PLA Fashion Tips, Vol. One: How to Buy

Welcome to the first of what will hopefully be many entries giving fashion advice. We're starting out with How to Buy. There's a whole lot more to buying clothes than taking something off the rack, walking to the register and having over some cash.

1. Rethink sales.

Most of the time something is on sale (especially clearance sales), there's a good reason. Not enough people were willing to buy this stuff at regular price. Maybe the style is lame, the cuts are awkward, or the manufacturing quality is crap. Whatever the reason, it is almost always good to avoid sales, but with two big exceptions:

Classic items. Some items come back year after year and are pretty much always in style. Take for example the Lacoste polo shirt. This thing has been around for decades, and you can bet it will be around for decades more. It's always somewhere in the middle between trendy and played out. You want to avoid getting trendy items on sale, it's a sign that the look is dead. But, for items that make a come-back year after year, feel free to save yourself some cash.

Start-of-Season Sales. Many stores put their new collections on sale at the beginning of the season. I know Emporio Armani and Hugo Boss have done this, and I'm sure many others do as well. These sales are gold mines. Not only are you certain you're not wearing last year's trends, but it's usually easier to find your size, since the store's stocks are full.

2. Buy Quality.

Many people try to save money by purchasing cheaper clothes. This is a horrible idea. Cheap clothes save you money in the short run. More expensive, quality clothes save you money in the long run. Here's how:

They Last Longer. When you shell out the extra couple hundred dollars on a pair of jeans, it's not just because of the label (though many people will tell you that you're just paying for the brand; people that tell you that have ugly clothes). Part of it is the brand, for sure, but a lot is the quality if the fabric and manufacturing. The colors are less likely to fade, the shape won't change, the stitches stay stitched. It's worth spending $400 on a pair of jeans if you can keep wearing them for years to come. You may only need 3-4 pairs in an entire decade.

You'll Wear Them. Odds are if you're buying quality clothes, you're going to like them more, and you're going to wear them. With cheap clothes you'll often find something wrong with it later, or just end up not liking it. Do you really save money with a $40 shirt if you only wear it twice and then realize it was lame? It cost you $20 every time you put it on. If you spend $150 on a shirt and wear it once every two weeks for a year, it only cost you $5.70 each time you wore it. Which shirt do you think you're more likely to wear again and again? The nice, high quality one, which probably cost you a bit more. Bigger up-front cost, but it saves you money in the long haul.

3. Try Clothes On.

Unless you're very familiar with a brand and shop there regularly, try everything on. T-shirts, even within the same brand, can have different cuts. Different brands size things differently. Also, you're likely to notice some small details that you missed while looking at it on the rack. Sure, you can return things if you find it doesn't fit when you get home. But, a lot of people don't ever return these things. It's much safer to just try them on in the store.

4. Ask For Help.

A lot of people think that the sales clerks will say everything looks great on you and you should buy it all. Some probably will. But, a lot will give you good, honest advice, and also have very good style. This is especially true if you're asking for help with a size or cut (such as with jeans). Only one cut of jean will fit you best, and the sales clerk knows you're not buying both styles, so you can feel certain you're getting their honest opinion.

If they start saying everything looks good, just make it clear what quantity you're looking for. "I agree they both look good, but I'm not sure which I like better," tells the clerk "I'm just buying one, cut the shit and give me your honest opinion."

5. Get Clothes Tailored.

If something doesn't fit quite right, you can usually get it tailored so it will. Spending $10-15 to turn an okay jacket into a fantastic jacket you'll love and wear again and again is, in the long run, a real money saver. Just remember, when it comes to getting things tailored, don't alter the shoulders of a jacket or shirt. This will never work. The shoulders are the foundation, and altering them changes the shape entirely.