How to Choose Clothing as a Gift for your Girlfriend
Before even setting out to choose clothing as a gift for your girlfriend, you need to think to yourself how much do you trust your own judgement? This is important as it has a direct impact on which category of 'girlfriend clothing shopper' you are going to be. On one hand there is the stylish male who has his finger on the fashion pulse, browses the fashion magazines on a daily basis and knows his jegging from his jumpsuit. On the other hand is the man who has owned the same jeans for ten years, thinks Vogue is a Madonna song and wouldn't know fashion if it came up and clubbed him with a six inch heel.
If you fall into the first category you have far more room to experiment and could perhaps buy your girlfriend a little surprise item which she wouldn't necessarily buy herself but which she will love. What use is a fashion-forward boyfriend unless they are going to stretch your own fashion limits?
When it comes to the unfashionable man however, he is going to have to start brushing up on his girlfriend's wardrobe and the kind of things she likes to wear in order to purchase an item which will fit in with her current style.
There is no point going into a shop blind and hoping something is just going to jump out at you wearing a label, 'perfect for your girlfriend', so research is the key.
There are of course a host of men, who are not necessarily going to give David Beckham a run for his money in the styles stakes and yet they are not completely hopeless when it comes to knowing what would look nice on their own partner.
It is wise for these men, who will probably be the majority, to take what they need from the most basic of guides on how to choose clothing as a gift for your girlfriend and rely on what knowledge they do have to help them make that finalchoice.
Size
The most important piece of information you are going to require even before you hit the shops is your girlfriend's clothing size. You may already know this, you could ask her – but of course you do not want to raise suspicion if you are aiming to surprise her – or you could have a sneaky look in her clothing labels. Just to complicate matters, you may want to bear in mind that whilst some women may be one size on their top half, they may be a different clothing size on the bottom. If you are unable to find out your girlfriend's size, or sizes, on your own, you could ask her mum, sister or her friends instead.
Your gift will be a complete failure if it is glaringly the wrong size. If it is too big she will be wondering what you are implying and even if it is too small she will think perhaps you are saying she needs to lose weight to fit into this. In other words do not even begin to get it wrong.
Style
Next you want to have a think about what kind of style your girlfriend favours. If she is a bohemian, hippy type she is not going to want tight leather style trousers and a corset. If she likes the classic look she is not going to want a long floaty floral maxi dress. Start to take note of what kind of clothes she wears on a regular basis and perhaps take a look through a fashion magazine or on the Internet to see what other similar clothes fit into this kind of category.
Function
You also need to decide when this piece of clothing is going to be worn. If you are looking for a going-out outfit then you obviously want to take a look at dressier items such as a nice dress or smart trousers. At the same time if it is a day-to-day outfit don't go out and buy her a mini skirt. Of course if your girlfriend has not discussed with you what kind of clothing she would like as a gift then you may get away with an inappropriate choice. If you bought her a woolly jumper for a night out keep quiet if she beams at the gift she interprets you have bought her to wear on a cold wintry day.
However, if you have had some kind of discussion about what item of clothing you could buy her and she has stated what kind of occasion it is for, you are going to have to put some thought into getting it right.
Move away from the tat
A common mistake amongst men when they set out to buy an item of clothing for their girlfriend is they tend to buy them something a little revealing, whether a low cut top or hot pants, because deep inside they quite like the idea of seeing their girlfriend in such gear. However, if your girlfriend does not like to go round baring too much flesh she is not going to thank you for this. You don't want to be making this kind of cliché purchase, so when you pick an item up think whether it is tat or chic. If it is tat, drop it as fast as you can and move onto another clothing rail quickly. Again, just like with the sizing, your girlfriend will be asking what you are trying to say if you get her something risqué. Is she not exciting enough for you?
Say no to granny chic
At the same time you do not want to insult your girlfriend by dressing her like your mum. There is a difference between classic cuts and elastic waists designed for the older lady. Your girlfriend is not going to be impressed if you buy her something which is going to drown her and make her look like she has had a run-in with a circus big top.
Colours
This leads us neatly onto colours. There are some colours that girls favour over others. Many girls will have worked out what colours suit them and tend to stick to them. For others there will certainly be colours they refuse to wear. If your girlfriend had no colour red in her wardrobe, it is best to play it safe and not think, it would be a good idea to buy her something in red then. Steer clear altogether and instead buy her something in similar colours to what she already wears. It will also ensure what you buy fits in with her current wardrobe. In the same way be careful with pattern. If you sense your girlfriend is not that outrageous when it comes to print do not buy anything with any kind of patterned design on it. If she is always wearing bold patterns however, have a look out for a top perhaps with a similar bold pattern – but of course keep it tasteful. I doubt she would like to look like a walking rainbow.
Same shops
A good way of making sure the item of clothing you purchase is in line with what your girlfriend wears is to look around the shops she usually goes into. Again this will take a little research on your part. Think back to all those weekends when she dragged you around the shopping mall and try and recall which shops she took you into. Alternatively you can try a sneaky look at her clothing labels again.
If in doubt, ask
If you are completely perplexed so far and you still have no idea how you are going to track down that perfect item of clothing, you may need to enlist some help. This could be in the form of one of your friends, maybe female or a male friend who knows a little more about fashion than you, or even one of your girlfriend's friends if you feel comfortable enough to do so. They should then be able to guide you through what your girlfriend actually likes and perhaps even try items on as it is often hard to gauge what something will look like when it is still on the hanger.
There is the option of asking a member of staff in the store. They will be able to give you some advice but they will be reliant on you to give them some clues about what kind of clothes your girlfriend likes.
If all else fails...
If all else fails, make sure you keep the receipt. This way if your girlfriend really doesn't like what you have bought her she can always take it back and change it for something else. Just make sure you have a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates waiting for her when she gets back from the shops to make up for it.
