6 Clothes Shopping Rules to Live By


Shopping can be one of the most fun ways to spend a weekend, but, like anything, there can be ways to improve the experience. Whether you like to try everything on and then only buy a couple of things or you're more of a ninja shopper who likes to dive straight in and out, here are a few tips everyone can make use of. From finding ways to save a little bit more money (to spend on other things later, most likely!) to working through those days when nothing fits and you feel bad about yourself, these tips will bring out the joy in shopping. So, go and have some fun!

Always Look for Ways to Save
Your capacity to go shopping might be limitless, but unfortunately, your bank account isn’t. This is why it's important to look for ways to save while you shop. Discounted gift cards are a good idea if you know that you want to spend in a particular shop and you can find a wide range of them on www.cards2cash.com.

The sale rack can be great for bargains but outlet stores compound your wins. Outlets specialize in clothes that larger stores can sell, usually because they have over-ordered. This the perfect chance to get your hands on the latest fashions without spending a fortune. And if there isn’t an outlet store near you, the internet is always full of opportunities. 

Sign Up For Free Memberships and Emails
Emails might be annoying when they show up in your mailbox all the time, but signing up for emails from your favourite store can be a good way to find out when they have new stock as well as when sales are on. Lots of stores like Sephora also offer insider sales that are made available to members first or give them additional savings.

Many stores will give you a discount just for adding your email address to the mailing list so this is well worth doing. A good tip is to set up a separate email account for this purpose. That way your regular inbox doesn’t get clogged up but you can still see all the offers around.

Go into Shops You Normally Wouldn’t 
When you go shopping, it is easy to get into a routine and go to the same shops over and over again. But even with the rate of change in the fashion industry at the moment, it is unlikely that there will be a lot of new stuff for you to try.

Instead, you should broaden your horizons and try out some different shops. Sure, some won’t be right for you (and you can continue avoiding them if you like) but just going in will give you a sense of what other establishments can offer.

You might also like to try thrift stores and markets as well - these can be great for finding individual pieces or vintage clothes. And, since these things aren’t going to reach the mainstream, you can rest easy knowing that you won’t be in the same dress as your best friend at the next party! Try using belts to cinch in larger items or hemming items to get a better shape. A few simple sewing skills or a little help from a local seamstress are all you need.

Ignore Sizes
Though finding that a size smaller than your usual can be a great feeling, more often than not, we focus on finding that our normal dress size just isn’t big enough. It’s silly, but having to leave the changing rooms to get the next size up can make all of us feel bad about our bodies.

Aside from toughening up a bit, you need to remember that the number on the hanger literally means nothing at all. Anything from the stretchiness of the material to the cut of the cloth can make a difference to the size you need to fit best. Plus, different shops are appealing to different women with different body shapes so you could easily be a different size in every store!

So, take a deep breath and get back out there! Pick the item that fits best regardless on the size it claims to be - you look fabulous (and you can cut the label out!)

Laugh At Yourself
Shopping is supposed to be fun but if you are struggling to find things that fit or you have low body confidence, you might find shopping more stressful than joyful. As before, the main thing you can do is stop taking yourself so seriously. When something doesn’t fit or looks utterly awful on you, laugh it off. It’s not your fault something looks bad, it’s just an unlucky cut or the size is wrong.

Laughing, even when you don’t feel like it, can make you feel much more confident and restore your good mood. A mirror can be cruel but, for some reason, just smiling at yourself in the mirror can give you a real boost so when you are in the changing rooms doing battle, remember this and keep going - you will find some trousers eventually! 

Take a Friend Along
While shopping by yourself can work for a quick trip, taking a friend shopping will make you persevere when you don’t want to and even try things you wouldn’t have thought of before. Going with friends who are different shapes and sizes is also great in the changing rooms. When something doesn’t quite fit one of you, it might just fit someone else.

Friends are also great for giving you a confidence boost when you try things on and will also be able to give you a yay or nay on the things you aren’t sure about. When you have a supportive friendship group, who better to go shopping with?

Shopping should always be a fun day out and the more you can do to make yourself feel good, the better you will feel in the changing rooms and the more adventurous you will be with your choices too. Fashion is all about experimentation and playfulness - let your creative side come out to play!

This is a contributed post and may contain affiliate links.

Photo: Gossip Girl

6 comments

Shireen L. Platt said...

I love your suggestion of trying new stores, I am guilty of shopping at the same few stores all the time and then I feel bored because I don't seems to find anything interesting.

Shireen⎜Reflection of Sanity

Unknown said...

Eye Opener! i Needed this. Thanks Guys, So much!

Beauty Unearthly said...

Excellent post (as always)!Thank you very much :)

Pilar said...

These are such great tips Rowena! I like to try new stores to look for clothes!

Ivana Split said...

Ignoring sizes is a great tip. I buy clothes in sizes ranging from S to XL, as you said the size can vary so much between stores. Size often varies drastically between different European countries, so I'm used to relying on common sense.

Trying new stores is another wonderful time. Moreover, I love shopping in thrift and vintage stores because you never know what you will find.

Veronica Lee said...

These are great rules to live by especially sizes. I find that they may be bigger or smaller than your regular size depending on the cut of the garment or the retailer.