ARNESSA STATEN BENNETT

Maumelle image coach Arnessa Staten Bennett (Arnessa.com) has been teaching women how to dress on a budget since long before the recession that began in late 2007. Her “Diva on a Shoestring” course is about 15 years old.

But, as a newlywed minister’s wife, even Staten Bennett has found it a challenge to dress for the many events she attends with her husband. “I’m really having to be creative,” she says.

Knowing the places to shop helps to get those creative juices flowing. When teaching her course, “we’ve gone to stores like Cato, Burlington Coat Factory], T.J. Maxx ... because they’re always running sales,” she says. “And no matter [whether] you’re a size 6 or a size 26, most of the time these stores will have something for you.”

Staten Bennett suggests that women who want an upscale look for less get with their friends and fly or carpool to outlet malls in neighboring states. “A lot of women think, ‘I can’t afford Michael Kors,’” Staten Bennett says. “T.J. Maxx has Michael Kors. If you want to look high end, you can.”

Other tips:

“Save your money and shop off-season,” Staten Bennett says. “Right now they’re getting rid of some of the fall and winter clothing and you can get it for almost nothing. And ... when the fall comes back again you’re going to have some wonderful things.” Look especially for thinner-fabric items that can be worn year round, she says.

Shop different outlets of your favorite discount chain. The selections often vary from one store to another.

Buy a good, basic, two-piece outfit - for instance, a jersey knit black top with a coordinating black skirt - that can be toned down for casual gatherings, put with a jacket or sweater and topped off with a scarf during workdays and dressed up with pearls or rhinestones for evening events.

Mix and match. Staten Bennett went to Cato on one occasion and found jackets in various styles and colors. She got jackets in about five different colors. She mixes these jackets with various skirts, she says, and she goes through all the jackets before starting over. She has fooled people into thinking she has a lot of clothes.

Changes in scarves or jewelry, Staten Bennett adds, “will make your outfit look a lot different each time you go out.”

No matter how hard the times may have gotten, the experts say, giving up on looking your best is not an option.

“You’ve got to bounce back,” Sanders says. “You have to have a polished look to beat your competitors. You can’t come in looking frumpy.

”And you don’t have to.

This article was published Tuesday, April 7, 2009.

Style, Pages 31, 36 on 04/07/2009

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Fashionably Frugal

Having less cash for clothes doesn’t have to mean dressing like a frump

By HELAINE R. WILLIAMS

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE  Tuesday, May  7, 2009

 LITTLE ROCK — When money is tight, as it has been since the “great recession” began, nonessential expenses tend to fall by the wayside. As evidenced by the drooping sales figures and now-closed storefronts, clothing has been one of the main expenses considered to be nonessential.

Ironically, this is also a time in which being well-attired could be most important. If you are on the job-interview circuit, trying to jump-start a career interrupted by a layoff, you know this only too well. Even if you’re still drawing a steady paycheck, chances are that wage freezes, mandatory pay cuts or shrinking retirement funds have made you think twice about replacing worn-out items in your closet or dropping a few hundred dollars on a special-occasion outfit.

But, as our hardy elders found out during the Great Depression, necessity is the mother of invention. It need be no hardship to “dress for less.” Three style experts offer innovative ways to do just that.