How Men and Women Sabotage Themselves In the Fitting Room

So over the years that I've been styling men and women, here are three things I witness on a regular basis that consequently cause men and women to end up with clothes they probably shouldn't be buying:

1.  Size matters.
I can't tell you how many times a woman (and men too every once in awhile, but mostly women) won't buy an item if it's not a size small.  Even if the piece runs incredibly tiny and could fit a second grader, for some reason, these women refuse to budge over a size small.  So, a perfect sweater is passed over because even though a medium or large would fit fabulously and look really good, mediums and larges are "for big people" (yep, I hear that a lot...whaaat?).  What happens, then, is she will pick out something that is so-so (but it's a size small so therefore it must be fantastic!).  No wonder retailers resort to vanity sizing.

2.  Someone else's opinion is sought for everything.
It's perfectly okay and natural to check in with your spouse/friend/mother to see if they like a particular item, but I sometimes have men and women who say that "they have to show it to x/y/z before they try it on."  Before they even try it on?  At least try on what you like, and if you love it, buy it.  If no one else likes it besides you, too bad.  Life's too short to please everybody else.

3.  I am an occasional therapist.
You think it's just women who ask if they look fat?  Men are just as insecure about their bodies sometimes, and are often concerned about how their legs/arms/butt look.  They won't say "do I look fat?" but they will say it in other ways:  "Does this look good?  Is it too tight?"  Part of my job has morphed into the occasional therapist, who reassures everybody that they do not look too fat/thin/girly/manly/young/old/freaky.  The worst offenders are almost always those with perfect bodies.  Interesting, no?  They will look absolutely amazing, but will still find a fraction of the tiniest flaw on their body to focus upon. 

We all have our hang-ups no doubt.  Those seeking perfection will never find it, and are therefore some of the pickiest shoppers.  Dump the perfectionist tendencies and your life will improve both in the fitting room and out.

xoxo