shopfrugality tip: getting through the racks, fabrics

Familiarizing yourself with different fabrics and patterns is a key tool to wading through racks and racks of clothes quickly and successfully.

1) Colors: If you know you look bad in a color, skip it all-together. This can save you tons of time, especially at stores that sort by color.

2) Fabrics: Learn the different textures of natural and synthetic fabrics so your hands can “sense” them out as you rifle through the racks. My fingertips know the minute I’ve hit 100% silk and the difference between a polyestery knock-off (not to say the knock off isn’t worth looking at also).

3) Patterns: While this is tricky, it’s not impossible; learn to differentiate between “timeless” and “trendy” patterns (the aim is timeless, not trendy). For me, patterns are probably the easiest way for me to immediately “veto” certain garments. My trick: If it reminds me of a very specific time period or person (in a bad way)—VETO. This doesn’t apply to vintage (late 50s early 60s brocade will always remind me of late 50s early 60s brocade in a wonderful ecstatic way). Rather, if I remember seeing my mom in that print on mother’s day 1992, that usually means VETO. This motto helps me scan through 10 hideous floral print sundresses in about 2 seconds.


But perhaps the best advice I can give about fabrics is this: Trust your instincts. If you are for some reason drawn to the purple dress with yellow lightning bolts in differing sizes (which, by the way, I TOTALLY would be) then grab it—your inner fashion sense is trying to tell you something even if you don’t always understand it.