How To Buy Men’s Clothing

Many men hate buying clothes. They’re not wrong.

While I enjoy wearing a suit and getting dressed occasionally–or taking care of my clothes on a regular day, shopping for clothes isn’t on my top agenda of things to do.

Here’s the truth about clothing shopping is generally not a great option for men:

Stores for clothes are designed specifically to cater to women.

If I could generalize for just a moment…Women love the process of shopping. They take their time taking a look at the various options available, and then searching for the most affordable price. It’s all about the enjoyment. They actually enjoy it.

If you think of the typical clothes store, it’s the following: a vast array of sizes, colors, and selections. The goal is to overwhelm. Because, apparently “chicks like this.”
Women have been doing it Everything Wrong

The issue is that women have been doing the whole shopping experience wrong. Maybe the best way to put that men have followed the wrong path. We believed that we were not interested in shopping? We really hate shopping in the way women shop.

They enjoy the experience and the browsing experience, price-comparing, and the JOURNEY …(again (this is just a generalization, so don’t buy your panties in a group just yet).

Men just need to reach the goal: picking up new clothes.

As swiftly and silently as is possible, just like Navy Seals on a nighttime stealth mission.

Yet, in all the time we’ve attempted to “shop at the mall for clothing,” What have we accomplished? The same way our moms (most likely) have taught us: visit the store, take a look at the merchandise, and decide whether anything you see seems good…or worth purchasing.

What was the fun? Not fun at all.

Fantastic New Great News! The Right Way to Shop is actually a lot easier for guys.

Irony in ironies of all kinds? According to the majority of style experts, the right way of shopping is much better with the tastes of men.

Experts in fashion–not just women, but also the men– say you need to think about and plan your clothing shopping like a special force tactical strike. (Ok there’s no need to employ those exact words but …).

The last thing that experts recommend is to visit the store and “browse.”

The most effective way to shop is to be organized, disciplined, and focused about your strategy:
1. You should have an idea of the type of clothing your wardrobe needs to comprise

It’s a difficult portion at first. However, you don’t have to be afraid of your “W-word.”

When you are thinking about your outfit an important aspect to take into consideration is your life-style, your surroundings as well as your environment, job…What are the essential clothes are you required to have to feel and look great doing well…what you do in your day?

In general, when it comes to your basic men’s clothing, you should think about of versatility, so that the pieces are as interchangeable as they can be. To achieve this, it’s best choosing neutral colors like navy, black, gray and tan. You can also choose smaller, muted patterns.

If you’re looking for more specific guidelines on what you should incorporate into the wardrobe of yours, websites such as Real Men Real Style, Dappered and The Effortless Gent as well as Style Girlfriend are great resources. I would recommend you read about Effortless Gent’s minimalist style to consider the design of your wardrobe.

2. Write down exactly the items you’re looking for

Gents, this is the key — and the primary action we tend to overlook.

According to what Megan Collins from Style Girlfriend said in the course of an interview: instead of heading to the mall looking for “new clothing for fall,” you should be shopping in search of 2 pair of khakis dress shirt, a sweater that’s color that is neutral color…SPECIFIC items!

If you’ve completed item #1 above it should be simple to do: it’s basically a need-gap assessment. Imagine you need three pairs of khakis in your wardrobe. However, you already had one, which implies you’re in need of two more and the list goes on. Boom. Easy.
3. AGBTYL: Always refer back to your list

(ok the acronym will not get you any medals, but …)

When you’re shopping, it’s easy to become lost in “field conditions” unexpected sales. Shopping fatigue that alters your judgment. Unplanned, wild ideas concerning colored turtlenecks, or a variety of patterns…You’ve to be sturdy, Mr. Remember why you’re here. Sticking to your list can be difficult, but maintaining discipline here will save you loads of wallet-ache and Crying-Game-shower-magnitude regret later.

Better still, keep your list to a minimum and establish a time-limit. It is possible to create a contest: do you manage to complete all the items you have on your list within 45 minutes? …Without falling over innocent people during the process? This is definitely worth trying. Get your list ready and set your stopwatch!
4. Only make sure you trigger the button only when it’s truly the right time.

If you’ve completed your shopping experience to this point and you’ve managed to stay focussed on your shopping list Congratulations! Once you’ve found the item you’re looking for, ensure that it’s really worth the money. What are you able to judge?

When you first test the garment on, keep in mind that FIT is the king. I’ve written before about this and also discussed in a recent video on my experience wearing custom-made shirt.

It is helpful to know your measurements, and truly being aware of your measurements. If you’ve never taken a professional measurement need to do so. Since measurements can vary among brands What happens during the room where you measure is crucial.

But your understanding of how to fit is more crucial. Many guys prefer to live their lives wearing clothes that are too tight. Don’t be one of them. While you are trying the garment on, think: “Is there room for more than me?” If you can easily hide a pineapple or six-pack of Rolling Rock in your dress shirt, then it’s probably too large. I’m just saying.’

Enjoy shopping in the store If you’re on a side of caution when you go to the shop, it’s unlikely that you’ll fall in love with it when you’ve returned at home. With shopping for clothes and basically every other aspect of life I’ve become a fan of this “Hell Yes” test. If you’re trying to figure out if you’re interested in something, if the answer isn’t an overwhelmingly “Hell Yes!” then drop it and move on. It will simplify your decision-making significantly.
5. Enjoy the convenience and ease of shopping online

Shopping online is like hitting shopping with “easy button” to shop for men. It’s not my intention to suggest that shopping online was made to be a male-centric experience. If you’re a man who’s always been averse to traditional clothes shopping, and hasn’t yet given shopping online a go and you’re in for the best surprise.

The most “un-shopping” method of shopping. There’s no visual clutter (you are often able to sort your purchases by size) there’s no smoky perfume counter to pass by there are there are no other shoppers who bump into you, and no salespeople pestering you…and the option to relax in your chair of choice (sans pants in case you prefer) and sip your favorite drink the whole time!

It’s still important to maintain the same level of discipline we spoke about in the past: be aware of what you’re searching for and adhere to a shopping list to ensure you don’t become overwhelmed…

To enable online shopping to be a success it is essential to be able to quickly become familiar with the process of placing an order and returning goods. It’s true that the major drawback of shopping online is that you cannot experience the item prior to purchasing it. You may not even know the actual color or material is like — let not mention how it fits until you have it in the box at home. The good thing is that the majority of online stores have extremely flexible returns policies.

My adviceis to order items on the internet as well as PLAN to make a return of at minimum one item. This will allow you to get over the initial hurdle of working out the best way to pack returns for retailers as well as knowing where the closest UPS or FedEx drop off point is.

Like Brock in The Modest Man says, the trick is getting used to the “rhythm” of purchasing on the internet and returning products that aren’t working. Once you’ve done that it, you can’t go back. ….
Clothes-Shopping isn’t That Bad

See? You’ve always believed that shopping was going be painful or traumatic…

It turns out that shopping for clothes isn’t that bad in the end. You just need to let go of what you thought you know about shopping.