Touch, Touch, Touch – Tip #23

I don’t know about you, but I love to touch garments when shopping.  Anyone who has learned to shop with me  learns that one critical way to catch a great find is to touch, touch, touch. It’s key to finding what you want, once you’ve already determined that the color fits your pallet and the size works (or may work) for you.

Here’s how I do it.

I first make sure the color fits the color pallet.  No sense wasting time.  Then I scan the garments touching most of them with my hands as I rapidly move through the aisles.  The reason is simple.  I’m feeling for texture, something that’s tough to see, then my mind and my hands are waiting for that moment.

Sometimes the moment causes me to turn a a garment from the rack to the front.  You’d be surprised how often the face-forward garment is a killer and the turned sideways is not.  The touching also triggers a focal connection.  It’s so easy to get overwhelmed with the quantity of clothes you have to look through in a store. This hands-on approach helps to filter out the extra and keeps me focused.  Lastly, I can also tell the sales associate, “Do you have something like this fabric in a different style?” This opens doors to new possibilities.

You may think touching makes shopping slower…it doesn’t.

What to Wear for that Special Occasion – Tip #22

I can guarantee you that in the next year you will need to dress up at least once, and you’ll need something that makes you shine. It’s a given.

Then if it’s a given, let’s take a look at your typical routine.

* Notice comes in the mail or email.
* You accept.
* Put off purchasing the gown.
* Last minute you drive around town looking for the right item complaining that there is nothing that fits or works.
* You come to hate the shopping experience and ultimately end up with a gown that’s OK but not what you wished you’d be wearing.
* Your closet now has an item you won’t throw out, and yet it’s not you.
* Event comes and you look wonderful yet in the back of your mind you think of the whole experience as bad.

So let’s change the routine.

* You’re visiting friends in a major city and you stop in to a major name to just check out the merchandise. No worries, just looking for something on sale/discounted/fashionable what ever your need. You find an item you like, however, it’s not killer. You pass.
* It’s a Saturday and you’re having coffee with your friends down in the boutique store area of your home town, and you leave a few extra minutes to browse the shops. In the back of your mind you are looking for the next fashionable outfit you can wear to the typical events you get invited to attend: dinner, wedding, anniversary, banquet, etc. You find an item, but it’s too large and yet it could be altered. You pass.
* A month later, while driving with your friends you ask if you could have 20 minutes to stop in the mall to check out some merchandise. You put on a dress, and it works perfectly. Still needs a little altering, however, the color is in your color pallet, the length makes you look stylish and still sexy. It’s yours.
* You get the item tailored.
* An invitation arrives in the mail and you accept knowing that you already have the perfect item.
* When you arrive, you’re turning heads including your date’s/husband’s and anyone else’s in the room.
* A big fat YES!

I know you’re now thinking who has time for all this. Well you do. You do it already, just in a different format. Stressed, worried, anxious you travel around from store to store wishing you could find the perfect item. Then you spend whatever is necessary, even if out of budget. Mind you I’m not forgetting shoes, and accessories. This could really throw you a curve ball.

In my scenario you actually save time and money and your wits.

Case in point. When I travel to NYC, I often pick a store or two to visit knowing that I may walk out empty handed. Which I often do. This past week I spent about an hour walking the floor in the suits area and the young men’s clothing area.

I tried on several sports coats and then found a jacket marked down from $495 to $69.00 The guy in the shop said, “This is a no brainer.” He was right. In fact, if I only wore it once, it would be worth the price.

I then scanned the suit section looking for specific style and characteristics. Then I tried on about 12 items, most did not fit as they were too long or just the wrong cut. One item was killer. A steal. A Zenga tone-on-tone suit marked down to an unreal $499. Zenga suits sell for $2000. I tried it on and it fit. European cut, two button and flat front, a must, with pants that are not all baggy.

(f you don’t know a suit for a man can run from a Men’s Warehouse at $200 to A Brioni for $9000, so in the world of men’s suits, $400-800 for a quality suit is not out of range.)

Both the jacket and the suit need tailoring on the sleeves, hem and the jacket a little on the back. Both items are hanging near the back door of our home for me to take to the tailor….no rush. I purchased for a future need and not a current need. When I arrive at the tailor, I don’t need to ask for the item in two days; I can easily fit into the normal tailoring time.

Did I need the items right that moment? No. But by purchasing in preparation and not in desperation I found an item I absolutely love and will wear over and over again.

Ironically we received a wedding invitation just after I returned … guess what I wore?

* Outfit from http:www.threadsocial.com

Perceptions: Pay Attention to How Models Look – Tip #21

You can look at this video and think, “See, it’s impossible to look like these models.” or you can say, “What can I take away from this video to improve how I look while being real about myself. ”

• The right make-up can do miraculous things.
• Eyes, nose, cheeks, brows, and lips can all be altered with simple techniques.
• You need the right hair cut and the right person to show you how to do your hair.
• You can’t change your base without either surgery or Photoshop.
• This imagery, in your life time, is not going to disappear

What’s even funnier is that with all this, women perpetuate this movement more than men.  Women buy the magazines. They shop in stores that promote the looks and many women compare themselves to the models.

What’s even more ironic is that men love everyday women.  Men are always looking for everyday women, the court them, marry them, have children with them, grow old with them, and love them to pieces.  While the only place to see models is in magazines, movies, and television.

What men like to do is see a woman, no matter what weight or height, take care of themselves in a way that makes them look good.

This means you can learn from these images but still maintain your own personal identity. Stand up straight, wear the right bra, walk with your feet straight and not pointed out, flaunt your intellectual and physical traits, put on a nice outfit and YOU will have men looking.  Married, single, divorced, young, old.

The knowledge that men are with everyday women means that you won’t forget that men are looking in the grocery store, at the coffee shop, book store, amusement park, the mall, or even when you go out camping.

Make good use of the help while shopping – Tip #20

There’s a great scene in one of my favorite movies, Pretty Woman, where Julia Roberts returns to the store where the “help” insulted and degraded Julia earlier on in the movie.  She then asks the sales person if she worked on commission, to which Roberts’ character replies, “Big mistake,” as she leaves with bags of expensive merchandise.

While the story is well noted and reports show that retail help is going down hill, “Last year, the Retail Customer Dissatisfaction Study — conducted by consultancy firm Verde Group and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School — found that nearly a third of consumers can’t find a salesperson when they shop. And of the shoppers who do locate a clerk, 25% report that they get completely ignored. Pushy and insincere sales staff were cited as problems, too.” LA Times Blog

Of course this depends on the store you visit, and I’m not referencing price here. It’s the type of store you visit that makes all the difference. Great stores have employees that are truly there to serve and management pushes the effort to help. (I’ve recently noticed that at Home Depot more employees are saying hello than ever, and I believe it’s due to the new CEO and their push against rival Lowes.)

Now the tip. Don’t feel bad asking your salesperson to go into the back room to get another size or color. That’s their job and in many cases what you really need IS in the back room and the few trips means you end up with comfort and style.

That said, if you really think they are there for your best interest, you might be mistaken. Employees don’t know your pocket book nor do they know your closet. In fact, if you asked for the store all wrapped up, they would do it for you. Have you ever heard someone say, “No, leave the store. You’ve already selected too many items?” So when it comes to making them work, let them do their job while you pay attention to shopping.

Make good use of the help while shopping – Tip #20 One request, please be kind to the sales people. It’s tough to stand all day on a concrete floor. The carpeting or wood flooring only helps a little. A little kindness goes a long way.