For men, shopping for the special woman in your life can be confusing,difficult and sometimes downright daunting. Regardless of whether you’re shopping for your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister, best friend or anyone else, trying to choose the right gifts for her can be like navigating through a minefield. And if you want to give her fashion or beauty accessories because she always likes to look her best, you’ll effectively be walking through that minefield blindfolded. But don’t give up hope. Even if the mere mention of women’s accessories causes your eyes to glaze over, and even if you know absolutely nothing about women’s fashion, it’s still possible to find a gift that will make her smile and win you plenty of brownie points. Just follow these five top tips for buying fashion gifts for her.
1. Know her style
Everyone has their own signature style, from fun and quirky to subtle and sophisticated, so make sure you know the looks she likes before you go shopping. Study what she wears, her favourite outfits and accessories, and what she looks good in. Listen to what she says, both about her own wardrobe and the items she sees in store windows — this will help you form an accurate picture of what to get. Even learning about her favourite brands can be a wonderful help when you start getting down to the nitty gritty of gift buying and can help you find that one item that perfectly matches her personality.
2. Embrace colour — but be careful
It’s amazing how a few splashes of colour can transform a drab outfit into something interesting, sexy and much more fun. While black and white can so often be safe options, don’t be afraid to spice things up with a little bit of colour. Bags, shoes, earrings and scarves are perfect for this, but you should always remember not to go overboard. What can look wonderfully eye-catching on a bracelet or a pair of shoes can be completely overwhelming if it’s the dominant shade on a top. It’s better to stick to colour that’s subtle and restrained rather than opting for a tsunami of brightness that drowns out everything else.
3. Know her size
This is the area of buying clothes for women that’s fraught with the most danger. Over-estimate her size and you might offend her, but under-estimate too far and she’ll wonder whether you’ve ever paid her any attention at all. Add into the mix that sizing can be pretty inconsistent between brands and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. This is where it’s great if you know her size or, better yet, if you have something you can take along to a store to compare (get a shop assistant to help).If you don’t know her size and your too scared to guess, stick to hats, scarves, jewellery and other accessories that will fit anyone.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Shop assistants can be an absolute blessing when you’re in over your head and floundering, so ask for their guidance and opinion. Chances are they’ve had outfits and accessories given to them as gifts before and will be able to help guide you away from danger and in the right direction. Of course, make sure you’re not bullied into buying anything by a pushy salesperson who’s simply eager to get their hands on your cash. Alternatively, or if you’re buying online, asking one of her close friends for help can also make a huge difference.
5. Know the returns policy
Unless you’re an unnaturally gifted shopper or have been blessed with an eye for women’s accessories and fashion, you are going to get it wrong sometimes — but don’t let this put you off. Just make sure you’re aware of a store’s returns policy before you buy, leaving you with an escape route if you end up buying the wrong thing. And when you do make a mistake, learn from it and use it to buy something better and more suitable next time.
(Contributed by Joseph)
1. Know her style
Everyone has their own signature style, from fun and quirky to subtle and sophisticated, so make sure you know the looks she likes before you go shopping. Study what she wears, her favourite outfits and accessories, and what she looks good in. Listen to what she says, both about her own wardrobe and the items she sees in store windows — this will help you form an accurate picture of what to get. Even learning about her favourite brands can be a wonderful help when you start getting down to the nitty gritty of gift buying and can help you find that one item that perfectly matches her personality.
2. Embrace colour — but be careful
It’s amazing how a few splashes of colour can transform a drab outfit into something interesting, sexy and much more fun. While black and white can so often be safe options, don’t be afraid to spice things up with a little bit of colour. Bags, shoes, earrings and scarves are perfect for this, but you should always remember not to go overboard. What can look wonderfully eye-catching on a bracelet or a pair of shoes can be completely overwhelming if it’s the dominant shade on a top. It’s better to stick to colour that’s subtle and restrained rather than opting for a tsunami of brightness that drowns out everything else.
3. Know her size
This is the area of buying clothes for women that’s fraught with the most danger. Over-estimate her size and you might offend her, but under-estimate too far and she’ll wonder whether you’ve ever paid her any attention at all. Add into the mix that sizing can be pretty inconsistent between brands and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. This is where it’s great if you know her size or, better yet, if you have something you can take along to a store to compare (get a shop assistant to help).If you don’t know her size and your too scared to guess, stick to hats, scarves, jewellery and other accessories that will fit anyone.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Shop assistants can be an absolute blessing when you’re in over your head and floundering, so ask for their guidance and opinion. Chances are they’ve had outfits and accessories given to them as gifts before and will be able to help guide you away from danger and in the right direction. Of course, make sure you’re not bullied into buying anything by a pushy salesperson who’s simply eager to get their hands on your cash. Alternatively, or if you’re buying online, asking one of her close friends for help can also make a huge difference.
5. Know the returns policy
Unless you’re an unnaturally gifted shopper or have been blessed with an eye for women’s accessories and fashion, you are going to get it wrong sometimes — but don’t let this put you off. Just make sure you’re aware of a store’s returns policy before you buy, leaving you with an escape route if you end up buying the wrong thing. And when you do make a mistake, learn from it and use it to buy something better and more suitable next time.
(Contributed by Joseph)
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