I will be traveling a lot this summer, for business and pleasure, and I’ve been spending some time standing in my closet trying to decide what exactly I should pack for all these trips. I’m looking for pieces that are easy to wear and easy to care for and versatile. I need things that can go to a meeting and go sightseeing, and I need outfits that will work for hot and cold weather. I am trying to steer clear of dry clean only anything, because I want to have the option to wash things out in the hotel sink, rather than wearing it once and stuffing it back in the suitcase.

That’s not too much to ask, is it? Nooo of course not! Not if you have the right strategies.

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So, I have a bit of a dicey question. How much do you spend on clothes? Or on shoes? I’ve been inspired by your columns and am starting to upgrade my wardrobe, but it seems to involve such major investments of cash. I don’t have thousands to spend- I might not even have hundreds to spend during one season. I’m just not sure what the range of reasonable is.

I love this question, because it gets right to the heart of what I believe about having a really functional wardrobe — a working closet, if you will. Having the right clothes isn’t about how much you spend, it’s about how you shop, but shopping costs money, and in this economy, having a strategy for your spending is crucial.

I am hesitant to put a dollar amount on my shopping, or to say that I spend X each month or year. I don’t have a specific shopping budget, nor do I track what I have spent. Instead, I constantly assess and reassess my closet, looking to see what is and isn’t working, and I don’t buy anything that I can’t easily incorporate into my current closet. I keep a running list of pieces I could really use (honestly, I only rarely NEED anything, but there are always gaps) and I shop off that list.

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At the beginning of this series, I asked what you all wear to work at home. Selene had this to say:

I’ve been thinking I need a change. I want to step my going out wardrobe up a notch… I’m feeling the need to feel “prettier” than just my standard same-ole jeans and t-shirt type of thing. I actually had my first hair cut in months yesterday (YIKES!) and am feeling good! I’ve been putting myself second for so long (probably since I had my daughter 2 years ago and she became #1, LOL)

I get up so early in the morning though (4am) that I can’t see getting up even earlier (3:30am) to shower and look nice just to pad on over to the office 20 feet away.

BUT, it would be nice to maybe use my current “out” wardrobe (jeans) at home, and get something nicer for when we go out.

I think we all know what Selene is talking about; at some point, we’ve been so focused on our kids that we have lost sight of ourselves; we stop getting haircuts (I once went almost an ENTIRE YEAR without a cut), we stop buying clothes, we stop getting dressed for anything that’s not a special occasion. It’s inevitable, I think, but it’s not necessarily desirable. And it’s easy to change.

Jeans are a fine wardrobing piece for a day at home, whether you’re working for pay or working for love. What you put on TOP of the jeans, though, can make a huge difference in both your look and your attitude. The key is to find tops that are more stylish than a basic tee but are ALSO machine washable AND affordable.

Thank god for Old Navy.

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Charlene wants to know about what to wear on a business trip:

I do at least one business trip a year and I always struggle with what to take and how not to take too much stuff. The company I work for is very casual so I like to look professional but maintain the casual feel. Also, keep in mind with what I do I have to wear a closed toe shoe at all times.

There are three simple strategies for packing, no matter where you are going.

Pack only things that you REALLY wear. A business trip is not the time to test out a new skirt or jacket; you want clothes that you will be comfortable and confident in.

Pack basic pieces. Think both in terms of shape and color; neutral pieces in classic shapes are your best bet (black pencil skirt, brown wool trousers).

Pack pieces that work together. Choose one color palette for your trip, to guarantee that the things you pack will do multiple duty. Neutral basics plus a pop of color, in a blouse or sweater, keep your look fresh and flexible.

MICHAEL Michael Kors trench coat, Nordstrom, $128.00

So what actually goes in the suitcase?

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Not all bodies are created equal — some girls, for example, get the curves, while some girls don’t. And of course, as with all things about our bodies, we typically pine for what we don’t have (curly haired girls want straight hair, and vice versa) instead of working with — and appreciating — what we have.

Fashion media focuses on skinny girls — the models, even for plus-sized clothing, are wee little things without hips or breasts. But most women are not twee stick figures; real women come fully equipped with breasts and hips and thighs, and translating fashion trends from one extreme to the other can be tricky. The secret is not to start with the trends, but with your own shape. Rather than trying to smash your curvy self into skinny jeans and a tank top, learn to make fashion choices that make the most of what you have.

