Fashionistas! :)

I personally like the wardrobe capsule formula, everything works together. Each season I shop for one complete wardrobe capsule.

A jacket (seasonal)
2 bottoms (jeans, slacks, skirt, shorts)
3 shirts that work with both bottoms and jacket if applicable
Shoes, belt and bag that work with all 3 combinations
Jewelry & accessories
Appropriate underwear
Appropriate outerwear

I like Ann Taylor Loft, White House/Black Market, Banana Republic, and department stores.

I stick with jeans and tshirts. I have tshirts I love, mostly based on my tv shows (star trek, buffy, highlander, harry potter, etc) and a few cute tank tops and polo shirts for when I need to feel a little dressier. I do have a couple of casual skirts, one khaki and one denim. Most of my shopping (for non-tv show related clothes) I get from Old Navy, Kohls, or Target. I LOVE Kohls and Old Navy's clearance sections. I never feel bad about buying new clothes when I spend less than 10 bucks, which I can generally do there.

I'm only a SAHM in the summer and on school breaks (I'm a teacher) but I'm all about cute play clothes for those times. My uniform this spring seems to be short cotton dresses, "shirt dresses" and tunics with leggings. Feels like wearing sweats, but can go anywhere and do anything. Bright colors keep it nice and springy. Throw on a trendy jacket and switch from play shoes to sandals, boots or heels and I'm set to leave the playground and head to lunch or coffee.

I love that leggings are in style now because you can wear cute spring stuff and not worry about climbing the play structure, riding a bike or your LOs lifting your skirt standing next to you.

I get most of my stuff at OLD NAVY or TARGET out of convenience because they sell clothes for kids too :-)

Hope this helps,

T.

I'm a HUGE fan of GAP. I shop their clearance racks first of course. I don't shop there as much because I'm pregnant again and need clothes a little more forgiving, so I shop at Old Navy or Target. Great clearances there too.

Look through some magazines and ads in the newspaper to get an idea of what styles are being worn now a days. Also, watch "What not to Wear" on TLC... really gives you some good ideas. When you're shopping, buy what is simple and cute and can be worn with multiple outfits. Don't buy something dramatic that will only be worn once. Jeans, pants, shorts, shirts, blouses and jackets are pretty much the essentials.

My husband gave me my budget haha. We made an agreement because we both needed new clothes, except mine were maternity :) When we're done having children... I will be in the same boat as you!

Best of Luck to you, hope this helped you out somewhat!

alright, no maxi dresses for you. they were in last year, skinny people hated them, medium people hated them, chubby people hated them. i, for am glad they're gone.
staples, how much can you spend? i don't shop at target or old navy as those clothes don't last long. you want to buy things that are more timeless meaning they don't go out of style next season.
if you're starting from zero, you can't shell out so much money to update your wardrobe, do a few things a month, set up an amount for yourself, just yourself each month. i'd rather spend a little more and know that that thing will last me a few summers than buy a thing here that i know will be ruined by the washer/dryer, get faded or shorten in length.
so, the stores i get my stuff are: abercrombie for jeans (they have nice stretch to it, they're reasonable priced, and they make me look like i have a behind. good enough for me. about 50 bucks), you need one pair of jeans, get a dark wash with a bit (not much) faded over your legs. then short sleeve shirts, i get mine from banana republic and jcrew. just a few, that i can dress up or dress down. in reality i never have to dress up as i am not going anywhere, but let's say 2-3 from these two stores, go nice colors, no blacks no dark browns. i also get my shorts from these two stores, get two colors, one light khakki and one green and you can combine these with all the tshirts you've gotten, same thing for capri pants 1-2 pairs (different colors). you would need 1-2 skirts, nothing stretchy, uncomfortable or shiny, cotton is fine, with a bit of stretch in is if you need it. same thing, you can wear the tshirts with these skirts, get 1-2 cardigans. now that i typed i get all my clothes mainly from br and jcrew. just their material and style is nice, not complicated, not trashy but nothing over the top.
i don't do leggings, didn't do them in 80s not planning on wearing them now.
you'll need 1-2 pairs of flip flops/sandals. i love stuart weitzman. i use 6pm.com or smartbargains when i am looking for a deal, even though i have shelled money for this brand at the higher end dept. stores like bloomingdales. stuart weitzman stuff is awesome, fit like a glove and very unique in style.
winter time: oh i am not going to depress myself thinking about winter. but will say this: i love laundry by shelli segal winter coats. they're not bulky, they feel so comfortable, beautiful in style and if you wait until dec. they go on sale. i get these at macys.
EDIT: i don't have a set amount for myself to spend each month. i get as i need things. i put aside money for myself (cash) each month and once i have enough in my onion i go and get my stuff. in meantime i gather my coupons, and email fwds with coupons. i don't think i pay full price for anything. there is always times in a month when stores run sales or send coupons.

