Clothes Shopping Tips for Beginners

You?ve decided it?s time you start dressing well- so you need to buy some clothes to fit this purpose. It?s too easy to go in to your nearest menswear store, ask the shop assistant what you should buy and lay down your credit card. Here are some tips to get the right clothes without getting ripped off.

Try everything on

A shopping novice needs to try everything on before buying, especially if it?s a new style you haven?t worn before. When you try on clothes, it?s not enough to pull them on, stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself that you look great. You need to move. For a top half item, try moving your arms around and twisting your torso to either side to check that the garment won?t restrict you. For pants, take a few steps and see how comfortable walking is. Correct fit is the most important aspect of your clothes. Ugly but well-fitting clothes look better than nice clothes that hang off you.

Don?t listen to the sales assistant

To state the obvious, it is the sales assistant?s job to make sure you buy from their store. They often work on a commission, and they usually have sales targets. When they advise you to go for the more expensive shirt, you don?t know if it?s because that shirt is actually better for your purposes, or because they?re trying to meet a target. It is their job to help you, so you can more or less trust their answers to any factual questions you may have, such as about the material. Don?t ask them if they think a particular item looks good on you though. They will either say yes to get you to buy it, or try to upsell you. Don?t believe everything they say. If you really need help to decide if something suits you, bring a fashionable friend to give you honest opinions.

Know the lexicon

Nobody is born knowing what brogues are or how to do a perfect Windsor knot. While some people are so devastatingly fashionable that it seems that it comes from the inside, even they had to learn it. Before you go shopping, do a bit of research into what you want, what different styles you can get it in, and find out the meaning of any words you see being thrown around. You won?t get ripped off, and you won?t buy something that?s slightly off. You don?t want to confuse a casual shirt for a formal one, but sometimes it is hard to tell the difference if you?re a beginner.

Brand isn?t important

Don?t be sucked in by seeing the name of a designer that you?ve heard of on the tag. Similarly, don?t be put off an expensive piece just because you?ve never heard of that brand. There are plenty of designers, but only a few whose names will be known by those who don?t know a great deal about fashion. Brand is one of the least important aspects of your clothes. Once you get to know what brands you like best, you might let the label sway your decision, but as a beginner you should be ignoring it.

Build up the basics

When you?re first starting to pay attention to how you dress, eschew trends in favor of the classics. Your wardrobe needs to be built from the ground up. The first quality pieces you should purchase are the versatile ones that you know you?ll be wearing frequently. Start with a few pairs of everyday jeans and some subtly patterned button-down shirts before you start venturing into what?s hot this season.