Where to Shop for Men’s Clothing

One of the questions I get asked most is where to shop for clothing. Guys want to know where to get the good stuff. 

It’s not where you think.

Men have it in their heads that there is some secret store they just haven't uncovered yet, but once they do, all style woes will be solved. 

Most men are dismayed when I tell them the secret - the place you probably hate most….

Department stores.

Although you might not want to believe it, these stores are your fast track to style. 

Why? 

Because where else can you get access to dozens, if not hundreds of brands under one roof? A certain brand doesn’t work well for you? No problem. On to the next without leaving the store.

Shopping online from a department store? Great. You can try all the brands you want and have it shipped to your doorstep, all in the same box. 

Department stores generally have better customer service as well, not in the bougie “pour you a glass of champagne while you shop” way, but in a much more practical and useful way.

For example, the return policies are almost always better than those of individual stores. They also typically offer on-site tailoring for a lower cost, or even free. They even have "personal shopping" services, so if you tell them what you want, they can go and find it for you. 

If you’re new to clothing and don’t have any go-to brands or a particular style yet, there is no better place to start your journey than a department store. You can check out different brands side by side and quickly see which ones fit your body best.

The only downside is that department stores don’t have the depth that an individual brand’s store will. 

So once you identify a handful of brands you really love (and that fit you well), you can dig deeper by shopping those brands directly after you’ve exhausted the department store options. But you really need to start wide before you do this. 

One more reason department stores are underrated: they have a built-in filtering effect.

All the major department stores have buyers whose sole job is to filter through what brands put out every season and decide what they’ll carry. Naturally, they’re going to look for pieces they think will sell, which helps cut through a lot of the noise.

The only downside to that is if you’re searching for something fun and funky, you’re less likely to find it at a department store, since it’s usually not what gets purchased. But that’s not much of a concern if you’re building out a capsule wardrobe, or you’re a more conservative guy.

The ones I like best are Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Saks. They'll carry a mix of price points, brands, and styles so you can almost always find brands that work for you. 

Skip everything else for now; you truly don't need it. In ten years of working as a personal stylist for men, I've yet to see one of these stores not be able to fit the bill for one of our clients in some way. 

So, don’t overlook department stores. Even if they can feel overwhelming, they’re your best option to finding the right pieces to build out an incredibly stylish wardrobe, especially if you're just starting out or need a lot of options. 

But if all that sounds overwhelming, and if you want help navigating it all, you can see more about our personal styling service for men here, built exclusively for busy guys who hate shopping but want to look good and have a wardrobe that just works. 

Or book a call with me here to see how it works, and I can provide feedback on your current wardrobe and how to take you to the next level. Happy to guide you. 

Hope this helps.

Patrick