This is the second in a series of articles about how to look fabulous while spending little or no money. In the first article on suits, we discussed what colors to choose, with black, navy, and gray being the favored choices. While color is vitally important to your image, equally important are style and fit. This article explores these more in-depth.

For men, a standard three-button notched-collar suit is the correct choice. Even though it comes and goes in popularity, the double-breasted suit is also a good choice for people of average weight. For larger men, the double spread of buttons shows how wide their body is; whereas, the single row of buttons adds visual height and as such a visual narrowness of the body.

Thankfully, women have more choices in style. While the standard three-button notched-collar suit is perfect for any women in a conservative industry such as banking, insurance, or law, for many other industries, the choice is more open. I like asymmetrical suits to add visual height for petite and plus-sized women. For apple shaped women, a soft unstructured jacket worn open may be acceptable. For smaller-sized women, a single-button suit is attractive. Whatever style you choose, check that it fits properly.

My initial focus is the shoulder fit - it should sit squarely. This is true for both men and women. Also, the sleeve length should come to just below the wrist to facilitate movement without over-shortening. Make sure to move in all directions to see that it moves with you.

For men, the over all jacket length should just cover the hips entirely. British suits have a double vent, while American suits have a single vent, while some suits have no vent. On larger men, a double vent is a good idea. For average sized men, you make the choice. If you want to see well-tailored suits on men, watch ESPN commentators and the Jay Leno show. Each of these has a variety of sizes and styles of suits that have been custom tailored.

For women, the length trend is around mid-hip. This cuts the widest part of the body in half. Your suit jacket can be longer if you are tall and thin, or if wearing a matched-suit. Petite women can more easily wear a cropped jacket. Ventless jackets are more common for women.

So you don’t want to buy a new suit? Take a good suit out of your closet and get it tailored. Think of it as recycling and supporting your local economy. Out-of-date lapels can be narrowed, double-breasted jackets can be made single, and most importantly, it can be tailored to fit your body. An older, well-fitted suit will always look better on you than one that is newer and poorly fitted.

Next time, we will discuss pants and skirts. Until then, check your closets to make sure that your suits fit and are current with the fashion trends. I would hate to see any of my friends in a polyester leisure suit.

January 2009 – The blog has a new year’s resolution – to write about fashion ideas.

So where do you start when you need to update your wardrobe? Most of us in the professional world need to start with the foundation suit – most likely in black, navy or a rich gray. Who wears a matched suit in today’s casual environment? Approximately 30% of our economy is based on financial businesses – banks, investment firms, credit unions, insurance, real estate, etc. Most people in these businesses still wear a traditional suit. In addition to the financial people, there are the attorneys and political people who wear suits. This varies by region; Los Angeles is less formal than New York City.

How do you decide what color to buy? If you are a woman over 40, be careful of a dark black suit unless you plan to wear a bright colored blouse or scarf with it. Dark black around the face of an older woman (don’t be offended – I am one) tends to be harsh, especially for medium to fair skinned women. Try it for yourself in front of a mirror – hold black fabric around your neck/face area, and then change it to your favorite color. If the black makes you look splotchy, your skin turns sallow, or your face looks washed out, don’t wear it as your primary color or around your face. Also, fair blonds should avoid gray; it will wash them out. Brown is a good additional suit but is a bit too casual for the foundation suit. If you are not in the financial industries, make sure that this foundation suit has good mix-and-match pieces.

Not knowing your coloring or industry, my all-round recommendation for a foundation suit is navy. Navy can be won by most people, in most environments. Happy suiting!

Happy December 2008. For a change of pace, I have blogged an e-mail from a friend. I think it will put a smile on your face. We have all had similar frustration, and she has some good suggestions.

Hi Mary! Congrats on the new store opening. I wish you much success in your endeavor. I've been doing a whole lot of trying on clothes lately, and the store opening e-mail hit at a 'clothing low' for me, so I thought I may as well pass on a few thoughts to you - perhaps they will help when you get around to your petite's section and offer some guidance into your women's section also - from a 'real' person viewpoint... but maybe you already knew all of this :)

All my best, Melanie

PANTS:

LENGTH - if you offer Capri pants in regular sizes, they often will work great for petites as regular size pants - but the inseam information is important. That way you can market to both women and petite sizes with the same product. Also, Capri pants are HARDLY offered in true petite sizes - so I usually buy two pair of trousers that fit well, and then have one hemmed down to Capri’s - which work well in the business world as suit bottoms in spring, summer and fall. Great with sling backs in warm weather, or boots for fall. Even flip flops for casual look, depending on fabric. NOTE: Petite's look HORRIBLE in cuffed pants - makes them look even smaller than they are. So if you do offer a cuff, make sure it is a small, thin one only.

