subject: Style Shopping On Black Friday [print this page] Fashion mavens, men and women alike, all over the country always mark Black Friday on their calendars. It's that one predictable time of year when you can expect every men's fashion boutique to offer all sorts of promotions and deep discounts. But with crazy mobs lining up as early as 5AM, you've got to be methodical with your Black Friday bargain hunting. Here are some tips to getting the best styles for less.
Know Your Budget
Even if you'll be getting the clothes at big discounts, remember that you'll still be shelling out money for them. One crucial that you have to think about is the maximum amount of cash that you're willing to shell out for an item. That could range anywhere from $10 to $1,000 on a simple label-less necktie to a suit by a known men's fashion label.
Doing so enables you to make quicker and firmer decisions when you see something you want but aren't sure your wallet can't handle it. Instead of spending five whole minutes contemplating on whether the item's style value justifies the price, you have a hard and fast standard for when you should grab it or leave it for someone else to find.
Know Your Size
Fit is always a major consideration in men's fashion, but ensuring it can become a luxury when you have a time constraint as serious as the one with Black Friday. You never know what other style bargains are waiting at the next boutique, so you can't spend very long deliberating on whether you should get that shirt in the next larger size.
Accessories and free size items like bags and neckties are usually an easy decision; it's the shirts, pants and shoes that often become problematic. That's where knowing your size comes in real handy. When you know that you're a 32x34 with jeans, you can afford not to dash into the fitting room anymore because the fit should be fairly close, if not just right for you. This gets easier for brands that you know and buy a lot.
Know What You're Looking For
When you're in a rush and there's a very wide range of options before you, it's not so hard to get overwhelmed with all the things you have to think about. If it's possible for you to narrow down the styles that you want into a more or less defined list, you'll find that your shopping experience will be a lot faster and smoother.
If, for example, you want to pick up the latest key pieces from the fall and winter fashion shows, you'd list down tweed gray suits, leather boots and wool ties. That way, you won't end up wasting time browsing through items that you already have back home. You get to the things you need right away, giving you an even better chance of scoring awesome bargains in the process.
Know Your Way
Whether you intend to work an entire mall or go to a single shop, it's a good idea to plan a trail around the whole selling area. It's easy to get confused and disoriented, what with the sheer size of the Black Friday mobs and the flashy new displays that the stores put up for Christmas. Planning your trip down to the order in which you'll visit the stores will only speed up your shopping.
One good idea is to prioritize men's boutiques that sell items whose sizes run out quickly. High-end shirts and jeans usually fall into this category, for whom Black Friday discount rates can mean hundreds of dollars off. Meanwhile, you can afford to put items like bags, neckties and watches at the bottom of your list. These style pieces aren't very sensitive in terms of size, so nobody's posing a threat to your getting some cheap fashion.
The art and skill of shopping has long been dominated by women, but there's a Black Friday plum there that's ripe for the picking for men. Shopping may be shopping during the regular season, but when it comes to Black Friday, there's no such thing as being too prepared.
