10 Questions to ask yourself when buying clothes

For me, there are two different kinds of people in the world, those who love to shop, and those who hate to shop. I happen to be one of the people who love to shop; that being said, I still make rookie mistakes while shopping. This usually happens when I am in a hurry, or I have my mind in another place. Which is the mistake. Do not go shopping when you are not fully committed mentally and emotionally to shopping and taking the time to try on clothes.

Let me explain. When you are not fully committed to shopping, you are going to miss a lot of things. For example, this weekend I did a little shopping at Dressbarn. One of my favorite stores. They were having a final markdown of their winter clothes to make way for spring clothes. Clothes were anywhere from 30% to 75% off, so I was so excited, but in the back of my mind I knew I had to be back at my condo for a certain time. Since I had to leave earlier than I wanted I rushed through the racks, and rushed trying things on which are two HUGE mistakes for two reasons; the first reason being if you do not take the time to look through the racks, you will miss everything, the second, and probably the worst, being when you are trying on clothes, you do not take the time to make sure the garment fits in all the right places and that the garment is perfect, therefore you could possibly be buying a poorly fitted, and ruined piece of clothing. So here are a few things I ask myself when I am buying a garment.

  1. Fit; does it fit in the proper areas? Or can it be altered to fit?
  2. Are all of the seams finished that should be finished?
  3. Are there any lose strings?
  4. Are the pants hemmed and finished? Strings? (if you have a string coming off the hem, it could be because the hem is coming undone and unless you can do it yourself, you will need to get them hemmed again)
  5. Are all clasps properly fastened?
  6. Are the pants/shirts buttons secured? No strings?
  7. When you put on a pair of pants, properly zip and fasten the button/clasp. Now bend over like you are picking something up from off the ground. Did the zipper open? If not, the zipper is not broken. (This could also work sitting down)
  8. Are you able to move freely?
  9. Name three places in your head you can wear the garment. (If you buy a garment for a specific occasion like a wedding etc. that is okay, but for regular everyday clothes, if you cannot name 3 places you can wear the garment, you most likely will wear it once, and that is it, and you wasted your money)
  10. How versatile is this piece? Can you only wear it with a certain color or can you vision yourself wearing it many different ways?

A lot of people think that shopping is a mindless activity, but if you want to do it right, you actually need to pay attention to the clothes and yourself. Plus, depending on the store, if you find a garment that either has missing buttons, broken zippers, or the hem is taken out, they will most likely give you another discount since it is ruined. (This does not go for all stores, you will need to see a sales associate to see if they provide that for you.)

Rachel

About Rachel

My name is Rachel Boudreau. I am 24 years old and have been blogging for the Bangor Daily News for almost a year. I am a Certified Personal Shopper and a Certified Fashion Stylist. I have always had a complete love and desire for anything fashion. I have recently started studying French fashion, (Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc.) I watch all of the high fashion runway shows every spring and fall. I love shopping for people and picking out clothes for them because I like when people try things they normally would not, that, after all, is how you find new things you like! Happy reading!!!