Fashion Article: Score Big Savings On Your Signature Styles

Posted under Misses Plus Size Clothing, Plus Size Clothing, Plus Size Fashion, Plus Size Fashion Article, Plus Size Information, Special Promotions and Shipping Offers, Women's Plus Size Clothing by Plus Size Shopper

It’s true that you can go fashion-forward without spending like a run-away Kardashian or a tabloid heiress.

Whatever your size or signature look, stylists insist on three fundamental rules of intelligent “wardrobe acquisition”: First, learn which colors look best with your hair, eyes, and complexion, building a collection of mix-and-match pieces in just a couple of color families, so that just about everything in your closet goes with just about everything else. Second, shop with some respect for the season’s trends, but focus primarily on fits, fabrics, and finishes that always flatter you. When you look carefully at Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House looks from 1962, you see they still would look stylish today. You want your signature look to have that same timeless elegance. Third, shop with consummate respect for “value,” a delicate balance of price and durability. While you may indulge yourself with a couple of gotta-have-it-now “disposable” pieces, you should expect most of your fashion finds to last for several years. Then, make sure you get the best price on all your style essentials, shopping strategically:

• Print coupons from upscale retailers’ websites. Especially if you are shopping for or with your style-conscious ‘tween or teen daughters, visit their favorite retailers’ websites before you head for the mall. American Eagle, Hollister, Delia’s, Forever 21, and Macy’s frequently have deep discounts or big dollars-off coupons for last season’s less-than-spectacular sellers or larger sizes of their most popular items. Unless you suffer extreme sticker-shock, do not shy-away from the designer labels on grounds of price alone. Many designers fashions are timeless, outliving lower-priced fads. Moreover, the upscale brands typically are better values, because manufacturers craft them from finer fabrics with more attention to detail in the workmanship. Coupon savings often bring the prices of those ever-so-important embroidered logos down to nearly the same price as the discounters’ knock-offs.

• Go to the coupon networks. Smartmoney.com sagely notes that the sudden proliferation of couponing websites actually has complicated life for bargain-hunters who are overwhelmed by an embarrassment of riches. They thoughtfully simplify the process by highlighting the top five most reputable, diversified, reliable sites; and they periodically update their listing to keep pace with trends in technology and corporate partnerships. To no one’s big surprise, Coupons.com and CouponCabin.com still top the list, and their offers apply at some of the country’s premier retailers—The Gap and J.C. Penney, for example.

• Shop major retailers online. The biggest retail chains often sell their overstocks via their websites instead of paying to ship them out to stores. Especially during peak clearance periods—after Christmas and during October when they clear both summer and back-to-school—Target and Wal-Mart especially clear-out seasonal fashions, selling of their plus-size fashions for up to 90% off their original prices and often offering free-shipping or easy in-store pick-up. When you follow the time-honored rules, shopping for classics in your best color-palettes, you can perfect your signature look for next to nothing.

• Shop the factory outlets. If you never have devoted a whole day to factory outlet shopping, you cannot imagine the bargains you will find. “The outlet stores beat thrift stores for price, selection, and value—and it’s all brand new stuff!” says Arizona State University co-ed Robyn Graham. Major designers and venerable old brands band together in outlet malls all around the country, selling one-of-a-kinds, seconds, and factory over-runs at up to 90% off. Even “spendy” brands like Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, and Guess? offer “the good stuff” at affordable prices via their factory outlets.

• Get the best of both worlds: Shop Overstock.com and outlet.lanebryant.com. “The O” is a virtual outlet mall, offering name brand merchandise at reasonable, not always jaw-dropping prices; their biggest advantage comes from their assurance of low-cost or no-cost shipping. That, and the fact that they have almost everything in stock and ready to go—with “almost everything” meaning not only all your favorite clothing but also everything for your house, including houses. Outlet.lanebryant.com features plus size clothing from all of its allied brands, including Catherine’s and Fashion Bug, and it does offer the merchandise at jaw-dropping low prices with low-cost shipping and quick delivery. Caution: You easily can get lost in browsing both sites and forget to pick-up the kids at school; they are that spellbinding.

You can be both fashionable and frugal when you shop skillfully and strategically, using tools from the internet and time-honored tactics from professional stylists. Hard times call for hard choices, but you need not forego fashion as you do your financial forecasting. In fashion as elsewhere, “smart is the new rich.”

About the author: UK resident Mary Blanchard, a mother of three, understands the importance of cutting corners wherever she can. She loves online deals and finds couponcroc.co.uk a good gateway to discounts.