September 27th, 2012

Article submitted by R.S.
When my friend texted me upset after trying on clothes, my first reaction was to giggle. Obvious I felt sad she was going through a rough time, no that is NOT why I laughed! Basically, I had that urge to just laugh because who among us has not been brought to tears in a dressing room.
There’s some nice ones, granted, but most are pretty darn bad, and the ones that are bad, tend to be really really bad.

Why? Um, hello–crappy lighting, tilted mirrors that make you look wider and distorted, everything on display, you’re trying on a bunch of different sizes (in a world with vanity sizing, no less). You would think retailers would have figured this out by now and have nice dressing ones, but even the big names don’t always nail it. And if it sucks at some high-end boutique or department store, it only gets worse when you are in some cheap, trashy store like Forever 21 (don’t get me wrong–I love it, but face it, that dress will last you about half a wear)–everything ends up being cramped and hot and sweaty. GROSS.

A suggestion I’ve heard is simply avoid them at all costs. With online shopping and places that have and easy return policy, sure, this might be a great idea. But that isn’t always the most affordable, feasible, or sometimes even possible option. Soooo, when you absolutely most face the dreaded dressing room, here’s some tips:

1. Ask the salesperson for a pair of heels to try on (WITHOUT AN ANKLE STRAP). It’ll help you feel more confident elongate everything. Ankle straps will just cut you off at your leg.
   
2. Try on the largest sizes first. That way, if something is tiny and doesn’t fit, you don’t have to be dissapointed when you ask for the next size up. Sizes are stupid anyways because they aren’t standardized and today’s size 8 was yesterday’s size 2 and tomorrow’s size 00. So don’t hold you’re stock in them. Actually, when I shop, sometimes I don’t even look for sizes–I’ll just hold up a pair of jeans or a shirt and see if it looks to be my size. (Try this–you’ll be surprised how much better and accurately this works than by going by a size–and then you only have to try it on once!)
   
3. Look in the mirror as little as possible–and only when clothed. Rather, try using other people’s opinions like a trusted friend (I wouldn’t trust most salespeople to be that honest…) and use the big mirror that stores sometimes have outside of a dressing room (even target has this!)

Dressing rooms can be really hard for a lot of people–they’re are one of my. biggest. triggers. My suggestion isn’t to use these tips as a crutch and avoid every mirror and always wear stillettos, etc, but especially when you’re struggling big time, these can be super helpful!