WAIST - Rather than 'adjustable' waists - which are often bulky around the middle or difficult to pair with a tucked in shirt (because you can see the bunching of the fabric), LOW RISE work well for petites. Extra fabric is the last thing a petite lady needs around the middle. Our natural waist is so much lower than average, making low rise pants sit where pants are supposed to fit on real sized people. All too often I feel like I can tuck my boobs into the top of my pants they go up so high.

JACKETS:

ARMS - No one thinks of arms when you are chunky and petite. They are either too tight (i.e. you can't type with the jacket on because it pulls so much it cuts your circulation off), or the armpit section is so long (notice I said long, not wide - still tight) that it goes down to your waist adding to the pulling, making it impossible for you to comfortably steer the car because the top part of the arm seam is digging into your muscles driving you slowly insane as you are in traffic. LENGTH - chances are if you are petite, it does not mean that you only have short legs. You probably have shorter arms too. I know, I know, hard to believe, but petite people usually are petite throughout their whole body - little arms, little feet, little legs, little hands... well not a little butt but that's a whole other topic. Back to arms. 3/4 sleeves in a women's jacket often fit a petite like regular sleeves, so you can double your market their sometimes as well, depending on the overall cut of the jacket. Small/cap sleeves work well for gals with fatso arms - covers a hint of the flab but prevents overheating in long sleeves.

TOPS:

Boobs - Yes, we have them. And when you have big ones, having dangles and bangles and frills and pockets and beading and all the other types of garnishment on top of them, around them, covering them - it just makes them look bigger. Also, they are a cliché for heavy women. The most flattering is a simple V-neck top.

EMPIRE WAISTS - Done wrong = you look pregnant. Be careful. No fat chick wants to be asked, "when's the baby due?"

MATERIAL - STRETCH. Soft fabric, not hard. Buttons stink - they pull open and everyone sees your bra. Then the button falls off and you get arrested for indecent exposure. Bad.

DRESS SHIRTS - Collars on dress shirts (i.e. button up under suit wear) should MATCH the collars on the jacket. It looks really tacky to have round collars under square collars and vice versa.

SKIRTS:

SLITS - Up the back is dangerous. The smaller slit the better or a simple pleat.

WAIST - See waist by pants. Same stuff. Don't need to tuck my boobs in. Don't need extra fabric. Side zippers work better than back zippers for chunko ladies who can't reach around the back and pull up a zipper while holding down the back of the skirt so the back doesn't ride up further than the front and you look crooked walking around all day like your ass is so high it hoisted your skirt up and I hope it doesn't have a slit in it because then everyone sees your butt. Or, you play the zip it up in the front and scoot the skirt around to the back whilst getting your pantyhose in a bunch and your shirt is no longer aligned game. Put it on the side, where it can be reached.

POCKETS - BAD BAD BAD on skirts, unless again, you want to look pregnant or like small men have landed parachutes on the side of your skirt because the pockets are sticking out so far. That is why they made PURSES.

Thanks Melanie, I hope you were able to find some clothes that fit. Since she sent that article, Clothes For Us has started to carry petite tops.

November 2008 - It has been an intense and engaging month! November 2^nd, I was one of fourteen local designers to showcase a design on the runway based on Andy Warhol’s life. It was the greatest day of my life! I not only met new friends, but also was introduced to the man that is now my photographer. Check out clips from the show. Holly is wearing the original piece. She is the 11th model. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9105818165793715722&hl=en

Also, November saw me working with my largest image consulting class to date. It consisted for forty ladies in rehab, and I felt energized by their enthusiasm as they realized that change was possible, even for them. I hope to do this event twice annually. I also did free image consulting for the annual fundraiser at Elizabeth Blackwell Center. There’s one more holiday bazaar and another open house coming up this month. And lastly, I have another boutique - Charlesie’s in Columbus -carrying my line, and more to call on!

October 2008 - October has been amazing. October 2^nd, I was highlighted in the Columbus Alive newspaper, along with other local designers. Also, I flew to Hong Kong for business. My agent and I were able to find a number of items that were eluding us: leather belts and jade buttons to name a couple, and we also found some great fabrics. If that wasn’t enough, while there I received an e-mail asking if I would like to design an outfit and participate in a joint event with the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Later the same day, I received an e-mail from The Ohio State University MBA program, confirming that five MBA students would be working on a project that I had submitted in August. These students will be using their skills to help move the business further forward, and I couldn’t be more delighted!

