It’s happened to all of us. Your luggage was lost and you have nothing to wear when you arrive for the (insert one: meeting, job interview, wedding).
Or maybe you’re too busy or hate to shop. You have had weeks to put together an outfit for a certain event, but you keep putting it off.
Now what?
Do you show up in your slobwear? Not an option.
Instead, you go speed shopping for something presentable, paying too much for stuff you don’t really like and probably won’t wear again.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
To prove my point, I created a Beat the Clock Shopping Challenge.
Could I put together a business-appropriate outfit — top to bottom — in under an hour for less than $100? Here goes:
In the interest of speed, efficiency and frugality, I picked Forever 21 as my one-stop deadline destination because it carries everything I would need.
That’s the first rule: Limit your options. When possible, shop at just one store where you’ve had success in the past, or just a few stores that are very close together.
Rule No. 2: Work from the feet up. First, get the shoes. Depending on what’s available, they’ll dictate color choice for the rest of the outfit.
Stick to basics. No open toes (not professional). No 5-inch platform stilettos (ditto). I was happy to find some work-worthy kitten heels in can’t-go-wrong black.
Time: 4 minutes, 25 seconds
Now pick a basic outfit color — and stick with it. Camel. Navy. Black. Gray. Beige. I settled on black, not just because it would go with the shoes, but because the selection of black pieces in the store was huge.
Plus, it’s slimming and forgiving (cheaper fabric and poor construction look better in dark shades). And, you can dress it up or down easily.
Choose a skirt or a dress in that basic shade. Finding trousers that fit can take forever.
A simple black dress would have been the perfect, but I couldn’t find one that looked right. They were too revealing. Too short. Too shiny.
So the hunt was on for a black skirt. Less than 15 minutes into my challenge, I found an outstanding candidate. To save time take multiple sizes of the same thing to try on.
Time: 14:35
I snagged a backup dress in a subtle black/gray herringbone and started to think about top options to try with that skirt.
It took only a couple of minutes to locate a black cardigan (instead of a jacket). You can’t go wrong with classics.
Time: 17:10
However, all that black was too much of a good thing, so I grabbed silky blouses in three styles and a trio of colors, magenta, emerald and coral.
Time: 23:47
I needed to make quick judgments in the fitting room. I tossed the herringbone dress. Don’t linger over the losers.
After mixing and matching blouses and sweater, I chose the unadorned neckline of the green shirt, leaving me time and budget for jewelry to polish the outfit.
Time: 41:04
A black and “crystal” necklace added just a touch of sparkle but still kept with my keep-it-simple mantra.
Time: 43:25
A rough total showed I was well under my $100 limit, so I went back for more.
I chose a few splurges to add to the look: a fabulous leopard-print coat and a pretty purse, spotted earlier and — whoops — went over my $100 limit.
Time: 45:15
With almost 15 minutes to go, I got crazy and chose a little purse and a sequined shrug to transform “the business look” into an eveningwear.
I walked out of the store with a giant bag at 47 minutes, 58 seconds.
Shopping spree
Day-to-evening Shrug: $24.80 Bag: $6.80 Total: $31.60
Basic meeting attire Cardigan, $13.80 Necklace, $5.80 Green silk top, $24.80 Skirt, $17.80 Shoes, $17.80 Total: $80.00
Extras Leopard coat: $42.80 Woven purse: $26.80 Total: $69.60
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