Rather interesting article from The Wall Street Journal: To dress well, women should shop like men.
Men focus on comfort, high quality and price. That’s it.
They don’t care if it’s a flat front pair of pants or if it is pleated. As long as they don’t look like a fool, the clothing is priced right and makes them feel good, they’re sold.
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I can vouch for this, having been the other voice of reason in a men’s dressing room, pleading BF to try on certain pairs of jeans in certain dyes or colours.
Also, I watched other men peek their heads out, side-eying me sitting in the chair, waiting for BF while they try to wave their significant other over to give her fashion opinion but never stepping out of the booth itself, in fear of silent (non-existent) ridicule.
Women however, are trickier to pin down as we are apparently very fickle, so retailers chase after them, waving strange garments and proclaiming it the ‘it’ style of the season to make us buy it.
Even if our BF’s and husbands told us: Ugh, ugly. We’d wear it anyway and proclaim them tasteless and not at all avant garde.
The above is also the reason why women like me find it so hard to find what I call NORMAL clothing. The basics, such as a simple tank top in white.
And where would I find this mythical tank top in white?
Oh right. $21 at American Apparel because it’s about to go bankrupt (or already has) and has porny sales associate models.
$21!!
Key points on how to shop like a man:
- Look for comfort
- Look for better quality (although we get shortchanged)
- Be less into trends and fads
- Don’t focus on the logo or the brand
- Scrunch up the fabric in your hand in a tight ball to test it
- Feel good in it
Explanations of what they mean to follow (these are mostly in my own words, interpreted from the article).
Look for comfort
We know stilettos were not built for comfort, they were built for style. Women have a tendency to go for the most uncomfortable but “hottest” looking outfits (author included in this analysis, although 95% of the time she pulls herself back from the brink at the last moment.)
Looking for fabrics that feel and look good, and wearing shoes that are comfortable are very important factors to consider when clothes shopping.
For instance, I can only wear 2″ heels comfortably. Any higher, and they’ll become my “sit down and look pretty only” shoes.
If you aren’t comfortable in something, you are not likely to reach for it when you go to pick out what you want to wear in the mornings.
For me, I know you might find this unbelievable, but I really do check for comfort. If I can’t stuff myself comfortably into a top, or I feel awkward or strange in something, I don’t buy it. (At least, not any more.)
Look for better quality
“Women do get shortchanged in the market,” says Patrick Gigliotti, a menswear salesman at the venerable Boyd’s Philadelphia department store. Some women who value well-made clothing have even resorted to shopping in menswear departments.
We have a lot of variety, but since women are more into clothing, retailers take advantage of this by overpricing garments that are of high quality, because they know they can.
Be less into trends and fads
It took me 2 years to concede to skinny pants. Now that I’m here, I’m loving it.
But I am still not sold on sh’boots:
These Versace sh’boots are getting a good WTF face from me right now, priced at $1950 but now on sale at $585 (still not sold.)
The more classic you go in its cut, the wilder you can be in its colour or with accessories. Trends and fads will come and go, so don’t spend too much time or money chasing them.
Don’t focus on the logo or the brand
I don’t do this, but just the other day my friend was throwing out some big names around me: Michael Kors, Chloe, bla bla bla.
I like their stuff and I think it’s pretty, but it isn’t pretty enough for me to spend $5000 on a coat, or $200 on earmuffs.
Scrunch up the fabric
Focus on squeezing the fabric of the garment into a tight ball and then releasing. If it stays wrinkled, feels uncomfortable and is otherwise scratchy or itchy, put it back.
I loathe sweaters that don’t wrap around you like a little piece of cloud cut from heaven, and if it’s itchy, I rip it off my body in the changing room and march it right back.
Feel good in it
Stand up. Sit down. Cross your legs. Uncross them. Lean forward. Slouch. Jump. Walk around. Wave your hands like a crazy woman. Do the chicken dance.
Do all the things to test the garment to see how it feels when you raise your hands or do all the actions a normal human being would do in a day.
If you are planning on sitting like a marble statue in the outfit and never moving so that you look perfect, then I applaud your tenacity and ability to sit still all day.
If not, doing the chicken dance might just score you that 10% discount 😉
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I’d love to shop like a man, and buy comfortable clothes … but THEY DON’T EXIST. So many times I have bought a top that I don’t really like, because it’s the closest I can get. I have bought men’s jeans. And I’d buy men’s tops too, except that they are too skinny in the hips.
My mum sews her own clothes, but even that doesn’t fix the problem as she is quite limited in the material she can buy. It’s even hard to find good quality material any more.
