5 Factors to Consider in Buying and Wearing Clothes

Do you want clothes in pastel or dark colors? Do you prefer them plain, printed or with lines? Do you give much weight to the kind of cloth used? Are you more comfortable with clothes that are soft to the touch and sight? How much do you admire clothes made with creative workmanship? Do you dress according to the weather?

Your answer to these questions will reveal that aside from comfortability and price, several equally significant factors are considered in buying and wearing clothes. These are color, lines, texture, workmanship, and season.

Color makes life beautiful and meaningful. Everybody is fascinated by different hues that reflect distinct feelings or emotions. Without color, what do you think life would be?

Color is important, especially in clothing. Clothes are made even more beautiful and in style because of different colors. They even reveal your personality and moods. When you are happy or when you celebrate a special occasion, you normally wear clothes with bright or pastel colors. When people are mourning the death of their loved ones, they wear black clothes. Most school uniforms, mostly the upper garments, are white. Indeed, color plays an important role in our everyday life, especially in wearing clothes.

Some clothes look better on you because of their colors. Different colors and color combinations make your complexion look healthy and smooth; they even highlight your best features like your hair and eyes.

Here are some tips on what colors of clothes to choose that will emphasize or play down certain areas of your body.

1. To look small, wear clothes with dark, cool, and dull colors.
2. To look big, choose clothes with light, warm, and bright colors.
3. A monochromatic or one-color scheme outfit could make you look taller.
4. Clothes of contrasting colors will make you appear short.
5. Choose white and light colors to lighten your skin.

Light is the source of all colors. When light strikes an object, color is either absorbed or reflected. Consider the rose. The rose is red because it reflects only red light rays and absorbs other colors.

Black, white, and gray are neutral colors. The color black appears because it absorbs all light rays, while white color appears because it reflects all light rays.

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What comes to your mind when you see plain lines? What do they indicate?

Lines tell about the dimensions of length and width. They can create shapes and forms when they combine and enclose spaces.

If used in clothes, lines create visual impressions. When you wear clothes with lines, you can look taller, shorter, heavier, or thinner. Sometimes, they can even create optical effects by making your hips look smaller or larger, shoulders look broader or narrower, and waists look thicker or thinner.

Specifically, you can change your appearance by choosing clothes with lines that are fit to your body structure and personality. Here are some tips…

1. To look smaller and thinner, wear clothes with vertical lines.
2. Clothes with horizontal lines make you look shorter and wider.
3. Clothes with diagonal lines make you tall or short and wide depending on their length and angle.

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When buying clothes, we also consider the quality of fabric used. Whether it is pleasing to the eyes and soft or comfortable to the touch is a deciding factor in choosing clothes to wear. This is what texture is all about. Texture creates an impression that is understood by our senses of sight and touch.

Texture can create illusion. Smooth fabrics can make you look slimmer. Bulky fabrics can make you look heavier. Dull fabrics make you look smaller.

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During summer, we usually wear light-colored, loose –fitting clothes that make us comfortable.

On rainy days, since it is cool, we wear jackets, wind breakers, or any thick clothes to warm our bodies.

Wear clothes according to the occasion you are attending. In formal celebrations like wedding and christening, make sure to dress formally. You can wear less formal or casual clothes when attending a dance party, club meeting, or when going out with your friends to see a movie.

Some clothes, when worn by others, look beautiful on them, but when you try them on, they seem not to look right on you. This is because different persons have different body structures and sizes. Clothes that is loose or tight on you may just be fit on others, and vice versa. Choose clothes that match your body size and type. Remember these:

1. Wear full skirts if you are tall and thin.
2. Choose clothes with few decorations if you are short and plump.
3. A well-proportional girl can wear any clothes appropriate for the occasion.

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Did somebody in your family experience returning a blouse or a polo he or she bought in a department store because it lacked hard-to-find buttons or because there was a run on its fabric?

Naturally, people are meticulous when buying clothes. They inspect every part of it to look for factory defects or damages. Additionally, people select clothes based on the amount and quality of work put into its production. This is workmanship or the care with which the fabric and other accessories had been handled to produce well-made clothes. Some clothes even have better quality details such as small machine stitches, deep pleats, adequate and even seam allowances, and properly placed darts.

Buyers also consider if the hooks and eyes and buttons are properly attached and knitted. Button holes should be evenly spaced, firm and smooth, and correct in length.

All these details of a quality garment or clothes determine its attractiveness and durability.

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