Today: Five basic tips for dressing your curvy best.

Photo courtesy of Lane Bryant

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I was recently telling my neighbor about my whole socks-are-against-my-religion thing (on a day when the temperature dropped I swear to you TEN DEGREES while we stood in her driveway) and she was coming up with all sorts of great solutions for me (because I was wearing a dress and no tights and was moaning about how COLD I was) (although in my defense the temperature went from the low 60s to the low 30s in about three hours that day so bare legs were SORT OF appropriate, for a little while at least).

Where was I? Oh right — what to wear if you don’t want to wear socks.

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We’ve talked about suits and what to wear under them, but what about your feet? When you’re going to a job interview, you want to be sure that from head to toe, you look professional and capable, which means that you want to choose shoes that are the right heel height and style for your suit AND are appropriate for the office and the job.

A couple of general guidelines: interview shoes should not be too sexy, nor should they be too flashy. Toe cleavage and fabulous embellishment are both completely appropriate in a work shoe, but not in an interview shoe. The idea is not to draw attention to your shoes but to create an overall impression of competence and professionalism. For this reason, your shoes should be clean and polished; this is a good time to take are of any repairs that you have been putting off, like new soles or heels or a good cleaning.

Beyond that, you have four basic choices; go with the one that fits both your style and the office’s style, and that works best with your interview suit.

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Stara has a question about suiting:

As you may have noticed (not at all due to my incessant mentioning of this fact), I am an attorney. And I have been informed by an inside contact that I will likely soon be contacted by an ultra conservative employer regarding an interview. For which I honestly need a new suit. The last “interview” suit I bought was nearly 6 years ago, and it is showing it’s age.

My query is this- I am 27. How do I buy an interview suit that is both job appropriate and does not betray my age? I don’t particularly want to plop down $400 on a suit I will never want to wear again. I’m willing to spend a fair amount of cash so long as it is on something I actually like, and not something I feel forced into buying.

I think Stara has exactly the right attitude here: she wants a suit that will make her look professional and competent, but she doesn’t want to go into the interview pretending to be someone she’s not. And she absolutely wants to come out of this with a new job AND a suit that she can actually WEAR to the new job, something that will work with her current closet.

That sounds like a big request, but it’s actually fairly simple, as long as she keeps a few things in mind as she shops.

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I am a recent college grad who is about to interview for The Dream Job. I
currently work in a call center, where we can wear jeans and non-revealing tops to work. Therefore, my professional wear is limited. I have five button down tops - four are long sleeved, one is short sleeved and came from the junior’s section - but is a color better suited to my skin tone. I have two pair of black slacks and one black jacket, that is nicely fitted. I also have black flats, black pointy kitten heels and animal print flats.

I want to dress to impress, and I need help. I know that I need to nail the interview, but I want to dress for confidence. The interview isn’t until the 17th, so I have plenty of time to prepare and put together the perfect outfit.

Rachael already has some good basics; she’s got a great jacket and terrific shoes. She needs three more pieces to be completely interview ready.

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An embarassingly long time ago, I had this very nice e-mail from Jaime.

I have lately begun to buy all my clothes from the Lands’ End catalog because it makes dressing myself a total no-brainer in the morning. (I am not a morning person and neither are my two girls, ages 1 and 3.) Plus–I’m embarrassed to admit this–but I HATE to shop. Yikes! I know–I am so missing the girlie genes! So, I have ended up with a closet full of Lands End’s 7-day chinos and button down collar dress shirts in all colors. Sort of like a guy’s closet. Occasionally I will throw on a dress from J.Crew just to shake things up a little. I work in the local Farm Bureau office, so I don’t need to “dress up” very much. I also am completely hopeless with the iron, so clothing that doesn’t need pressing is very appealing to me. Especially since we don’t have a dry cleaners here in the small town where I live. (I am in a very rural part of Missouri.)

What can I do to make my wardrobe more “girlie” without losing any of the versatility that I have now? I frequently walk or bike the 2 miles to work. I would like to add accessories, but I’m clueless about what kind. I don’t own any belts and I almost never wear earrings or even a watch–mostly because I never know what to buy. I get sort of overwhelmed anytime I step near a jewelry counter.

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