[RaggedyAnn]

Talbots is starting to market themselves differently, so you might find some clothes you like there now.

A big trick is to go to the back of any store and go straight to the clearance racks. If you pick out more classic styles for your staple pieces at the pricier stores, they will last you a while. Also, with the more expensive stores, try and find out what their sales/clearance schedule is like. (If you are nice to the people that work there, they'll usually tell you. I tend to look for the same person in the stores where I shop; you receive perks that way too.) The stores generally have the big blow outs around the same time every year. Of course, you can get on thier email list or Facebook fan page as well. Because the retail season is ahead of the weather, you can usually get a lot of use of the clothes still for this year.