How to Shop

1. Learn to window shop.

Window shopping is a very important part of the shopping process. Unless you have an unlimited budget, you need to learn how to look at things without buying them. Learn to find inspiration even in places you can’t afford.

Good window shopping:

Nordstrom

Barney’s New York

Bloomingdales

Saks Fifth Avenue

2. Learn your favorite designers.

Simple logic: the best designs are done by the best designers. The best designers get the best jobs at high end labels. You may not be able to afford these high end fashions, but you should learn to glean inspiration from them. 

Few of my faves:

Phillip Lim

Paul Smith

Alber Elbaz

Thom Browne

Marc Jacobs

3. Learn to buy designer cheap.

Often a store such as Gap or Target will have a guest designer create a collection for them. These are fun because they feature usually inaccessible designers for more accessible prices. They’re always smart to buy because they’re likely very similar to the designer’s main line, yet at a fraction of the price.

Examples:

Valintino for Gap

Zac Posen for Target

William Rast for Target

Lanvin for H&M

4. Learn from trend reports.

Trend reports are the quickest and easiest way to find out what is currently popular. These reports pull from thousands of runway photos to find patterns in style and report these trends to you. You can find trend reports in magazines and online at such sites as style.com.

Here are a few:

Style.com

Elle.com

5. Learn how to thrift.

I don’t endorse buying everything from thrift stores, but you certainly can find some gems if you look. For guys, you can find some really nice suiting. For girls, you can find some great accessories. Thrifting items are great because due to the fact that they’re old, they’re often one of a kind.

6. Learn what’s a good price.

I have a mental list of what I consider to be a reasonable price for each designer that I like. Learning what a good sale price is will help you resist buying when an item should be marked down further. Your mental list should vary depending on the quality of the product and its design— don’t expect to get Prada for Payless prices, but you also shouldn’t have to pay the full price. Almost everything goes on sale eventually.

7. Learn to use cash.

I’ve learned the hard way that shopping with a credit card isn’t a good idea. I suggest leaving your card at home when you window shop and when you are buying to use cash instead. Studies have shown that your buying is much more sensible when you use cash.

9 months ago  /  3 notes