Capris, leggings and capri cargo pants are in style this spring. Or straight longer shorts . You need to be careful that these are not too baggy since you are like me and "height impaired"..

Sun dresses are great to throw on and look dressed, but you can still deal with kids..

Button up tops look great with the above. You will notice small patterns are in and they look great on petites like you.

You should try to find a Maxi dress that is proportioned to your height. It is great for a date night with your husband. Again easy to wear and if you are self conscious about your arms, you can wear a this 3/4 inch sleeve underneath if it is a spaghetti strap or sleeveless dress. Find some fun metallic flats to wear with these.

For shoes, wedges are totally in style. They do not have to be very high to still look in style.

A boyfriends style jacket is also great and look in style to wear over all of the above outfits..

Big handbags are still in style so you can carry all of your children's stuff and still look with it. Sunglasses are large.and straw hats are perfect for this summer..

You can find great deals at Gap, Old Navy, Target, Jjill, and do not pass up the great sales that all of the large department stores. Many of them are having great deals right now.. They are trying to sell their spring merchandise, because the summer merchandise is hitting the floors in a few weeks..

I did flylady.net for a while and one of her "friends" will send you style emails that were really great. You picked your body type and she would pick out several complete outfits from different stores and email you the photos of the outfits. http://www.missussmartypants.com/ is the site and if you scroll down to the green box at the bottom you can see some makeovers, I love that they are real people. there is a fee, but i'm thinking of doing it again just because i'm in a funk and need the extra assurance that there are nice outfits out there for me.
A few of her big tips are to buy peices that go with more than one thing in your closet, ect a top that would go with jeans or capris, or a jacket that you can wear dressed up with slacks or dressed down with a cute skirt.
Another is to find a few super great colors for you and then stick with them, that way your stuff will coordinate easier and you'll always be wearing a flattering color not just something trendy that really doesn't do much for you.

I would think you could get a few things going for under a $100 that would really make you feel like a woman and not just a mombody.

Now you have me excited to maybe take another look at my closet!

I'm not a SAHM, so I wear suits everyday, but I highly recommend the Albertville outlet mall. I like Banana Republic there because they have more casual clothes but they are nicely tailored. There is also a GAP, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren...Go to their website http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/store_listing.asp?i... to get extra coupons. If you can get away for a day without kids to shop, it's a great place to find basics!

Random advice that's worked for me:

Don't buy online, you need to touch and try stuff on.
If you try on and don't immediately say "Yes!", don't buy it.
Take color cues from yourself - what color are your eyes, your hair.
Don't buy because everyone is wearing, buy what you can't wait to wear tomorrow!
Go through your drawers and closets with - the same advice that works for all "clutter" - three boxes/bags, one for keep, give away, and throw away. And only do this on a day that you are in "the mood" to declutter.
Value is not the lowest price, value is based on "per wearing". Paying more for something you will really wear often is value.
Make a list before shopping for clothes/shoes to focus effort & time.
If you are shopping and nothing is working - go home! Try another day.
Don't shop with kids along - hire a babysitter if necessary.
Pick a day when you are feeling your best (I really can't shop for clothes during my PMS week, nothing feels good.)
Take your time, add pieces over time.
Enjoy!

Some specifics:
I buy clothes for my daughter at Target & Kohls, but not often for me (two washings and the fit or quality has changed).
Try Gap for jeans (latest line has lots of style/length choices and great stretch fabric for a reasonable price).

Being a Frugal Mom-here's my store advice- Clothes Mentor. It's a second hand store-has about 4 locations. You can get trendy expensive clothes for A LOT less. My 2 shopping rules: kids stay home and if I don't immediately say yes-I don't buy it. Make sure the clothes you wear make you feel good about yourself.

I used to have the problem of never having anything to wear, and then I started paying attention to those articles in fashion magazines about "classics" or "basics," and I realized that my closet was full of sweaters and t-shirts, but not the staples I needed to be well-dressed in a variety of situations. I'm still working on it, but I looked at the lists, and looked at my closet, and figured out what I was missing. I have slowly started buying those things (rather than t-shirts and sweaters), and I'm getting there.

First of all, I recommend getting good jeans. They don't have to be expensive, but they CAN'T be mom jeans! Try dark wash, bootcut jeans as your daily staple. Make sure the jeans are as long as they can be without dragging on the ground (if they do, get them hemmed!). A longer length is more flattering; the jeans should hide part of your shoes. When you are barefoot, just fold up the hems for walking around the house. If you like to wear flats, then get your jeans hemmed so they are just a tiny bit off the ground when you wear flats.