I have to agree with this unfortunately. All the high quality, handmade Italian clothes are made for men. All the bespoke and made-to-measure programs are geared towards men. Meticulously crafted clothing for women just doesn’t exist anywhere. It’s all the same cheap polyester or cotton, machine made in China by some poor child.
It’s a shame that women’s clothing is absolutely horrible in quality and workmanship. If I want something high quality, I would have to go for Burberry or get a tailor to create them for me from scratch. Either option will cost in the thousands of dollars.
Also, I cannot buy everything in the men’s department. I might get away with some tops or even collared shirts (if I get them altered at a seamstress) but that’s it. There’s not much leeway.
My ex-wife was the same way with furniture. I put more importance on how comfortable a sofa was, while she put more importance on how it looked. Don’t get me wrong, looks are important to me too.
But I would rather have a sofa that is a 10 in comfort, and an 8 in looks. She would rather have a sofa that is a 10 in looks, and an 8 in comfort.
I think I’d be more on your side for comfort. I’d rather be comfortable than look great, except I’d like the balance of both, so I’d end up searching and searching for the right thing before buying it.
This is also why I don’t have an e-reader yet. 😛
I'm somewhere in the middle. I love getting updated styles but I don't break the bank over it. I too am taking a break from purchasing any clothes for a year (I'm 7 months in). I went to a clothing swap yesterday. The host asked everyone to sit while we each pulled out our bag of clothes. One by one we went around pulling out our garments and telling the story around it. The common theme with the items that were almost new was the person loved the color or pattern. When they got home they realized the fit was poor or the cut was not comfortable.
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I’m the same way — I go for pattern or colour and I tend to gloss over fit or cut JUST for the colour or the style. *sigh*
I want to go to a clothing swap too! How do you find people?
It's one of the reasons I'm taking a shopping hiatus this year. I know I have enough to get me though a year, and I want to buy better quality (basic) clothes that I can just throw together an outfit with.
BF goes shopping maybe once or twice a year, and his clothes always last and looks good.
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Boys.. they’re so much smarter about quality and fit than we are. I went shopping with BF the other day, and he said to me: I don’t want those pants. That shade of brown is NOT QUITE RIGHT.
ME: *gasp* BUT IT FITS! And looks good!
Him: So what? Not to me.
🙂 I would not be like that at all.
I just stick to classic clothes like at J.Crew and Macy's. IMO classic clothes whether at J.Crew or Chanel, they last longer, they'll be in style in 3-5 years or more, and they're better made. If I get trends I'll go for Forever 21, its more affordable but I don't invest in trendy pieces that much. I don't think there's anything wrong with designer stuff as long as people can afford it and don't drive themselves to debt for it.
I don't think there's a man mentality to finding comfortable, well made clothes that can outlast trends. I think that's just a human thing. I'm tired of reading articles and books that tell you to do things like a man. Not every woman is daft when it comes to these things. Plus there are men out there who are into fashion and they're not always gay, they like their cufflinks and tuxedos, etc.
Men shop for things like sports memorabilia, gadgets, electronics, cars, etc. and they also go into debt for it. To pick on women is wrong imo. I'm not saying you're picking on women but I don't like it when writers like the WSJ writers say we need to do things such as do ___ like a man.
Its just common sense that's available to any sex. I do think that shopping for looks and not comfort is silly. I don't wear high heels and I don't think you should suffer for beauty. These days I like wedges and flats. I avoid high heels. I love how they look but that's not enough to buy them.
I somewhat agree with you about it being a male or a female mentality. I do see that I am more into comfortable, loose clothing these years, but in the past I was willing to suffer with tighter clothing that didn’t fit well.
Now I don’t care. T-shirts, jeans.. 😛
I sometimes used to buy stupidly high heeled shoes for the party lifestyle I wished I had, but didn't. No more. For work I always bought sober, classic clothes. I've never bought brand names. I think good quality is increasingly hard to find in the price range I prefer, which is one reason I tend to shop second hand. I've never bought men's clothes, but this reminds me I ought to at least look there…
You and me both. Luckily, I only have one pair of high heels left that I call my sitting shoes. 😛
Mm, I agree with a lot of the articles points. Shopping less often is also another aspect. I know people who always announcing "I'm going shopping!" When I ask them what they're going to buy, they shrug and simply say "Dunno. I'll see what I like."
My friends and I are so bored of high street shops we're going to learn how to sew this summer, so we can make what we like in a quality we like.
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I think shopping my own closet is the new mindset for me. I really liked doing it last year on my ban, and I’ll continue to do it this year!
Ahh… I see now. The Mrs. does shop like a man. She never follow any fads and just buy her classic clothes. I always want her to buy more colorful clothes, but she likes her blacks.
