How do you buy clothes? Might seem like a stupid question, but do you really know what drives your purchase? Sometimes it’s the budget, sometimes it’s the brand, sometimes it’s just an item you can’t deny. Other times, it’s just pure hype and trend. You see something new playing online and suddenly you feel incomplete without it somehow, regardless of how satisfied you were before.

That’s where the real skill of shopping comes in — knowing what is you and what is just noise. Because the fact is, the clothing we wear is like handwriting — it says more about us than we think.

Ever found a piece of clothing and felt like your entire wardrobe was useless without it? Didn’t know it existed, but the moment you saw it, you said, “Dy me deh!” That’s the beauty of it — a good find scratches a strange psychological itch between discovery and self-definition.

But there’s another side: how much of what you buy actually ends up on you vs living in your wardrobe? How long does a piece remain relevant to you — not the trend, not Instagram — but you. Do you still feel to wear it a year later? Can you wear it a year later? Was it good quality? You may not even be that same guy that liked the item anymore – you’ve probably moved on.

-        Maybe you already knew, but there are types of shoppers:

Most people just buy what’s popular at the moment, further adding to the popularity – think of ‘Panda’ dunks. Some buy like this because it just works – it keeps them fashionable and with the time. Others think they can just pull the trend off better than everyone else(They usually can’t). Then, there are people that really don’t care, they just buy whatever is marketed to them once it meets their criteria and budget.

You probably know a guy with a light, but very intentional wardrobe, and another with a closet full of “good enough” and bargains. The first guy could probably fit everything he owns in one large suitcase, but every piece serves a purpose – and he wears them all. The second? He has a dresser bursting at the seams, but only wears 25% of it. So who’s shopping smarter?

Sure, don’t expect cheap clothing to age like the good stuff, but cheap doesn’t always mean low quality. There’s tons of items of terrible quality selling at designer stores as we speak.

-       Quality tells on itself — it doesn’t wear out, it develops character. Bad fabric just dies. May be harder, but there’s affordable quality to be found out there.

But maybe your thing isn’t longevity. Maybe it’s flexing. Then it’s just about what’s hot right now. And that’s fine too — because fashion should be fun first. Just don’t throw away your old clothes when you’re fed-up though. Pass it down, consider trading with friends, but let it live on. That’s part of the cycle.

And if you think clothes don’t say anything about you, take in this: Imagine - man walks out of Saks Fifth, with multiple bags in hand. Diamond Chains on and Purple Jeans — You’ll probably say he’s a rapper, maybe even a scammer. Swap his attire for a tailored suit with dress shoes — suddenly bro is a businessman, or worse yet - businessman’s assistant. None of this is necessarily true, but the perception is instant. And that’s decades of marketing, media, and culture all baked into a single glance.

So is it worth caring about how you shop or what your clothes say? Probably. Even if you don’t, someone else already has. Fashion isn’t just fabric — it’s social language. You’re speaking whether you mean to or not.