The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but,  of course, society demands something more than this."
Mark Twain



Dear Susan,
      When I enter a store, I get completely confused.  I usually just look at the mannequins and try to copy this look or I look at racks of clothing and get frustrated.   One time  I followed around a woman and saw what she picked up, another time I had a sales clerk help me and she just " yesed"  me to death and a big fat commission.  I need a few rules to help me navigate this scary world of fashion.
Signed
A Closet full of anxiety

Dear Anxious Closet Case,
       Fashion should be easy and fun. That being said, I know that it is easy to get overwhelmed with tv, magazines and store images. There are three factors to every garment you purchase- cut, color and quality.
 Cut-
The shape of your body can dictate the shape of the garment you purchase.  Great fashion accentuates the positive and detracts from the negative. No garment can make you look 30 pounds lighter, but by making your top and bottom halves proportionate to each other, you create an all over slimmed silhouette. If the garment is shaped like a box, than so will you. Seaming, Seaming and more Seaming.....
Color -      
“ When someone says that lime-green is the new black for this season, you just want to tell them to get a life.”
 Bruce Oldfield  (English Fashion designer}.
  Every season, we are told blah blah is the new black. Let's face it nothing is ever going to replace black as the "go to" color. That being said, new colors  and styles are brought forth each season. Most of us have a wardrobe consisting of the four basic food group colors beige, black brown, and navy. The easiest way to try an "it" color is a scarf, shoe, bag, or top.  The surest way to try a new style is in a basic color. Combining  the two can make you feels as if the clothes are wearing you or make you look like your trying too hard. Fashion is hard, style is effortless. 
Quality -
The fabrication of a garment, meaning it's construction and it's material, indicate the quality of a purchase.  Not only does construction refer to the seaming of a piece, but how the piece fits you. Very often people will say" But I got it for eight dollars!"; if it fits and looks cheap then all I can reply is "Yes, it looks like it". It is better to invest in the fit and quality of your basic wardrobe than buy fifty "bargains"
 So Anxious, follow your heart , know your body and dress for yourself
SUSAN