women, spring and summer children’s clothes can be paired with other clothing items to extend the wearing time. This is especially helpful since children out grow their clothes so quickly anyway. You can pair jean dresses with long sleeve tops. You can also pair jean skirts with leggings and boots for an edgy and cute fall/winter look. Additionally, for both boys and girls, you can pair short sleeve shirts with long sleeve shirts of a different color for a unique look that it’s sure to keep your children warm and fashionable.
One additional tip to save you in the long run, when it comes to your wardrobe, is to purchase colors that can go from season to season with little effort. While bright yellows and pinks are excellent colors, building a wardrobe of black, brown, blue, grey, and even tan will ensure that you can keep wearing your favorite items all year round. All you’ll have to do is add long sleeves, a cardigan or a lightweight jacket to make it work. Lastly, adding seasonal accessories --chunkier ones -- for the fall and winter and light weight ones for spring and summer, will make you look like you stepped out of a fashion magazine.
