They can make us feel good; they can give us confidence; they can make us look younger; they can make us look slimmer; they can make us look and feel sexy. But to achieve all of this or even just some of it is getting harder and harder. No, not because we are getting older, but because the fashion industry is becoming less and less helpful.

Unless we spend more money or buy a designer label, the quality of clothes on the rack  is dropping further and further – the fabric is cheap, the cut is bad, the construction shotty , seams are uneven and the fit – what is that?  A little too big – a little too tight – not a problem. Unfortunately many  younger customers have never known a well made garment, and therefore, don’t mind if the hem is longer on one side than the other, or very uneven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went shopping today in Bloomingdale’s Outlet store here on the Westside. Yes I know it is an outlet, but a Bloomingdale one which have a certain reputation. Yet I could not stop thinking that all these clothes I saw  looked like rags – already worn, second-hand. – Here are some images of the racks displaying their ‘latest arrivals.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It must be a generation gap on my part which makes me more aware of what I have to look out for and what it takes not too to look like I slept in my dress, or that I am wearing a hand-me-down. Here are a few things to watch out for if you still remember how clothes were made way-back-when:

• The fit
• The Quality
• The coordination of colors
• The condition

With a little extra time, and a little extra money remembering these points will help you avoid the already worn look!

And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!