I’ve talked a lot about doing Closet Audits, Your Relationship with Clothing, and Defining Your Style; but how about we get down to it? 

How do you actually buy clothing? 

Style is the collision point between our fantasies of who we are, the larger realities we live with, and the way we are perceived by others. - Cintra Wilson

The key to buying clothing is simple, more aptly put, you already know the answer you just don’t want to hear it.

The key to buying clothing is that it is never a done deal. You will never get to a point when you feel: this is it, this is the perfect wardrobe, I understand my proportions, I understand what sizes to buy, I understand what I want to say.  

Think of Health: one doesn’t eat healthy and workout for some ultimate desired end state and then they stop, once you get there there's always more work to do, always something that can be tweaked because our bodies change. Plus your idea of health is different from my idea of health, both mentally and physically. 

Think of your taste in food or movies: have you already seen the best movie ever? Have you already eaten the best meat you’ve ever had? Is it just nostalgia? What is yet to come? How do you know what the “best” is?

Your style is like anything else in this world: it's a journey. There is no magic formula to follow. But this isn’t a fortune cookie, and I don’t want you to be mad at me, so I’ll give you some practical tips:

1. Always trust your gut: stop trying to “push yourself” or think of what other people might do in that situation. You will know where your comfort zone ends, but you need a BASE first. 

2. Focus on your essentials: you need items in your wardrobe that work 100% of the time with many different outfits. Not a work jean and a weekend jean and a skinny jean you can wear with that one top. You just need pants that work, that will last, that fit, that you feel confident and comfortable in. You need good T Shirts, good button down shirts, all solids that you can mix and match. This is called a Capsule Wardrobe. 

3. Find a few brands and stick with them. I’m assuming since you’ve made it this far and won't be that person who says, “well target will be my brand”. 

4. Find a person: even if you shop online, have one go too store, have a person who you can bounce ideas on. Maybe they’re a chocolatey complexion, black hair, beard, and devilishly handsome, and maybe they're not. But find someone who knows you and you enjoy talking to. 

5. Have fun with it. It’s clothing, its expression, its not a science, it’s not a done deal. Try something new, if it works cool, if it doesn’t oh well. Onto the next day! 

Remember this: your wardrobe is an ecosystem. Always growing, changing, and evolving. The sooner you accept your ALREADY DOING the work, the easier it will be. All we’re doing here is fine tuning to achieve greater results. And again, if you know of anyone who fits the description above (devilishly handsome), you can always ask him for assistance matthew@bardsclothing.com @bardsclothing on IG