Gorgeous blue skies signal the advent of spring. Coats and heavy sweaters come off as the temperature rises. Clothes for spring and summer come to mind. And with that in mind, many people wonder if there will be anything in the stores for them.
Anything? Something? Just the right thing? A thing or two in the way of clothes that speak to you — to your personal style is what you're looking for. So what is your personal style? You may recognize it when you see it, but can you define it? Describe it? Picture it?
Pictures, that's exactly what you need — pictures of the clothes that speak to you, to who you are, what you do, and what you want to be.
Now where do you find these pictures of clothes to consider? Fashion magazines of course, but a lot of fashion magazines offer little in the way of real clothes for real people with real-life lives. The best place to look for clothing pictures is in the clothing catalogs. It's likely some or a lot already come to your home, but maybe not the ones that cater to your lifestyle or personal style.
Do a little snoop search on the internet. Enter “clothing catalogs.” You'll get leads to a variety of clothing catalogs. Be more specific. Enter “women's clothing catalogs” or men's, plus-size, petite, and so on. Go to www.catalogs.com and click on Clothing & Accessories, or Shoes & Footwear. Listings are varied, but not complete or exhaustive of what's available.
Go to www.conselle.com and click on the Bookstore. You'll find a Fashion Catalog Directory you can order with hundreds of listings for women, men, and children, updated annually. Just a few of the variety for women include my favorite Appleseed's, including Misses, Women's, and Petite sizes, Bloomingdales, trendy J. Marco, Talbots, Chadwick's, Newport News, J. Crew, Damon's and Draper's, and Montery Bay.
Women's plus-size catalogs include Silhouettes, Ulla Popken, Just My Size, and Jessica London.
Men's favorites include Jos. Banks, Paul Frederick, Eddie Bauer, Bullock & Jones, Land's End , and Brooks Brothers and more. Although prices may be higher, for larger sizes in men's wear, try Rochester 's Big and Tall. If needs be, save ahead and wait till their “ Sale !” catalog arrives.
At no charge, virtually any catalog you might want to check out will be sent to you. If you haven't already gotten the 800 number or email address, just call 1/800-555-1212 and request the company's 800 number. Clothing catalogs don't have to be a pain. Catalogs can be terrific learning tools, teaching you about clothing style, fabric, and quality — and showing you ways to coordinate the clothes and accessories.
When the catalogs come, remind yourself, you're just looking for now, not buying.
- Neatly tear out every picture you see that has something you like.
- Circle the item and make any notes on the page.
- Put the pictures in a folder, file, or box for future reference. Group similar types of garments together — blouses and shirts together, jackets together, skirts or pants together, and so on.
- Periodically, sort through your style file. Look for commonalities among the pictured clothes and make more notes about the design details you prefer — details authentic for you.
- Discard those pictures that no longer appeal to you. There are sure to be some that you'll look at later and wonder, “Now, why did I think I liked that?” Let it go.
Gradually, you'll accumulate a collection of pictured styles truly representative of your preferences and needs. And later, as you consider additions to your wardrobe, your style file will serve as a guide, a reminder of the parts and pieces of your personal style. In the process, you'll find out there is something “out there” for virtually every body — every age, size, personality, values, lifestyle, and price range. You have options!
Judith Rasband is Director of the Conselle Institute of Image Management and author of numerous publications on dress and image. Contact her at 801/224-1207 or judith@conselle.com. For related image information, visit www.conselle.com and www.LDSImageIntegrity.info.
