How to Stop Buying Clothing You Never Wear
For many, there's nothing more satisfying than slipping on a new jacket or pair of tailored pants and seeing just how great they look. But buying clothes can be expensive, especially if you never wear the articles in question. Many men struggle with buying clothes they never wear, particularly if those clothes are “nice” or “fancy”. Today, let’s take a look at how to stop buying clothing you never wear by practicing these smart strategies.
Make a Clothing List for Each Season
Most people purchase new clothes as the seasons shift. If it’s time for you to upgrade your summer or winter wardrobe, make a clothing list of all the articles you need, like socks, underwear, pants, jackets, and so on.
By making a dedicated list, you’ll avoid aimlessly wandering throughout your favorite clothing store and picking up things that catch your eye. It’s the same strategy that helps people avoid buying groceries they don’t need.
When you go to the store with an objective in mind, you are more likely to buy just what you need and what is worthwhile rather than impulse purchase random things.
Determine Your Colors
Next, you should figure out the ideal colors for your clothing articles and overall aesthetic style. If you can figure out your colors, you can automatically cross off clothing that doesn’t match your theme or personal aesthetic.
Generally, men tend to wear navy, gray, black, and white. But depending on your skin tone, hair color, and personal preferences, you may also wear:
- Pastel shades like baby blue, pink, etc.
- Darker shades like forest green, burgundy, etc.
- Different shades of blue like bright blue, dark blue, oceanic blue, etc.
Spend some time figuring out what colors look best on you. Once you do that, you can pick up only clothing articles that fit the bill and avoid wearing clothes that look "alright", but never look good enough to take out of your closet or drawers.
Buy Clothes that Fit
Lots of guys try on clothes, find that they fit well enough, and buy them. But when they head home and look in the mirror once again, they find that their clothes don’t fit quite as well as they originally thought. Then they never wear the articles again!
You can stop buying clothes you never wear if you ensure that you only purchase clothing that fits your body perfectly. Good tailoring – and knowing your clothing sizes – is key to enjoying every bit of clothing you purchase over your life.
Fortunately, some brands focus on creating high-quality, tailored clothing, such as Berle with our tailored trousers. Furthermore, Berle offers complimentary hemming services for any purchases, ensuring that you get the ideal fit every time.
Try to buy clothing from brands that offer such complimentary services and you’ll never have to worry about buying clothes that don’t fit again.
Choose Clothes Made to Last
Buying clothes made with excellent materials is just as important as buying clothes that fit. Cheap polyester or cotton can rip easily, will degrade when it gets wet, and may not stand up to a standard washing cycle in a household washing machine.
Rather than picking up the cheapest and least durable clothing, you should pick up clothes that:
- Is made from durable, high-quality materials like excellent wool, 100% cotton, and linen (or other fabrics)
- Is either made to be machine washable or is labeled to be dry-cleaned
You can usually determine whether clothing is durable and worth your time and money if the brand that made it has a good reputation.
Stay Away from Trends… At First
Chasing trends can be fun in your earlier years. But as you get older, you’ll see just how rapidly trends can change and how quickly clothing fashion can fluctuate.
To avoid buying clothes that you don’t wear, never buy any new articles that have recently become fashionable. There’s no way of knowing if those clothes will remain fashionable into the next year or if they will be abandoned just as quickly as they were adopted! Instead, give new clothing styles a year or two to see if they stick. Sticking with classic pieces, like white t-shirts and Charleston khakis, are a guarantee that your look will never go out of style.
Upgrade Your Wardrobe at Berle
In the end, taking a moment to consider your clothing purchases before pulling the trigger (or swiping your credit card) is the best way to stop buying clothes that you never wear. If you plan on your clothing purchases and focus on classic pieces vs trends, you'll be less likely to waste money on clothing that hangs in your closet in perpetuity.
If you’re ready to upgrade your wardrobe with quality trousers that will carry you through all the seasons, shop the Tailored Collection by Berle. Complimentary hemming is always included with your purchase, so you can enjoy the perfect fit every time.