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It is a beautiful day. You easily found a parking spot at the shopping centre. There is cash in your purse and your credit card is handy. It is time to go shopping for something new.
What will you buy? You are looking for something stylish and modern to revitalise you and your wardrobe. While you love shopping for new clothes, you have more important things to do than wander aimlessly into every shop in the mall.
Here are three modern dressing tips for business and professional women over 40 to help you find what you are looking for in the shortest amount of time.
Know Your Preferred Brands and Shops
Focus is the first tip. Go first to those brands, shops and boutiques that have styles and sizes that suit your figure, your personality and your lifestyle. Walk in and look for their new styles and colours. Some women are a one-shop brand. For the rest of us, we usually pick and choose from about five to six shops or brands. Ignore those shops that are a waste of your time. Do not waste your time hoping that a shop that stocks poor quality, dowdy or monotonous clothes will suddenly stock stylish and modern styles. If the store changes its focus or style, they will advertise it everywhere.
Once a year your colours, patterns and styles will be in fashion. When it is not your season, you need to fall back on your preferred brands and preferred shops for colours and styles that suit you. Before you go shopping, check your favourite brand's website for styles that interest you.
Try Something New
Some tops can look strange on a clothes hanger. This particularly applies to styles with shirring on the side seams or on the sleeves. Do not discount them. If you like the colour, try it on. It may look better on you than you first imagined it would.
The simplest way to add variety and interest to your wardrobe is to look at the neckline. Classic styles with an interesting shape or feature at the neckline will look modern and a bit different from all your other clothes. They also define you as a stylish woman and one who is unafraid of change.
If you are looking for new jeans, ask about the Butt Lifter or the Tummy Trimmer styles and try black or grey denim. It may feel great or it may not. You do not know until you try it.
Also investigate one new local shop or boutique a month. Ask for help so the assistant can find that special piece for you.
Look for Medium Contrast
Something that creates a medium contrast lifts your spirits and attracts others to you. Medium contrast is when the difference is obvious between the two colours you are wearing. Men have always worn this combination when they put on a light-coloured or white shirt with dark-coloured trousers. For us women, it may be the combination of a light and dark pattern in your dress or a light top worn with your dark-coloured skirt, pants, suit or jeans.
A mix of dark and light colours hanging in your wardrobe make you feel that you have choices each day to create a look that pleases you. All dark or all light colours can look depressing and you feel that you have nothing to wear.
When buying a dark colour, make sure it has something interesting about it. Look for texture, style or space at your neckline for you to add contrasting-coloured jewellery.
When You Come Home With Your New Clothes
Wear your new purchase as soon as possible to feel good about your choice. Happy shopping!
Margaret Sims is an Image Consultant and Fashion Translator. Margaret helps quiet achieving business women over 40 shine confidently in a world of noisy experts. If this is you, visit http://thefashiontranslator.wordpress.com/ Blog for more fashion tips. At both the Blog and Margaret's website - http://www.yourfuturedirection.com.au/ you can sign up to get the free twice-monthly newsletter and receive your free eBook and Audio - 'Look Fabulous, Feel Confident Every Day'.