She spend $$$ on shoes though and are collecting high heel boots at the moment.
Those sh'boots are fugly, they remind me of mountain goats or something like that. silly.
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I think she’s brilliant then 🙂 High heel boots = SHE’S MY KIND OF WOMAN!! *laugh*
I don’t wear a lot of black, myself. I’m more into colour and pattern and wild shades.. but I can see the benefit of wearing black. It’s simple, easy, goes with almost everything.
I shop for comfort, definitely. HOWEVER, if something is SUPER comfortable but butt ugly, I won't buy it.
Although with today's trends of bringing back vintage, there are some ridiculous garments out there that are probably super comfortable and that would look ugly to some people but are actually in style. Oversized garments come to mind, and I think of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's style with big oversized tops and flare vintage jeans.
Unfortunately, I love high heels too much I could never give them up. And they always get comfortable for me, I just have to break them in, or do this:
Although since it's winter my style is oversized sweaters, jeans, and the Fuggs. So perfect.
Other than that I really think I do kind of shop like a man. I don't buy brand name. The only brand name I buy is Aeropostale because I love their long sleeve shirts. But that's not even brand name really. Well it is, but just a cheaper version of Hollister / A&F
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The worst “vintage” for me is 80s. My mom has some beautiful 70s clothing in silk that I’d like to wear some day and perhaps “fix” so it’s more modern.
I’m envious of you being comfortable in high heels. I’m always whining about how they hurt 😛 2″ is the highest I can go.
I love your scrunch test idea.
Spending $30 on a cheap shirt that wrinkles by mid-day and is hard to iron is just throwing away 30 bucks, because I won't wear it often.
fyi: the BEST plain tank tops are by Talula Babaton from Aritzia. They are not cheap ($35, or $20-$32 on sale), but they LAST. I wear them everyday under everything. They have gone through 50+ wears and washes and look great with no pilling or stretching. Only the white one has gone a bit grey, but that is the nature of white clothing. At cost-per-wear, they have been a pretty good investment. I recommend sizing up.
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!! I am checking out Artizia’s tank tops then. I’m so annoyed with clothing being such low quality. I can never find good quality basic clothing, and I’m starting to think paying more for a t-shirt is worth it. But not too much.
LOL, glad you brought up the subject. I've always shopped like a man, and my ex shopped like a woman. Seriously, this guy always wanted to go shopping for clothes & shoes at least once a month especially the outlet malls, and he had so many clothes (30+ pairs of jeans & counting, 50 T-shirts, dress shirts, 20+ pairs of shoes. . you get the idea) LOL! I still laugh when I think about it. He was always well-dressed & looked good, but our personalities clashed on other topics. Anyway, got a current awesome BF, who can skip shopping for anything (clothes & shoes) for 3 years, and he would not miss it. . .
30 JEANS?
I finally bit the bullet and bought ONE pair of jeans to replace my old dying ones (I still can’t throw them out yet, they need to rip in front for me to get rid of them.. :P)
I got my white tank top at H&M, I think I paid about $10
By the looks of it, I shop like a man. I love fashion, I love watching the trends, I love watching the fashion shows, but I'm very slow to actually jump on them (only recently did I buy a pair of skinny jeans). I do pay a pretty penny on my clothes, but I'm a stickler for fit and they have to last. I've almost given up on finding a white blouse that fits me, I've half considering going to a tailor and having one made.
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Is the H&M tank top worth it? Does it last? I find after a year or two they stretch and fade. So annoying.
Once a male friend of mine returned a pair of leather sandals because they gave him blisters the first few days that he wore them. This was a huge wake up call to me as I normally would just accept blisters and the fact that you have to "wear shoes in". The fact that he was simply not going to "take it", and demanded a pair of shoes that had to be comfortable was almost revolutionary to me LOL. I guess shopping like man is much like acting like a man in general – demand for more and not settling for less. That, and avoid getting distracted by shiny things, loud sales associates and gimmicky marketing.
although… I have yet to find a pair of comfortable and classic (at least 3 inches heel, not chunky) black stilettos. Maybe for this category only, comfort is unattainable?
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“accept blisters”. Yep. You and I are on the same page.
I’m more demanding (now) that I have shoes that fit and feel good, but… so pretty. So cute! how can I resist?
Now I can see the difference in shoes and I don’t buy cheap soles or uppers any longer.
As for black stilettos, try Nine West. I find them comfortable classic and not too high, around 2″ – 3″… but 3″ is considered “high” territory for me and becomes uncomfortable. I can’t hack it.
I tend to shop with a list of things I'm hunting for. I'm very particular and very touchy-feel-y with fabrics. If they feel gross in my hand, I put the item back, shudder and move on. So many times I've picked up a cute cardigan and it's been disgustingly itchy. No thank you.
