I Love Shopping

 

Last week in my post Fall Cleaning, I talked about fall wardrobe shopping. Considering it was a pretty long post on its own, I did not go much into details about good way to shop. Now, some people may ask themselves why is there even a need to talk about this? Well
I know way too many women, not men, but women, that hate shopping. They hate the crowds, get tired easily, don’t like what they bought once they get home, and the list goes on. So my post today is to give you some helpful tips for stress free and productive shopping.

Now that your closet is organized and clean, and now that your shopping list is ready, (because I know that you read last week’s post here), let’s go shopping! But even before you do that, make sure you look at yourself in a big mirror. Really get to know your body and what shape you are. Determine what parts of your body you want to accentuate and which ones to somewhat hide. Now that you know yourself, look at your list and see what items you have on it will not work with your body. If you have a boyish shape, don’t get a pencil skirt. Find one that has some pleats around the waist like this skirt from Zara I wore HERE. This will give you the appearance of more curves. Find one with pleats or an A-line that will go amazingly with your body. If you are fuller on the bottom, don’t go for prints that scream. Opt for more subdued ones. You catch my drift?

If you need some help, and you are not sure in your friends’ suggestions, visit a store and ask sellers for some suggestions. But make sure you go to higher end stores where they know what they are talking about, and not to the stores where you have teenagers working. IF you like a specific sales person’s style, don’t be shy to approach them. They will like to be useful. After all, you are also paying them a compliment by letting them know you like their style.

Now let’s get back to few more things that you have to think about:

-Never shop for something last minute or exactly when you need it. Give yourself time to search the stores but also check online stores. Last minute shopping will not get you exactly what you want and will cost you more.

-Never go shopping hungry!

-Never go shopping tired!

-Put on makeup so that you feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror.

-Shop on the weekdays when there are no crowds. Try not to do it in the evenings, especially after work, as you will be tired and will be more prone to make snap decisions. Also when there are crowds store are not neat and organized all the time therefore you may end up missing that one perfect top.

-Wear comfortable clothing and something easy to take on and off. I usually go in a light skirt, a tank top and a light cardigan or jacket. This way, skirt is easy to take off to try bottom pieces. It also allows me to see what my legs look like if I am buying shoes. I hope you know what I mean by this. You know how sometimes your legs look better in some shoes then others? Well it depends mostly on the heel height but also straps the shoe may have as well as width. Don’t wear a dress, no need to have to take everything off every time you want to try one piece, such as a blouse. Also, light cardigan/jacket allows you to stay warm but once your blood is pumping and you get hot from all the walking and dressing/undressing, you can take it off and it is not heavy to carry with you.

-Bring a very light cross body purse with you. This way your arms won’t get tired and you are not carrying too many unnecessary items with you. You are also free to brows the isles with your hands.

-Make sure you try everything on. Never buy anything just because of the way it looks on the rack. Sometimes the material may not fit you right. Patterns may get stretched out once you put it on. There may be a pull on the material. Same rule applies the other way around. Sometimes things don’t look as nice hanging on a hanger then they do on your body. Your curves give it shape and beauty. So don’t be lazy and try it on. And don’t say you will try it at home and return if you don’t like it. That is just one more unnecessary chore on your already busy TO DO list. So save yourself time and agony, and try things while you are already shopping. And ignore those horrible lights in most stores! No, your dark circles are not that noticeable; no your cellulite is not visible and is not the first thing we see when we look at you. Love yourself and others will love you too!

-Try it on when you get home one more time. Just to make sure the mirror you use every day shows you the same image of yourself you saw at the store.

-Buy pieces that you will be able to wear with at least 3 different outfits.

In summary, do a bit of prep work that will save you hours of agony (if you don’t like shopping as much as I do). Wear clothes that will keep you feeling comfortable and that are easy to put on and take off. If you are not comfortable you will most likely either give up early or just buy whatever you tried by then even though it is not exactly what you want. So happy shopping! Ciao!

Aleksandra <3