How to Buy Clothes you LOVE and Wear

All too often clothes are bought to just hang there waiting for their time to shine, but NOT ANY MORE friends! These tips will help you buy clothes you love and a.c.t.u.a.l.l.y. wear. Let’s stop wasting money on clothes and start buying items we love.

I think that was all the introduction needed, right? Who doesn’t want to love the clothes they wear?

Anyone not have clothing hanging in their closet they don’t use??

Let’s get to the tips.

 It needs to work for you NOW 

Recently, one of my coworkers asked, “is that shirt new?”

Nope. 

It wasn’t new. 

I’d had it for MONTHS. 

It just now happened to fit me. 

The TJ Maxx bag had been chillin’ on our guest bed (major drop zone)  for a few months. It was outside of the return time or I couldn’t find the receipt so then I hung up the shirt in my closet. It hung out (no pun intended but it’s funny still) in my closet for a few months until I recently lost a few L.B.’s. 

Around 15 pounds to be exact. 

I know I am not the only one out there who has made these purchases with their ideal self in mind. 

We believe all our ideal self ideas:

• But it’ll fit me in a few weeks 
• It looks a little weird in this lighting, but I’m sure it will look better at work.
• With the right bra, it will work better

Then you don’t wear it.

You were probably wearing your favorite bra anyway!

It doesn’t get worn because it wasn’t loved in the first place. Think about how many more clothes you would have and that you would wear on a regular basis, if you had had only bought clothes that you love liked and fit well at that exact moment.

The “Ope” Feeling 

Midwesterners say “Ope” all the time. When we bump into someone- Ope!

When a cashier prompts us to click another button on the keypad we forgot because we were just standing there – Ope, sorry! 

This California girl says Ope. It’s slightly embarrassing but what can I say! I’ve been here for a decade now. 

Never buy an article of clothing that gives you the “ope” feeling. “Ope” is when you’re putting a shirt on then you’re sliding your arm in the sleeve and you think “Ope, that’s a little tight.”

The ope feeling is when you grab a pair of pants and you’re trying to put it on one leg and  suddenly wonder, how are my calves so muscular and too wide, that’s an ope!

I do have decent legs actually – my weight likes my gut. Grr!

Maybe you put a blouse on and it has some lace on the collar and it’s a little scratchy. Ope, that doesn’t feel right.

These are all examples of clothing you should not buy. Anything that gives you those slightly worried cynical thoughts, you’re going to feel that every. single. time. you put that article of clothing on.

That feeling will not magically go away when you put that clothing on at home. It will not make you feel good if it’s slightly too small and you think that maybe you’ve lost some weight and it might fit and you put it on and it turns out that you haven’t! That will just really mess with your day.

If you don’t want to wear the shirt out of the store it should not go home with you in a bag.

Don’t fall for the clearance price

Growing up my sisters shopped the clearance almost exclusively. So I grew up and into my young adult years, and only shopped for clearance. 

There were some great deals. 

There was also a lot of settling. There was a lot of “making things work.”

Every now and then I will get a stellar piece, but it was very few and far between.

Within the past two years, I really changed the way I feel about clearance shopping. Now of course clearance shopping is not a bad thing. If you have lots of time, few children (or ideally, none  at all for this), it’s a great thing to shop the clearance and save money.

It’s so much better though to love what you buy. I truly believe it is better for you to buy two blouses that fit you very well and that you love than to buy five blouses for $100.

Something I talk a lot about in my blog or maybe since I haven’t but I will, is feeling confident in what you’re wearing. You can feel confident in a clearance item 100%, but if it doesn’t truly work for you, you won’t ever feel 100%.

Never buy what someone told you you needed

This kind of goes back to my don’t buy a capsule wardrobe idea. Because it is along the same lines, but maybe it’s not a white or black T-shirt someone’s telling you to buy, maybe it’s a maxi dress that wouldn’t normally fit into the mold of a minimalist wardrobe or capsule wardrobe.

If someone tells you that you need to buy faded jeans because that’s what’s in but you never liked the faded jeans fad – don’t do it. 

Eventually they’ll “fade”out (I crack myself up) and then those jeans will no longer be relevant. Go with what you love. For me, it’s always a dark wash Jean. 

My coworker tries to coerce me into buying stuff she likes which includes tie dye shirts and cheetah pockets on striped shirts. Even if they were to fit me well, no thanks. I still wouldn’t feel confident. 

Maybe one day my taste will change. For now, I’ll keep buying black, navy and… black. 

Ask a friend to tell you what to buy 

I know! I know. I just said don’t listen to other people and I mean it if they’re telling you to buy something you don’t like. 

But! Most of us have a friend  with great fashion sense. Someone who understands your style. They may not wear what you would wear but they understand what you like and what looks good and will help you buy clothes you love.

Jen, my coworker, is not the person I would go to. She would not approve of something I really like even if it is a cute item to me or the general population might think it’s cute. We have completely opposite styles.

Nicki, my other coworker, is my go to person. The last time I did a clothes haul, I went to her house, tried them all on and asked her what she thought. She gave me honest feedback and I trust what she says.

I hope there is someone in your life who you trust enough to be able to do this with and I bet you there is. I bet they would be honored to know that you value their opinion enough to ask for their expertise in this area.

A little black dress or a big black wardrobe

My last clothes buying tip Is in regards to colors. I know I mentioned earlier that while I think white is classy, I don’t buy it often because it’s not flattering on me.

On the contrary, I have this black Michael Kors shirt that I have absolutely loved since the day I got it.  It makes me feel skinnier (even if it isn’t the truth). I feel more classy.

 If I found that shirt again, I would buy two of them. 

We love what we love people. Who cares if you wear one shirt once or twice a week. Very very few people will even notice.

And the ones that notice, don’t care. People really don’t care when you wear your favorite outfit multiple times because you’re going to feel so great that day.

People will see that!

Buy what you love, if that means you buy black all day. Then you buy black all day every day.

If it makes you feel better, just think about those wildly successful geniuses who wear the same thing every day – Steve Jobs…

OK that’s only one I can think of but there are more!

I hear you if you are tired of buying clothes and then not being happy with them. I hear you if you’ve bought the clothes with the intention of becoming your ideal self soon. 

My best advice is to buy clothes that fit you now both physically but more importantly where you are mentally. 

Now, go forth and buy clothes!

If you found any of these tips helpful, I would absolutely adore it if you would be so kind to tag @simpleinasnap on your Facebook or Insta with a pic of your next clothes purchase. 

Ciao, 

Becks

Some Inspiration:

Check out Justine Leconte‘s videos on how to buy clothing! She’s amazing and I love her simple tips.

Check out my about me page here!