As for the t-shirt dilemma, I am so thankful that white makes me look sickly so I tend to wear other colours but I hate picking up a top and discovering it's so sheer you need a camisole under it or you may as well be naked. What's up with that? My partner finds that there isn't a lot of variety with men's clothing. He doesn't want anything "trendy" just "affordable". You just can't seem to buy a nice shirt or pants or even a sports coat any more, or at least not here.
The price of clothing continues to baffle me. $89 for a trendy-last-only-a-month-super-sheer crop top? Utterly ridiculous.
I can never understand buying a thick sweater and ITCHING while wearing it!!!!!! I’d put it back immediately.
My mom bought a cashmere vest and now I’m thinking it would be a great idea to buy a cashmere sweater once my 8-years-and-counting wool sweater dies. If ever.
Most men don’t want trendy things. They just want comfortable, affordable, classic pieces, and it can be hard to find.
I used to like when my gf would go shopping for clothes with me, knowing she'd pick out stuff that looked nice and wouldn't cost a whole bunch. All I'd have to do is try stuff on. Sometimes I'd have to try on stuff just so she could see what it looked like, which was annoying. And when she made me do the turn around thing so she could see how the pants made my ass look, I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Still though, I miss having someone shop for me. What am I supposed to do, figure out what looks good on my own?
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YES! You are supposed to figure out what looks good for you on your own 😛 Is that so hard?
BF takes me shopping with him now. He trusts my opinion because he thinks I look cute on my own, and therefore can make anyone look good.
Weird, I guess I already do this. Hadn't really thought about it. I've never had a sales person tell me something was particularly trendy. I probably just tuned it out if she did.
Ditto. Someone told me to try harem pants, I laughed unintentionally in their face.
I like to think I buy my clothing more like a man. Does it fit? Is it (somewhat) well made? Is the price in line with my budget? I'm sold! The only thing I try on in different colors and shapes and sizes are pants. Because of my size and shape and all of the different cuts I can't just pick something off the rack.
But I gave up on designer clothes even before I could become addicted. I don't have many items with a pattern on them, or a logo, or more than one color. It's easier to mix and match and not have an ever expanding wardrobe.
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I have a huge issue with pants and jeans. I’ve FINALLY THROWN IN THE TOWEL and will admit that higher priced jeans will fit and look better on me. I have yet to throw out my old jeans though.. they have to rip before I do, and THEN I’ll buy new ones.
I try to shop like a man – although I sometimes fall for the latest style or clothes that fall apart easily. Ever since I've started tracking my budget, I don't really like shopping – it's just a thing to cross off my to-do list.
I guess I do shop like a man.
Except when I get into a store and go "ooooo pretty, I should buy that"
This is why I don’t go into a mall just to browse any more. I think watching your budget makes you realize how much you spend :\
I follow most of these tips too. I look for the quality of the fabric and stitching. Cheap fabrics with low thread counts will wear out fast and are more likely to warp or stretch.
But I don't agree with the scrunch test. I generally prefer natural fabrics like cotton, rayon and linen over polyester and poly blends and they do wrinkle. A lot of "wrinkle resistant" and "stain resistant" cottons are treated with chemicals like teflon to make them that way — so it pays to check the label and ask the sales staff.
That’s true that linen and rayon wrinkles, but not with a little spandex in there.
I am only thinking about NOT being a wrinkly mess when I sit down and stand up afterwards. I don’t want this big wrinkled fabric over my butt or my back…
I will vouch for this woman right here – comfort, price and quality are king. Honestly, I don't even like clothes shopping haha. I'll usually only go out and buy clothes two or three times a year, and when I do I'll just stock up! Thank god for American outlet malls haha.
You and BF are the same. 🙂
I had a professor tell me once that if women shopped more like men, clothing prices would not be so ridiculously high for women compared to the mens clothing prices. Before then, I had never really noticed but mens clothing is always less expensive.
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Even for beautiful shirts in great quality!!! I KNOW! It’s always cheaper and I think: DAMN IT.
This is exactly how the hubby shops. He always buys good quality pieces and gets a lot of use of them. On the otherhand, I tend to fall victim to buying something I know may not be the best quality, but I rationalize to myself "Oh well, it's cheap and I want to be trendy".
P.S. I understand the whole white tank top thing. One summer, I tried very hard to find a classic white tshirt. No frills or bells and whistles. Took me forever, and when I did find it, it was this thin white shirt that was definitely overpriced for its quality.
I’m still looking. Now I have Aritzia to look at as an option for good tan tops. It’s awful trying to find the basics.