Believe it or not, I do research my work. As a student I hated having to read articles to write a report. This now is a pleasure as well as enlightening. I had to chuckle yesterday when I started my research on just what the basics are and if the “experts” felt the same way I do. My finding was yes we thought the same. Articles of clothing were basic. But lord! The price they thought was good in this era of budget crunches was NOT! Let’s just take a look at what the expert thought.

Every woman needs a LBD (little black dress). This piece of clothing can take you from a casual outing to an after five occasion. You can dress it up with scarves, jewelry, or belts to make a statement. Here the experts quoted a budget price of $425 as a good price. Well rush out and buy me a dozen, LOL. I looked on line and found prices from $39.95 to $295.00.

Next was what most women know we all need, a white blouse. White blouses can be worn with anything from jeans to a silk skirt for evening and a business suite for work. The great fashion heads stated that is should be around $395.00. Oh Please! For between $39.99 to $89.99 you can get a blouse in a wide variety of materials.

Ok we all love cashmere. This soft, luxurious fabric is what dreams are made of! Well dig in your pockets for their approved price of $425.00. Cashmere can last a long time and is a good buy. I found and paid around $100.00 to $125.00 for a two ply sweater which after six years looks as good as new!

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Invented in the 1500′s, but not really coming into fashion until the 1920’s, watches were once thought to only be needed for telling time. I can remember when having one watch was all that was needed. Well that day has come and gone. Now the watch is part of the arsenal of fashion dressing!

Watches can be strictly utilitarian or fit for after five occasion. There are watches that can tell time in several different time zones or help a diver stay safe by gauging the diving depth.

I am a collector of watches but one of my favorite has twelve bands which can match any outfit. If that is not enough the bezel can be changed from plain to dressy!

Do you love the noble metals? Gold watches are prized but can be pricey. They usually are a one time purchase. I love silver and Ecclissi makes time pieces that will bring you to your knees. Often these accessories are encrusted with gemstones and pearls.You can now pick a watch for any occasion and any fashion need.

Have fun and adorn your wrist with whatever makes your pulse race!

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I think if you observe children you just might get a glance of their future. I am sure my first grade teacher, Cassie Evans, is looking down smiling because she had planted the seed for my love of color. The first paying job I had was at eight or nine, coloring pictures from coloring book so she could make posters for her class. Often she would tell me how she wanted things to be colored but most of the time I had free reign. I am sure I was one of the few eight year olds with an eye and understanding for the different hues in color.

Today I love color and wonder if women pick up the subtle differences a color can make in your wardrobe. Buying clothes should not be helter skelter. Thought should be placed on: Is this the best color for my complexion? Will this fit in with what I already have? No longer if you are a woman of color or large size should you refrain from wearing some of the brighter colors.

Gone are the days when you dared not mix one of my favorite combinations blue and green. Heaven forbid if you had put pink, orange, and yellow near each other. Explore with color! Rejoice in being a woman! Go through this world not with rose colored glasses, but adorned in hues that brighten the body as well as the spirit.

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How many times have you looked at fashion magazines or style shows and wished for clothing with designer labels? Wish no more my bargain hunting ladies of high fashion!

I am going to let you in on something some of you may know but others have yet to find out about. My close friends smile when I wear a new outfit because they know by now where I shop. Yes I shop from television and proudly say I have labels with a pedigree. Bradly Bayou, Dennis Basso , George Simeton Cloe Dao , Clinton Kelly, and Nolan Miller, to name just a few. Three of my favorite handbag designers are Stone Mountain, Kathy Vanzeeland and Maxx of New York. Jewlery designers include Joan Rivers, Nolan Miller, Judith Ripka, and RLM Studios.

What makes shopping from television so attractive to me? Its very simple. First, I know its going to fit if you have been honest measuring yourself. How many times have you gone into a mainstream store and taken in several items in the same size only to be disappointed because some just don’t fit? QVC has all its designers cut to the same size chart. Second, I have thirty days to try the outfit on with my own accessories and foundation garments to make sure I like it. Third, they come to my door. No hunting for parking spaces or worrying about being accosted in the parking lot.

Buying things from television just makes sense to me.Think about it. They may have 500 sometimes as many as 30,000 of one item but the shows are nationwide. What is the chance of meeting someone with the same outfit? Not much!

Plug into shopping electronically and I am sure you will get a charge out of it!

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Today as I was thinking of what to post, I thought I would add in some antidotes about my travels to becoming a confident woman of style and fashion.

One true story happened on Christmas around the time I was six or seven. Living in the mountains of North Carolina, the weather is often so cold that Christmas was the time of year for a new coat. Well this time I got what my little heart perceived as the most beautiful coat in the whole world. It was chocolate brown with a striped brown and white scarf. The hood was lined in fur. As I left out for Sunday school, I admired myself in every window I passed. After church I went to put on my coat and lo and behold I had gained weight. Yes I knew that concept as I had been put on my first diet at five years old.

The walk home was so slow and hard as I cried all the way home. My poor mother could not get me to tell her what was wrong. I could not eat a bite. I just sat quietly with tears running down my face. Then there was a knock at our door. Standing there was one of my schoolmates dressed in an all too familiar coat that was at least two sizes too big for her. As our six year old brains processed what had happened, we both started to giggle. Now my tears were for joy of having MY coat back. I didn’t even care that she had one like me. My feet could hardly keep from doing the holy roller happy dance.

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