I’m honestly not a person who likes to go clothes shopping. I have my small wardrobe and, when something gets worn out, I replace it. Other than that, I pretty much avoid the clothing section when I’m at stores.
The only exception to this is when my wife goes clothes shopping. Since she works as a part-time model and needs new outfits to wear for her photos, she visits stores on a regular basis and usually picks out one or two pieces at a time. And, since it is one of the few activities we can usually do together without the kids, I go with her.
At first, I have to admit, I wasn’t a big fan of shopping with her. Like most men, I felt a bit out of place, especially when she shopped at smaller boutiques. I also found I got bored pretty quickly when she didn’t find something right away. However, after a while, I found I could make it just as fun for me too.
First, I join the hunt. Walking behind her as she looked at different pieces of clothing got old very fast. So, instead of doing that, I started venturing off on my own a bit in search of items she might like.
When I first started doing this, she would pretty much ignore my selections. But, after some practice (and observation), I figured out what kinds of things she would like and, now, about half her current wardrobe are items I picked out for her and she wears on a regular basis.
Another thing I do is shop for an occasion. One of the things I originally hated about shopping with her was she would buy something but never wear it. Not only did this make me feel like I wasted my time, it also was a waste of money. Now, when I shop with her, we pick a specific reason to shop.
For example, a few days ago, we shopped for an outfit she could wear to a small business event I asked her to go to with me. Other times, if we are planning a date night, we will shop for something she can wear for that.
The last thing I do is challenge her comfort level. If I only picked out the stuff she would normally buy anyway, then there is no point in me being there. So I choose to look for the items she wouldn’t even consider if I wasn’t with her. Sometimes it’s a skirt that is an inch or two higher than she normally wears. Other times it’s a brightly colored top she might avoid. I won’t pressure her to buy them but I do insist on her trying them on. As a result of that, she has found quite a few items she now loves.
Even though I still hate clothes shopping for myself, doing these things does make clothes shopping for her much more enjoyable. I won’t say I look forward to it as much as she does. But, I definitely don’t hate it either.
