4 Shopping Rules To Live By
dressing and shopping better, one rule at a time.
Shot on location in the Brooklyn, New York.
Photography, Daniel D’Ottavio
Styling, Igee Okafor
dressing and shopping better, one rule at a time.
The truth is there is no steady way of fostering efficient shopping habits. I roll my eyes when I read articles that claim otherwise but thankfully, this is not one of those.
As a firm supporter of the ‘do what you like’ movement, I say to simply use this article as a guideline to help you practice smarter and more confident shopping idiosyncrasies. The road to sustainable and authentic style is an amusing one and like many cases eventually, practice will make perfect.
Here are a couple of things to note:
On Wardrobe Essentials
With a new season comes new needs for certain articles of clothing and if you’re subscribed to any online retailers, you’re probably excited or overwhelmed by new product selections every week. Either way, it is very important to prioritize and weed out key staples that’ll give you more bang for your back in every category from shirting, to outerwear and accessories.
By more bang for your buck, I mean versatility, functionality, style, and high quality. A well crafted product in each category can go a long way. The goal should be that everything you’re buying should be able to pair well with most of what you have in your closet.
On Starting With A Uniform
Through following on from the above, you should be taking note of what works and doesn’t work for you in every setting your lifestyle allows. Making use of the result and actualizing the formula allows for the process of getting dressed to be faster so it’s smart to stick to buying in those strands with occasional eccentric additions. The idea is that you can wake up in the morning and it feels innate to you to put on the clothes without second guessing because you’re so sure of yourself. More importantly, there’ll be reduced overspending.
On Fit
You can shop the most high quality clothing but it won’t really matter if the clothing is not dressing your body in a way that suits you comfortably. Point blank: fit is of prime importance. If you’re shopping off the rack selections that are created to sample size specifications, it is more than likely you’re going to need to alter something.
Securing a well trusted tailor is ideal.
On Trends
Trends can be amusing and pleasurable. Nothing feels better than feeling like you’re part of a culture shaping movement but there is a lot more to be said about a man who stands still on his style values.
I’m not saying that trends shouldn’t be considered at all because sometimes, it can make sense when the classification lies in whether it looks good on you or not. Also, if it’ll be able to stand the test of time as soon as the following year.
It’s like one of my favorite quotes from Orson Welles expresses the concept “Create your own visual style. Let it be unique for yourself and yet, identifiable for others”.
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