The Golden Rules of Shopping

1. Open your mind and educate your eye about what you like. Beauty abounds!

2. Buy the best quality you can afford. The item will make you feel great.

3. Items must pass “The Pretty Test.” Ask yourself, “Do I look good?” Pass on items that are just too fashion forward or too trendy.

4. Never buy fakes.

5. Only pay retail for timeless basics with great cost per wear. Almost everything goes on sale eventually. Keep a list and check back regularly.

6. Get a charge card from the stores where you shop the most. You will receive all the store fashion catalogs as well as first notice for sales and special offers. Join store frequent shopper programs like SaksFirst and Neiman Marcus InCircle. The end of the year rewards really are worth it. Hey, you can accrue points towards gift cards in the main stores while shopping at their outlets! While we are talking about charge cards, pay your balance in full each month. It is no bargain if you are paying interest on the purchase!!

7. Always try to buy items on your list from the major retailers before buying in smaller boutiques. Not only will you be accruing those valuable points, but their return policies are generally more flexible. We also think major retailers mark down more aggressively.

8. Always be nice to salespeople. They are full of information for shoppers who are kind and polite and take a moment to treat them like the real people they are. I have been tipped off to upcoming sales more times than I can count . . . just because I was nice.

9. Size does not matter. Fit does. Take as many sizes into a fitting room as possible. All designers use different specifications and different fit models. No woman is always a size 6. Trust us.

10. Limit embellishment. Heavily embellished clothes can be limiting, not to mention hard to hand wash or expensive to dry clean. When extra ornamentation isn’t attached to clothes, you can add or subtract your statement jewelry and get more wear out of your outfit.

11.  To buy the best for less, you must be willing to buy off season, ie. sandals in September and winter coats in March.

Thefashionfind.com is a website and blog devoted to finding the best in women’s premier designer apparel, shoes, handbags, accessories, jewelry and home decor.