Stress less! 7 tips for selecting your fashion week wardrobe

Words by Maddy Budd of MaddyBudd.com. Before a night out or big event I’ll always receive a text message from one of my friends in a panic because she has ‘nothing to wear’. However, I know for a fact she has a wardrobe full of plenty of great options. If you’ve been that girl don’t worry, I’ve been there too… I know the feeling of frustration as you try on your 24th top to no avail and you only have 20 minutes left until your cab arrives. With New Zealand Fashion Week kicking off next week and the inevitable endless outfit changes, I’ve written seven tips to make getting ready a breeze.

1. Pick an item.

Start by picking out one thing that you definitely want to wear. It might be your newest pair of shoes or a pair of jeans you know our butt looks great in. Then work around that. Usually once you have a starting point things will be much easier.

2. Stay calm and don’t make a mess.

Too many times I’ve seen my girlfriends work themselves into a frenzy trying on everything in sight and just stressing themselves out more by making a mess. Keep in mind you will almost always wear the first thing you tried on.

3. Assess the situation.

Do this before you even start. Think about where you’re going. Is it casual or dressy? Will you be standing? Will you be dancing? Do you want to stand out or just blend in? Who’s going to be there? If you have friends going it is totally cool to ask them what they’re wearing. Knowing that will always make you feel way better.

4. Put your makeup on first.

I know this sounds dumb because it will mean you’ll have to be super careful not to get make up on your clothes when trying on different outfits, but it works! If your face looks bad you will think your outfit looks bad too, but when your face is done it makes you feel ten times more confident in what your wearing and you will actually be a lot happier in whatever you try on.

5. If all else fails, wear black.

If you’re just having a full mare and nothing looks good, just wear all black. That way you’ll be appropriately dressed for pretty much every situation, you’ll always look slim and you don’t have to worry about spilling a bit of red wine on yourself if things get a bit wild.

6. Less is more.

Don’t try to over accessorize or wear too many layers. The last thing you want is to look like your trying too hard. Plus the more crap you wear the more annoying it all gets as the night goes on.

7. Make sure you’re comfortable

There’s nothing worse than seeing someone who is clearly wearing a skirt that is way too short and tight and so they’re sitting weird and constantly pulling it down all night. If you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing then you will look confident and cool. There you go. Now you have all the powers to save you from losing it before you've even left the house. Just don’t spill anything…