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1 This copyright publication is for your own use only. You may share the PDF in its original form including all links and copyright references. No rights to sell or publish it in print or electronic form are offered. Please invite others to download their own copy at

2 Ready to learn how to shop like a professional stylist? If you re among almost half of women who admit that they hate shopping for clothes, then you ll be glad to know there's an easier alternative to building your wardrobe. When you're confident about what to look for and where to find it, you can expect a shopping experience that won't stress you out and leaves you looking great in the process. This ebook shows you how the top wardrobe stylists shop for many clients without going crazy. Patty Buccellato Image Coach, Published Author Read on to learn their secrets For additional Winning Image Strategies to help you look and feel your best, visit my article archive: For questions and comments, the best way to get in touch is via my Facebook page: 2

3 STRATEGY #1: Know What You Own Did you know that most women, like you, wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time? Study your closet before you even consider walking out your front door. Can you eliminate some of the 80% of the items you don't wear often? Getting rid of the dead weight in your closet gives you the freedom (and space) to build an entirely new wardrobe that makes you look your best. So it's important to know right up front. What are your incomplete outfits? For instance, is there a fabulous brocade jacket you bought 3 seasons ago, but never pulled together into a great outfit? If you still love the jacket then it's time to look for pants or a skirt to go with it. When do you feel the most frustrated -- getting ready for work in the morning, dressing for a Saturday night out with friends? This personal reflection will help you identify gaps in your wardrobe that need to be filled. Where can you streamline? For instance, if you currently own 5 pairs of black pants or shoes something's gotta go to make room for clothes you'll love and wear all the time. Do a closet review twice annually and give contents my one- year test: if you haven t worn a piece of clothing at least once in the last 12 months, then either give it away (donate to charity or take to a resale shop), or make the commitment to build an outfit around it. 3

4 STRATEGY #2: Have a Mission A stylist shops with purpose. So can you. Leaping into the ocean without a destination is dangerous, right? You can only swim in circles for so long. Lacking a shopping goal (translation: items on a list), is dangerous, too -- to your wallet. And just like swimming, you may exhaust yourself before reaching a positive result. Combat overwhelm with a plan. Know exactly what you intend to go home with so you don t make a desperate grab to leave the store with something that doesn't serve you later. Example: You re attending a friend s wedding next month, and have the perfect dress to wear. It s sleeveless and the air-conditioned reception site will be chilly, but that s a minor problem. You receive an for a clearance sale at your favorite store. Excited, you go and find: A deep-discount price on a new black handbag. Skinny jeans at 50% off -- they re in the color of the season! A final sale blazer you just love. It s in your size, and you toss it in your shopping basket. Back at home, you notice this is your fifth black handbag, the jeans are in last season s hot color, and the blazer s size is labeled wrong. You ve been duped! The romance of bargain shopping left you with new clothes that add no value to your wardrobe. A checklist reminder to look at the accessory area of the mall s department store might have scored you a pashmina wrap or elegant bolero to wear with your lovely dress. With a focused plan, you save time, energy, and money. Look at the clothes you love and feel confident in. Make a list of items to wear with them, expanding their usefulness. Can your favorite pencil skirt from last fall be recycled for spring with a bright floral blouse and silk cardigan? Be specific in your list, and only stop at stores or departments that match your target. 4

5 STRATEGY #3: Build a Foundation The simplest clothing pieces to coordinate are in solid, neutral colors. Build a base of core wardrobe staples in neutrals to multiply your outfit options. Your basics like trousers, skirts, sheath dresses, and layering tops get interesting when you mix up the way you wear them (with jackets, cardigans, scarves, and jewelry). A neutral base is your blank canvas. Paint your fashion picture with shopping treasures. Next time you find a gorgeous multi-colored tweed jacket or brocade wrap, they ll have the perfect backdrop waiting at home in your closet. It ll take little to no effort to play up their awesome-ness. Find your personal-best color palette and select core wardrobe pieces in neutrals relating to the same color family. You ll not only find it easy to create knockout outfits, you ll look vibrant and healthy in your naturallyharmonious colors maybe even knocking a few years off your appearance. 5

6 STRATEGY #4: Identify Trends Worthy of Investment Fashions come and fashions go. With a limitless budget, you can experiment fully. (You ve got a limitless budget, right?) Since most real-world shoppers find it necessary to make choices, weigh out an expense in relation to the estimated life of the clothing or accessory item in question. A trend worth spending more on is one that stands the test of time. If you feel a particular trend is a short-term fad, participate if you like, but do it in low-cost form. An inexpensive costume jewelry item is a thrifty way to reflect a trend with smarts. Some trends look silly once their freshness fades. You don t have to become a student of fashion to be fashionable. High-low hems and sparkle-tipped fingernails may be hot right now. Other looks stand the test of time, season after fashion season. Example: leopard print. It s a pattern you can look stylish in without worry of exceeding a fashion expiration date. 6

7 STRATEGY #5: Walk Away Donald Trump is quoted saying, The best time to negotiate is when you are willing to walk away from the deal. Be prepared to end a shopping excursion empty-handed. If you do, you re shopping like a pro free of emotional attachment. Best place to be -- decision-making from a place of power, not desperation. Let shopping be a treasure hunt. Challenge yourself to only buy when an item is perfect. Fewer regrets equal a lovelier wardrobe. Finalize your shopping choices at home. Confirm a store s return policy, then evaluate your selections in natural light. With your own wardrobe at arm s reach, a review of mixand-match possibilities is a snap. (Artificial lighting in stores can be deceiving when color matching.) Save receipts and keep hang tags on items until you re sure about the keepers. 7

