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I suck at shopping for clothes

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satineeraj
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14 Jan 2025, 8:22 am

I get where you're from with struggling to shop for clothes, especially in settings where you rely heavily on shopkeepers. It can feel intimidating, and I've had my share of awkward experiences. What helped me was creating a mental checklist before heading out, knowing exactly what colors, styles, or even specific items I needed. This takes away some of the stress of engaging with the salesperson. Also, if you're unsure about fabrics or fits, keep the receipt and politely ask about return policies. Sometimes, people are more sociable than we expect.

For another approach, you could save up for one or two solid pieces from places offering quality products, like these https://coach-bags.co.uk/ I read about. With their variety, you could find something stylish that lasts long and feels worth the money you spend.



Nibiruninki88
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14 Jan 2025, 3:38 pm

I don’t like clothes shopping and as it’s not in my daily routine, I forget about it till I really have nothing to wear. I but only basic clothes that are comfortable (this is a must) and I but 2-3 pairs of same or almost same items. I’m also happy to buy something in second hand but it’s harder to find multiple pieces of same clothes.


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kokopelli
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14 Jan 2025, 4:32 pm

When I was a third grader, my mother bought my clothes and I wore them not knowing any difference.

Now that I'm in my 70s, I dress like I wanted to dress in third grade.



nick007
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15 Jan 2025, 6:06 am

kokopelli wrote:
When I was a third grader, my mother bought my clothes and I wore them not knowing any difference.

Now that I'm in my 70s, I dress like I wanted to dress in third grade.
I'm 42 & I still dress like I did in third grade whenever there is no dress-code uniform policy like their has been with my work, my schools, weddings, & funerals. I hated having others including my mom buy cloths for me unless they were school uniforms because they bought cloths based on me looking nice in them. I have sensory & skin issues & I care about comfort so I never gave a flying f#ck about looking nice outside of uniform policies. Being given nice cloths seemed to me like a wasted present. I woulda rathered others save their money by giving me nothing or a lot better would be giving me the money that was spent on the cloths so I could buy toys, video-games, & music; especially since mom sometimes fought with me to wear the nice cloths & complained about the money & effort spent on buying cloths for me that I would never wear :roll:


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BTDT
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15 Jan 2025, 6:35 pm

At the urging of my partner I started to wear better clothes in my 40s.
It took years learning how to select clothes for myself.



kokopelli
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15 Jan 2025, 7:03 pm

BTDT wrote:
At the urging of my partner I started to wear better clothes in my 40s.
It took years learning how to select clothes for myself.


What's so hard about that?

6x or better fur hat
pearl button snap shirts
boot cut levis
vest
cowboy style duster for winter use
suspenders or western belt
boots.



ToughDiamond
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15 Jan 2025, 8:52 pm

xxautisticfoolxx wrote:
ToughDiamond wrote:
I hate buying clothes too. My first attempt was a complete failure and I fled from the shop empty-handed. In hindsight, it was a very trendy shop and I think I sensed the people there would be very "in the know" about fashion and would see me as an imbecile or not one of their kind, so I felt inferior and out of my depth. It was quite a shock because I'd just found a load of friendly people to live among, and I'd begun to think myself socially adept.

It might help to try using shops that are self-service so you haven't got assistants watching you. I buy most of my clothes from second-hand charity shops where the staff don't seem to think they're superior to me. The prices are so low that it doesn't matter if I buy something that doesn't turn out to suit me. It helps to avoid the shop's most busy times. I've considered measuring the best-fitting clothes I own and marking a strip of cardboard with a few key dimensions so that I can take it with me to more easily find out what will fit me well and what won't. There are some shops I'd feel embarrassed to use it in, but the second-hand stores are usually full of eccentric people anyway, and I don't think I'd stand out as weird there. The other thing is that it's sometimes possible to just brazen it out regardless of what the staff think. They can't do you any actual harm and it's not as if you're going to become friends with them. I can brazen it out like that sometimes, but it depends how confident I happen to feel at the time.


Thanks man really helpful advice. The only issue is that self-service shops are expensive where I live. I guess I have no other option.

Since 2016 when this was written, the second-hand shops in England I used to go to have either vanished or become gentrified, so the prices have gone up so high that it's barely worth bothering any more. Bang goes another win-win situation - getting second-hand clothes was good for me (low prices) and good for the planet (recycling instead of getting stuff new).



Carbonhalo
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15 Jan 2025, 9:15 pm

Total identification with this one.
In my life I have bought
A pair of black corduroy stovepipes in 1980 UK
A leather bike jacket in SF in 1998
Several gig T-shirts
All my boots and shoes.

Everything else was gifted, home made, or bought by my GF of the time.