In Fashion It's All About The BODS

No, it's not what you think.

BODS is the acronym every Spashionista needs to remember. It stands for budget, occasion, disability, and shape, and it's the encapsulation of everything you need to know to have the ultimate wardrobe that works exclusively for you.

• Budget - This much-maligned term should be approached from a positive point of view instead of from a place of limitation. While it's true that our money seems to buy less with each passing day there's no reason why, regardless of our income, we shouldn't always try to get the best value for the lowest price. This is especially true for the majority of the disabled for whom disposable income and transportation can be hard to come by.

• Occasion - Your wardrobe should be appropriate for the places you go, the people you're with, and the events in which you're participating. If you work in an office you won't last long if you wear sweats or a tube top. On the other end of the spectrum you'll seem oddly out of place if you wear an formal dress to a sporting event.

• Disability - Those of us with a physical handicap have to take this into account with every article of clothing we wear. If you're on crutches chances are good you can't walk on 4" heels - whereas if you're in a wheelchair these may be quite doable. You may want to rethink a very short skirt if you're spastic because you may inadvertently show off more than you intended. Get the picture?

• Shape - Here's where your body type comes into play. Take a little time to figure out what your true shape and size are. Every body type has it's blessings and it's curses. If you're smart you'll quickly learn how to maximize the former while minimizing the latter.

That's the synopsis of BODS. Next time I'll start what will be a series of posts focusing on clothing options from full-price to a fraction of retail.