but i got it on sale...

don't get me wrong...there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting something on sale...in fact...if you can get a good price on an item...more power to yah! and...especially this time of year...a great time to be out shopping for those pieces that are missing in your closet...for example...need to stock up on some cashmere sweaters? get thee to the store...soon! prices are being slashed everywhere...

but...

when i've been in the middle of helping a client with their closet...and we pull out that one...sometimes two, three or more pieces...that are hanging in the closet...most times with the big red sales tag hanging off of it...and i hear that lovely phrase come out of my clients mouth..."but i got it on sale"...les sigh...

and??

simple math 101 tells me that...if you bought something at 70 percent off and you never end up wearing it...you're not actually saving money...you're wasting it...so please...don't let the big red sales signs lure you into buying something that you know full well...does not go with anything else in your closet...is not anything close to what you would be able to wear to...____________(fill in the blank with your lifestyle)

because then...when you are out shopping...and you find that piece that is SO you...without hesitation...you will be able to buy it...and know that you saved lots of $$...especially when you take the fashion accounting approach...which works on full retail price or sale...

fashion accounting 101...

as i was shopping with a girlfriend the other day...we got on the subject of a "good investment"...she was undecided on buying a dress that she absolutely loved...that was not on sale...so there i was...asking away the questions...to help her get to the answer of...was it a good buy for her to make?

when we got to her end result...she was more impressed with how we got there...then the actual answer...which then got me to thinking...there may be others that don't understand the easy fashion formula that should be used on purchases...

so...yes...i saw a blog post coming on...

i come across some clients who have a very limited budget when it comes to shopping...nothing wrong with that...i also have some that have no budget...that would not be me... =)

that being said...there are certain things i never skimp on...shoes...handbags...and the classic pieces that i know i won't be buying often...but need in the wardrobe...an example would be a black suit...or the perfect lbd (little black dress)...

so what don't i splurge on? very trendy pieces come to mind...something that i know i won't be wearing for years and years...

so based on all that information...here is the not so secret fashion formula...

take for example...you are eyeing a pair of shoes...good quality leather shoes...you can think of many occasions that you will wear them...and they are $250...at first glance...it seems the price is a bit steep...so...if you wear them two days a week for seven months out of the year...for three years...you are going to wear them 168 times...and let's say you get them resoled two times in that three year period for $50...the cost of the shoes is now $300

easy fashion formula: $300 divided by 168 wearings equals $1.79 per wearing...now that's a number that is doable...

keep in mind...the most expensive item in your closet is the one that hangs with the tags still on it...so whether you buy something on sale or full price...buy it knowing that you will be wearing it over and over...otherwise...it is best to pass it by...

it was on sale...

as a wardrobe consultant...i would have to say that the statement i hear more often then any other...is..."it was on sale"...now don't get me wrong...i am not saying that one cannot find some exceptional items on the sale rack...but...to buy an item just because it is on sale...is just not a good habit to get into...

it is seldom possible to recognize a bargain at the time you buy it...because the true cost of a garment is not necessarily the sum that is marked on the price tag...in order to figure out how much it really cost you...you would have to take this price and divide it by the number of times you wear the article in question...and then...and only then...accord generous bonus points for the pleasure...self confidence...and elegance it may have given you...

a dress marked down to half price and worn only once is sheer extravagence...while a perfect little custom-made suit costing six times as much and worn with confidence day in and day out during eight months a year for several years is an outstanding bargain!

there are no handy rules to guide a woman in her quest for bargains...but personal experience has taught me that love at first sight is usually more successful than a marriage of reason...at any rate...each time that i have bought something because it was a sensible purchase...i have worn it very little...whereas my irresistible impulses...which seemed sheer folly at the time...have usually been amortized very rapidly...

so what item in your closet is the best amoritized bargain?