HOW TO MAKE SHOPPING FOR MENSWEAR EASY

As you may have figured out, shopping as a man, sucks.

If you’re ever trying to find menswear in your local department store, it’s usually on the lowest level floor and in the back right quarter of the store (They literally shove us into a corner).

Back there, you'll see we have far fewer brands and options. There’s much less store associate help. The dressing rooms are overcrowded. And, it might interest you to know, it’s the last area in the store to get updated when remodeling.

Contrast that to a woman’s experience. Women will make an entire day out of shopping; They’ll bring friends, and some stores will even have champagne at the ready. These stores will also have incredibly designed dressing rooms with entire floors full of options (everything that fills up the rest of the store outside of our little corner).

People assume I love shopping because I do it for a living. I’d have to be mentally ill to find that a positive experience. But while I don’t like shopping, I do like the end result. I would assume you're much the same. Unfortunately, to get yourself looking good, you have to buy stuff. And to buy stuff, you have to go shopping.

Realizing that the entire experience wasn’t built for you can be helpful; you then understand you’re on your own figure it out. To get the most out of that experience, you must go in with a plan.

Pivot maxim #4572 - Do not ever step foot into a store if you do not know precisely what you’re there to find.

A client once called shopping with me during a style consultation a “targeted missile strike.” We get in and out quickly, accomplishing our goal with as much efficiency as possible. We have acquired a target. We know where the target is located. We extract the target with as little interference as possible. Mission accomplished.

Too many men go in unprepared and doddle around far too long, only to leave with something barely passable that the store associate pushed on them. This is how most men shop. Don't be most men. Instead, come up with a plan.

To start, try swearing off bulk shopping by yourself for a while. You’re much more likely to make mistakes, and it’s much harder to orchestrate (trust me, I do it for a living).

Figure out a necessary piece missing from your closet, which would aid in supporting your personal style.

Then, figure out where you will find that piece. Usually, you should be shopping at places where they specialize in making the thing you’re after (e.g., Alden for shoes, Eton for shirts, etc.).

Finally, go and get it. Don’t let the salesperson start talking you into other items, and don’t spend too long looking around.

Get used to finding exactly what you’re looking for rather than settling. Come up with a plan and implement it. You’ll start to be much more discerning about what gets to go into your closet, thus what you end up wearing.

Most importantly, you’ll shorten the amount of time you spend shopping, lessen your frustration while doing it, and save yourself money in the process.

Remember, targeted missile strike.

Good luck, soldier.