Other great things that happened in October: I volunteered for the Women’s Economic Development Outreach, introducing small businesses to how to access resources; I took a leadership class; held an open house (largest single sales day); and Internet sales picked up.

September 2008 - My favorite small local festival - Hot Times Festival in Olde Towne East – took place this month, and I was one of the vendors. It was my best festival sales thus far! Plus, I met some great people. I also had my first sale to a boutique – Faze in Upper Arlington.

Good news - sales are starting an upward trend! The past twenty-two months, Clothes For Us has been laying the business foundation blocks, but now I can see the “building” taking shape – progress and growth! Thanks to those that have helped me come this far.

August 2008 - I flew back from Denver and Sedona just in time for the annual Dublin Irish Festival. Six years ago, I was asked to sit on the Marketplace Committee, which selects vendors for the festival via juried meeting. It is so much fun; I enjoy the committee and vendors very much. Also, August was a month of meeting new people and making new contacts. I had meetings with a number of boutique owners in town. In addition, I am negotiating with shops in Florida and Arizona, along with some large, up-scale department stores.

July 2008 - Hot, Hot, Hot! Not only was the weather hot, but so were the roads, as Clothes for Us kept them hot driving to various outdoor events and festivities. I had a booth at both Dublin and Worthington, Ohio functions, on their respective greens. It was great to meet new folks, see new faces – and get the word out about Clothes for Us! We hope to do more of these events in the future, so if you should know of any events for which you think CFU would be a good fit, please shoot us an email!

A quick vacation to see friends in Denver and then off to Sedona for a few days of R & R. The Red Rocks were inspiring. Anticipate seeing their influence in the line.

June 2008 - June had some bumps. I received information from my Taiwan agent that the summer line had fallen so far behind, we would have to scrap most of it. But, this gave me the chance to go back and redesign. With a new focus on a three-season approach, my goal is to develop clothes that have the maximum wear for the dollar.

I found some wholesale bamboo blend fabric and we will be working on more prototypes incorporating it. The fabric is wonderful - great drape and no maintenance! I truly enjoy designing with it. Speaking of, our first bamboo pieces arrived! They resemble a thin, hand-knit yarn made into a tank and a soft shrug.

May 2008 - I have found a new way to spend money! I have been taking classes in the art of fused and dichroic glass bead making. The pieces I created are wonderful and unique, and it’s great to make and wear something one-of-a-kind. I hope to incorporate more of the beads into my jewelry.

Also this month, I had cataract surgery. Luckily, it went off without a hitch. I am delighted to see things fresh and new again! Let’s hear it for modern medicine…

April 2008 - We had an open house at my home to show off the inaugural line and some of the Spring/Summer line. This coming weekend we have the first fashion show. It was even listed in the newspaper under events, so we know it is real. The Soroptimists are having a fund-raiser with a fashion show and we are in it. We will have three models with two changes of clothing each. It will be tight as the clothes are still in transit. Life is always an adventure. We have a new gal coming on board for five weeks. Brittany is a high school senior and will be writing from a younger person’s perspective and helping us do research. She is interested in how hair, fashion, and make-up integrate into beauty.

I have been struggling in introducing myself as a fashion designer. I see what they do and it doesn’t seem to fit me. I thought of taking the shapes that our bodies are and working with the drapes of fabric to create the appropriate structural lines for a pleasing result. I deciding after analyzing that process, I am a fashion architect. It is good to have a name to put to my work, now I had better get back to it.

March 2008 – The press releases started going out last week. I will send out a note to friends and family with the announcement before the month ends. So what does that mean? The store is officially open. I have already had my first two sales to friends who knew ahead of time. But now everyone can buy.

We are working on having Spring/Summer items in for a fashion show on April 19. It is a busy time with the first line in sales mode, the Spring/Summer line in sample production, and the Fall/Winter line in design phase.

Feb. 2008 - I am on my way home! Clothes are in the warehouse, photos have been taken and we will be loading everything up to the web site within hours. I feel a bit like I am at the Kentucky derby and the starting gate.

Went to Taiwan over Chinese New Year and had a great time. Rita and I reviewed the Spring line and we even had some samples to approve. And of course, we have already started drafting the next fall line.

Jan 2008 - I am flying to Hong Kong for some consulting work, and while there, I am planning on doing some research for the 2008 lines. HK is one of the great cities of fashion. Not only is every designer house there, but also some great start up boutiques. The markets are full of both pricey and not-so-pricey items. I have large suitcases to bring home goodies. While I am gone, my first two shipments of clothes will come in.

Dec 2007- My first piece sold! Well, not really – it was donated and bought for charity. I donated a production sample to a local charity called Christmas to Cure Cancer. It was one of the sheep suede jacket in a luscious shade of cinnamon. Thanks to Kathy Lucas for buying the piece. I couldn’t have asked for a better model.

