SHOPPING TIP #44: STEP OUT
Step out of the change room and into the store. You'll learn a lot — often from other shoppers!
One of my favourite things to do when I go clothes shopping is to step out of the change room. On recent shopping forays I was surprised to note how many women shoppers didn't do this. They would go into the change room with an armful of garments and emerge some time later in their original outfit, often without having selected single piece to buy.
Here's my easy tip — if the piece you're trying on fits you, take the trial ensemble on a ten-foot road show, out of the change room and into the store.
It's amazing what you can learn. On my last trip to Club Monaco, I tried on a pair of cream coloured wide leg trousers and matched them with a short-sleeve blouse. As I strolled around the store from mirror to mirror to get a long view of the outfit other shoppers noticed and the compliments began.
"Oh, cream works so well on you."
"I could never wear cream, but it looks so chic on you."
"You have to buy that, it looks great!"
If I had stayed locked in my change room with a mirror two feet away, I would have never experienced the reaction from other shoppers. I would have never seen how I looked and felt in the outfit, out of the constrictive and often unflattering cubicle.
Now, I don't often get that level of glowing reviews, but you won't know until you step out!
Of course I don't completely go by what my comrades... I mean "fellow shoppers"... say, but it's often a good way to gauge whether or not an outfit works on you.
When I tried on a matching cashmere sweater, another shopper — a complete stranger — approached me.
"White on white is so chic," said Olga (for so I learned was her name). "Let me show you how to fold the sweater." She created a flattering shape by tucking in half of the sweater's bottom edge while draping the rest of the material to create a soft fold at the waist.
"Fantastic! See how it elongates your leg," she said. "I'm now going to try on that sweater since it looks so good on you!"
Reader, she bought the sweater.