8 STRATEGY #6: Go It Alone You might feel tempted to enlist the help of friends. One word: resist. Turning your shopping journey into a social experience leads to poor choices. (You know that relaxed state of mind after a glass of wine and lunch with girlfriends? Not good for tactical shopping.) Well-meaning friends have their own tastes and preferences. Even the nature of a relationship impacts a friend s opinions. While some companions might, even unwittingly, undermine your best appearance, most women like to support one another. A friend is more likely to offer encouragement, than to tell you something doesn t look right on you. Remember, she doesn t want you to go home empty-handed either. Shop when well rested and in a good frame of mind. Plan ahead so you aren t under pressure. Pack bottled water and snacks to remain refreshed and clear, and trust that just the right items will show up for you! 8

9 STRATEGY #7: Resist the Appeal to Rescue Orphan wardrobe pieces take up valuable closet real estate and precious budget dollars. You have enough lonesome items in your closet already. Leave adoption to the less-savvy shoppers, and commit to only buy clothing that you can wear with at least three items you own now. If you ve gotten to know your closet s contents, coordinating options quickly come to mind. Say you have a beautiful pair of well-fitting trousers, but you never wear them because their matching jacket suffered a life-ending run-in with a spoonful of marinara sauce. The Solution: Put them back into action with a cardigan that not only matches them, but that also coordinates with last fall s tweed skirt and your best-fitting jeans. When you shop, bring the item you most want to find matches for, plus at least two other garments in a similar color family. Companion pieces show up easily when you have inspiration in-hand. Enter the fitting room with potential items for assessment, and leave your expectation to own outside the door. Your objective review proves an item worthy (or not). 9

10 STRATEGY #8: Take a Self Portrait (again, and again) Professional stylists take snapshots for clients to see themselves in one dimension. A photo lends a more objective view of an outfit than when gazing in a mirror. Try it. In the store fitting room, put on all the pieces that make up an outfit you re thinking about buying. Stand back and, using your phone s camera, take a headto-toe, on-the-spot photo. A slightly distanced view of yourself offers a whole-look perspective. You ll often catch overlooked fit issues at arms-length distance, too. Use your photographer s eye when coordinating new outfit possibilities with existing clothes in your closet. Build a look book with actual photos so you remember your options later. 10

11 STRATEGY #9: Leverage the Power of Small Always, always visit the accessory department. This part of the store is a professional stylist s secret weapon. The perfect necklace takes a plain dress from blah to ta-da! in an instant. The right belt transforms a shapeless tunic into a figuredefining outfit element. A colorful handbag adds punch to an otherwise neutral ensemble. Not only do they complete your outfit, accessories change an ensemble s personality, and can bridge two otherwise disconnected clothing items. Get your hands on a scarf in a printed pattern or jacquard weave relating to colors of your wardrobe. (An oblong in the 26 x 78 range is most versatile.) You get: Update to a basic t-shirt & jean jacket Shoulder coverage on summer evenings Sarong cover-up for beach or pool-side Sash belt for an otherwise plain sheath dress. all in one item! 11

12 STRATEGY #10: Tend to the Inner Layer Suitable under things go a long way in supporting your style choices -- literally. The best dress in the land is a disaster if your intimates don t do their job, so make a good investment to sidestep embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions. Lingerie has gone high-tech in recent years with options that lift, tuck, trim, smooth, and enhance. Try on your most-revealing clothes and your goals become crystal clear. Find the best lingerie shop in your community, and treat yourself to a bra fitting (with the most form-fitting sweater you own tucked in your shopping tote). A well-selected bra keeps everything just where it belongs, and the guidance of a fit expert helps you find it. And while you re in the good hands of a lingerie specialist, look into smoothing panties and body shapers, too. 12

13 STRATEGY #11: Identify Your Store s Personality Identify your sources (both stores and manufacturers) to save time. When familiar with the market, you ll know which shops are worth visiting, and which aren t. Department store A has a reputation for a certain level of customer service and price range. Specialty store or boutique B caters to a particular style of dressing, and thus, customer profile. And so-on Get familiar with stores that align with your own tastes and style preferences so that you ll never again shop aimlessly. Call on your favorite stores regularly for the best finds. You won t necessarily end each visit with your arms full of new clothes. That s okay it s part of the process. A winning wardrobe comes over time to the selective shopper. Get to know the designers whose garments fit your body and tastes. Search online for their products in selections not available at your local mall. 13

14 STRATEGY #12: Know the Terrain An expert shopper understands the mindset retailers expect from you, the consumer. (They lay out their store s displays accordingly.) The idea, of course, is to get you to spend more. When you enter a store, the newest goods are displayed right up front and center. This is the full-priced merchandise that plays to your I must have the hottest fashion sensitivities. The charming presentation shows you an entire look that you re expected to buy as-is -- unless you have other plans. Sale and clearance items are at the back of the store. You must pass the higher-ticket merchandise to reach it. There is method to the madness. Retailers know that if you feel satisfied with incredible bargains found up front, you may never make it to the back. So, the store s most-profitable merchandise is placed in front, where you re certain not to miss it. Don t get caught in the trap of buying display collections that aren t relevant to you. Be selective. Choose what is best, sale-priced or otherwise. When you know the garment shapes, fabrics, and colors that flatter you, you aren t tempted to purchase an entire outfit as displayed. Choose what works and leave the rest in confidence! 14

15 Continue your makeover with these additional resources I hope you enjoyed my free ebook, Learn To Shop Like A Stylist! Below are additional free resources for you, including where to get answers to your questions, as well as additional tips and tricks to help you build a wardrobe that makes you look and feel like a million bucks! ~Patty 1. Post your questions and comments on Facebook 2. Get more FREE image-boosting tips and tricks at 3. Get the book Stepping Stones to Success for expert advice to supercharge your goals in work, love, play in life. 15