Basic Wardrobe Planning
Strategy #2:
Uncompromisingly Choose
Your Best Fit & Styles

Basic wardrobe planning that ignores Strategy #2 is useless. It doesn’t matter if you build a wardrobe that includes appropriate pieces/types of business clothes, unless they fit you well and are styles that create the image that you choose to project.

Basic wardrobe planning is about selecting the key pieces that will form the foundation of your professional wardrobe. It is important to get Strategy #2 right when it comes to making these choices.

As my granddad used to say, “If I had a dollar for every time…” the hosts of TLC What Not to Wear told a guest to never settle for clothes that don’t fit, “…I’d have a nice sum of money.”

Business attire that is too big looks schlumpy and doesn’t hide what we think its hiding. Clothes that are too small tend to look tacky and diminish our credibility.

Neither of these outcomes is a good thing, especially not in a work environment…

Fit

Fit trumps style in my book any day…if you must choose between style and fit…choose fit. However, that fortunately isn’t a choice that most of us have to make. We are able to choose both, even if we have to downsize our wardrobes.

How do you know if a garment fits you well?

Stand in front of a full-length mirror wearing the clothes.

Are there any puckers or gathers? Any unsightly pulls or over-stretched fabric? Do any buttons look as though they’re about to blast-off? Can you lift your arms above your head or reach forward comfortably without busting a seam?

Do you look lost in the clothes? Are they shapeless looking because they fail to hit your figure any where?

Is the natural waistline of the jacket closer to your bust-line or hips than it is to your natural waist? Do the full-length sleeves look like three-quarter length sleeves instead or like they're suffocating your hands?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions…chances are the garment isn’t a good fit.

However, all may not be lost…thank goodness for tailors and skilled seamstresses/dressmakers. Hems can be raised and sometimes even lowered…gapping waistbands can be taken up…and darts can be altered.

No Hope for Extreme Mis-fits

However, when the misfit is extreme, beyond the repair of even a skilled tailor…don’t settle…even if the garment is the perfect color and you can think of ten other redeeming values for the piece…please, leave it on the rack.

Style

Most women have a preferred style clothing style. These styles may vary from traditional, classic, romantic, and earthy to trendy and sexy. But even though we may have a preferred style, it doesn’t mean that we don’t like to cross-over to another style on occasion.

Sexy Here, Different from Sexy There

Savvy women in business also understand that they may have to edit their personal style a bit for the workforce. Sexy for an unrelated business evening out can be a bit different from sexy in the workplace. The same holds true for earthy and all the other personal styles.

The "rules" for basic business attire and apparel in general are similar, but they are a bit more stringent when it comes to work clothes.

For example, let's say this woman is an assistant to the manager in a manufacturing company and she aspires to be the head of quality control...she may not gain much respect as a serious candidate for the position by exposing excessive cleavage, sporting over-sized earrings and wearing heavy make-up.

By knowing what your style is and modifying it for work, you begin to create a brand for you and become known for having a certain type of style...which can be a good thing...because chances are, when you add talent and a good work ethic to that, you'll be thought of when the job or opportunity that you have your eyes set on opens up.

That’s Basic Wardrobe Planning 101: Strategy #2…don’t compromise, choose your best fit and styles.

Next...if you're ready, move on to the last strategy, or feel free to go back and review the introductory wardrobe planning page or strategy #1:

Basic Wardrobe Planning Strategies to Build a Wardrobe

Learning how to build a wardrobe using basic wardrobe planning strategies is critical to developing a business clothes wardrobe that creates a goal-oriented, authentic appearance that gets you noticed

Basic Professional Attire Planning Strategy #1

Strategy #1 challenges you to commit to looking your best in clothes that fit your figure and compliment your personality…uncompromisingly choose your best fit and styles.

Basic Business Clothing Strategy #3

Strategy #3 encourages you to use wisdom and savvy when making your business clothes selections…make smart choices.

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