Figuring Out Fashion: Balance Your Wardrobe and Your Budget

Description

Reworking existing clothing adds up, reducing the cost for both the wearer and the planet. Many wardrobes are full of unworn impulse purchases and expensive mistakes: clothes that don't fit well or with details that don't flatter. For those concerned about the cost of fashion shopping-not just personal debt, but the ethical issues of cheap labour and the ecological impact of over-consumption of fashion clothing-Figuring Out Fashion provides answers. Fashion stylist Jay Hunt links fashion theory to financial planning to show how a healthy bank balance and a stylish wardrobe can co-exist. Theory sections explain the basic calculations you need to master: how to assess and review your current wardrobe, working out what suits you; how to plan a capsule wardrobe for the seasons and your budget; how to understand concepts like cost per wear, and judging when quality counts. Theory is supplemented with practical instruction from ethical craft guru Barley Massey in reworking, reviving, and refreshing existing items, introduced in 20 exercises that provide step-by-step examples of simple, inexpensive re-dos you won't need a loan for.

Jay Hunt is the managing director of Violet Productions, a London-based video production company. She has previously worked as a celebrity stylist, personal shopper and TV presenter/producer. She has worked in television since 1990, and was a presenter of the dating show Would Like To Meet, dieting show Do Or Diet and was the resident style presenter on Housecalls. She co-wrote the series-accompanying book Would Like to Meet: The Ultimate Dating Makeover in 2002. She presented the series Style High Club for Discovery Health and has presented four series of Spendaholics for BBC Three. She is a regular contributor to both TV and radio on subjects varying from style (including Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4), to the credit crunch, in response to which her book Spendsmart was published in February 2009 by Little Brown. She was also the contributing fashion editor for UK monthly women's magazine Eve, with a fashion advice column.

July 2016 Is your wardrobe full of unworn impulse purchases and expensive mistakes, clothes that don't fit well or with details that don't flatter? Fashion stylist Jay Hunt links fashion theory to financial planning to show how a healthy bank balance and a stylish wardrobe can co-exist. Theory sectoins explain the basic calculations you need to master; how to review your current wardrobe, working out what suits you, how to plan a capsule wardrobe for the seadns and your budget to understand concepts like cost per wear, andf judging when quality counts. This combined with step-by-step examples of simple inexpensive ways to rework, revive and refreshing existing examples. * Sewing World * The subtitle of this book is "balance your wardrobe and your budget," and this describes what it is about in a nutshell. If you want to avoid overspending and ending up with a closet full of outdated unflattering garments, then this book might have the answers. After the introduction, it is divided up into three sections: theory, practical and revisions. Learn what staples every wardrobe needs and what you can do without. Think about your favorite brands and use the internet to find out where to buy them. Making both local stores and the internet work for you is a thread running throughout this book. Theory topics include decluttering, finding out the looks that are flattering to your figure type, shopping through the year, choosing accessories and hairstyles, sensible vacation packing etc. The practical section is filled with ways of updating old fashioned garments, altering, dyeing or totally changing existing items, and even making clothing out of things like duvets or uniform workwear. Obviously some sewing knowledge is essential for this section, but the projects are mostly fairly basic and are illustrated with simple and colorful diagrams. The revision section is short and mostly about looking after clothes, such as washing tips, how to put items away for later, and all about the clothes moth. At the back is a section of websites in the UK and US so you can find out how to get sale clothing, obtain vouchers, look for discount villages of shops and read blogs. I like the workbook approach to all this; it is relatively easy to get on with most of these tasks straightaway, and it certainly got me thinking about my own closets and shopping habits. There is also a lot about being green and responsible; very much a book for today. * myshelf.com *