Nov 2007- I have accepted a contract position to help with a software implementation. It gives me the working capital to produce the first season with my own funds and credit. I like having that level of control. But it also means that I need to delegate. I have contracted with Kay to be a personal assistant of sorts; that takes the day-to-day craziness off my plate. Greg has taken over the warehouse and shipping/receiving, Margie has expanded her role from technical designer, to well, almost everything Kay and Greg aren’t doing. Rita is in Taiwan making sure that we have good products.

October – Margie and I flew to Los Angeles to meet with our agent and her interpreter. We reviewed the entire spring line for petites, plus, and petite-plus women’s professional wear. This is the fun part – designing and picking out fabrics and colors.

September – Started attending marketing class. Developed the PR materials. Found a pair of sisters that have added their line of Juice Box Bags to our site. I needed help and Kay Hess has come in and keeps the web updated for you.

August – Things change quickly. I hired another technical designer, Margie Hess. I started designing the spring line. Also worked on financing. Managed enough financing to take care of the first season.

July – So what does a normal day look like? First, there is no such thing as normal, but I have tons of fun learning new things and exploring. I get up typically when I wake up, check e-mail, do a few of hours of research, and constantly hack away at the to-do list. Many things on my list are one-time events, such as finding a customs broker or researching shipping companies. Some days I work on articles, either writing or editing. Then there is the task of website updates and reviews. Last and so very not least, is the never-ending accounting. Fashion design isn’t all glamour - trust me!

June – Rented a warehouse close to home. It has an office and bathroom. I am getting closer to launch, and it is exciting! The information and patterns that went out in May have been translated to Chinese, and I have since received questions regarding the designs. We had a petite focus group to look at the developing spring line. I hope to have some fabric and quality samples back in July for the fall line, so things are chugging right along!

May – My fall line was shipped to Taiwan for manufacture. The packages included patterns, fabric samples, finished examples, and technical specifications. It was such a big step that a celebration ensued. In attendance on a warm spring evening were 40 close friends with great food, music, and fun.

April – I have hired a technical designer, Cara Penry. What does a technical designer do? She takes the designs and develops dimensions and pattern numbers, then makes the patterns and samples. Let’s just say I’m grateful to Cara - what made me think that I could make a pattern?

March – I am struggling to find a technical designer. I may have to teach myself how to do this. I went to Florida to check on mom and on the way back to Ohio, I stopped in Savannah. Every year they hold the nation’s second largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration, and my good friends Knot Fibb’n, were playing. I definitely saw some interesting fashions that weekend, including a few dresses on males that would never make the runway!

February – My mother has a heart catherization and a stent put in. I spend time in Florida and keep an eye on her. The joys of an Internet company; you can work from anywhere. At 78, my mom even has broadband. Don’t even think about taking away her technology.

November 10, 2006, is a landmark day in my life. It is the last day on my job of 17 years at a Fortune 500 company and the launch of my web site, clothesforus.com. How do you move from one to the other, preferably without a meltdown? I will keep you informed on that one.

There comes a point in your life that you know everything has been one large, life-university teaching what you needed for the next step. And here we are together at the next step.

About seven years ago, a few random meetings with a former neighbor sparked the idea of fashion on the Internet. Not new, not revolution, but with something I know a lot about - plus-size fashion. I have been somewhere between a size 14 and 24 during my adult life, and have been frustrated by the lack of quality clothing available. So the germ of an idea, seven years of fertilizer, and here we are. Not just helping plus-size women find what they need, but many more hard to fit categories as well.

My mission is simple; provide stylish, classic clothes to an underserved community, and to provide a resource center for that community.

So what makes this different? Well for the size 2 gal, it won't be a size 8 made smaller, or the size 20 women, it won't be the size 8 made larger. We understand that a guy with a 60-inch waist is not really twice the size of a guy with a 30-inch waist. We are designing for your specific hard to fit need. But until we start next year with our clothing line, we can help you find what you need now.

So how did I get here? A mother who economically had to make her and my clothes. Sewing in 4-H. Entering clothing in the fair. My first job at a fabric store. An obsession with clothes and dressing well as a teenager. A mother who made me work and save to buy my own clothes, so that I understood the value of them. A mother who would let me design crazy things and then make them for me.

Then came the more traditional stuff. I put myself through college - computer science. Got married. Moved to Ohio to go to grad school - never got there. Bought a house. Divorced. Raised a niece for three years. Survived cancer. Bought a historic house and started my own business. Nothing spectacular, just the stuff that makes us all who we are.