I recently ordered a number of button-up shirts. I find them a thing to get right. so I’ve been on the hunt for a button-up shirt that fits for awhile
Clients are always amazed at how many elements go into getting a piece of clothing to fit right. Physically fit, yes. But also fit their style, fit their life, fit within their closet, etc.
A button up shirt feels like it shouldn’t be so tricky to get right. But it is.
So this round I ordered 3 shirts. One I liked right away – it is navy with white stripes, a lightweight crisp basic. It is a great button-up-shirt that fits me well. The other two I had reservations about as soon as they came out of the packaging. One was solid – looked too stiff, too grumpy feeling. The other was white with light blue strips – felt stark and rigid coming out of the package.
I didn’t have time to try them on right away so I hung them up in a visible location to see if my first impressions changed. They didn’t.
Eventually I decided that more time was not going to change things. So I dug around on the store’s website and started the return process. Fortunately I could return in-store just a few minutes away.
(Quick tip: look into the return policy of a store before you purchase to increase the likelihood you’ll actually make a return if something doesn’t work out.)
I was initially planning to not try them on. They had entered the mental status of “these probably won’t work anyway so cut your losses and move on.”
But I sucked it up and followed my own advice – reserve judgment until you try something on.
The solid shirt, I was right, it was stiff and grumpy.
The white shirt with light blue stripes was an unexpected delight. I was expecting it to feel and look stiff and stark. It was soft and fit well, comfortable, with a nice drape. I looked in the mirror and felt like an undercover Mary Poppins. So it is now in my laundry waiting to be washed and added to my closet.
I probably won’t style it like Mary Poppins (though with Halloween coming up, maybe) but it’s always a good sign when a piece of clothing reminds you strongly of something you find enjoyable. (Strong adverse feelings are also a good sign to get rid of something.)
So my hope for you, when very little seems a delight, is: may you be unexpectedly delighted with something in your closet (or out of it).
And reserve final judgment until you try a piece on.