Other staples:
*attractive wool coat
*simple down jacket (no loud colors, no two-tone)
*trench coat
*spring/fall jacket (mine is from Lands End and I love it)
*classic white button down (I got the Brooks Brothers classic)
*little black dress
*"cool" sneaks for every day (I wear Converse, but there are lots of good options out there)
*chinos, either straight leg or bootcut
*classic black pants (not chinos, but lightweight wool) -- I don't have this one yet!
*a blazer or other jacket

I got the book "The One Hundred" by Nina Garcia and it's a fun list of must-have clothes. Good luck and have fun!

J.,

I am a huge fan of cheap, but not looking cheap!

I love Marshalls, they have tons of dresses and clothes like Ralph Lauren, Micheal Kors, and Calvin Klein and they always have tons of sales. Marshalls also carries shoes that are fashionable and affordable, I just got a pair of Guess flats for 25.00. Marshalls is at MOA or Har-Mar in Roseville.

I also love TJ Maxx although they may not always have the variety of Marshalls they have tons of cute tracksuits, that are fun and comfortable and you can wear with cute tennis shoes or flip flops. TJ Maxx is at Sunray near WhiteBear.

I also love Burlingtons, they have cute tops and dresses, like baggy tops you can wear with leggings or sun dresses you can wear with cute sandals, the Burlington on the West Side of Saint Paul is good but the one in Maplewood is better they have shoes.

All of these are really cheap but quality, just be sure that whatever you get fits right, niether too small or big and you will look stunning!

Good luck!

I love to wear jeans ini the winter and cooler weather. My better clothes are from Neimans, Nordstrom's and speciaty shops.

I love cute tanks, sundresses, shorts and cute shoes in summer. Tshirts from GAP body.

I've found some nice things at Ann Taylor, White House/Black Market. I shop at Watters Creek in Allen...lots of little specialty shops with unique items.

I am a size 2-4 so sometimes it is hard to find the right fit because I am very busty naturally (34DD) and have a timy waist. The staff at Neimans and Nordstrom are great at helping you find styles.

Hi J..

I really love and agree with the previous poster's comments. All very relevant.

Personally, I like to shop at Old Navy. Their clothes are really reasonably priced, they are of reasonably good quality, and they have a reasonable variety of styles from really comfort clothing (i.e. jogging suits, yoga pants, tee's and sweats, etc.), to some dressier clothes, which I realize you don't need, but they have everything in between. I also like Old Navy's jeans, which like Gap, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and lengths, which is key. Best of all, they're not expensive.

Make sure to shop withOUT kids, be prepared to TRY EVERYTHING ON in MULTIPLE SIZES, as one style in a size 10 will NOT fit the same as another style in the same size, even in the same store. And if possible, take an honest, patient friend along, preferrably one whose fashion sense, or "sensibility" you appreciate, for a second opinion!

Good luck shopping! Have fun, you deserve it!!

One thing I would suggest is to look for a style to copy, borrow, whatever...There are a lot of fashion blogs out there that cater to women in their 30s and 40s (I am 42) and help me at least come up with ideas and how to remix stuff I already have. Check out www.alreadypretty.com. She wears a lot of skirts which are not my thing, but I love the way she plays with color and accessories, so I will look at her ideas and adapt them to work with jeans or khakis, which is my uniform. She also has a list of links to other sites that she follows, who are fashionistas. I will browse the others, but the only other one that I follow that she likes is Audi..something, I can't remember the link, but she really dresses with an edge. Another fashion blog to read is http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/ which helps with trend watching at mass merchandisers.

Hope this helps. I think it will be easier if you can picture a finished product (so to speak) then buy with that image you want to project in mind.

S.

I shop at Nordstrom, Macys, J. Jill, some local resale shops, Levi's store, and Boden online. I buy a lot of dresses online because a lot of stores do not have the kind of dresses that I like. I wear dresses during the summer and jeans during the winter. I try to buy blouses as they are a little dressier than t-shirts. Lately I've been buying more high heels as they dress up jeans. I just got 2 pairs of wedge/platform sandals from Boden and they are really fabulous and I feel stylish in them. I also wear a lot of colorful sweaters which I pair with black or white t-shirts (from Banana Republic). I spend about $200 a month on clothes but I don't really have a budget. I order a lot of clothes online but I occasionally shop and often find something new. My biggest downfall is too many casual clothes and not enough casual dress-up. I think it's because the casual dress-up clothes are more expensive. Good-luck.

I have a hard time with this one too but do think shopping online helps a lot with kids. I love a good pair of jeans with fun colorful flats. Piperlime.com or zappos.com are great for shoes/accessories. For basics i'm often boring and do old navy, gap, or banana rep, H&M you can group items from all partner sites to get reduced shipping. Sometimes just adding fun accessories, shoes or hand bag help make the basics more fun especially in the summer. Then I add in the occasional designer pieces found at Nordstrom Rack, Opitz, ebay or Nordstroms.

I also get ideas from this blog http://www.lastylistmom.com/