DO YOU DRESS YOUR DUDE?

When men and women partner up and the relationship turns from infatuation to reality, who is the primary decision maker in how one dresses?When you were dating, it really didn't matter but after time, it's the little things that can start to drive you crazy about your partner's attire. Have you ever been bothered by how your partner dresses? Are there certain clothes you want to make "disappear"? Are there certain jeans that just don't look right? So, who buys the men's clothes in your relationship and what influence do you both have on one another if at all? Today more than ever, both women and men are taking care of themselves through eating right and working out. That leads to being more conscious about make-up, hair, and clothes. So, with so many retail venues to choose from, who is actually buying men's and women's clothes? After reading several blogs and articles on the subject, it seems that in most relationships, each influences the other. However it does seem that women have a stronger desire to "inspire" their partners to make different choices if possible without hurting feelings. And according to studies, women make more than 85% of the consumer purchases in the U.S. and influence over 95% of total goods and services purchased. There have been surveys conducted concerning women's influence on her partner's fashion selections and I found one to be of particular interest. According to an online retailer isme.com, it seems that women take control of how their other half dresses in order to stop them from committing fashion crimes. The survey found that a third of men in a relationship don't buy their own clothes and almost half do not know their own clothes size. After surveying 2,000 women over age 50, they said that most men tend to quit caring about their appearance after the age of 37, forcing their partners to intervene and provide styling guidance. Key reasons for this are because their partner's dress sense was: Either outdated and aging, weathered clothes (18 percent) Unstylish and ill-fitting (31 percent) Embarrassing (19 percent) Although men are totally capable of dressing themselves, they cave and let their partners take over to keep the peace or because they actually do trust their partner's choices. And, women are willing to invest time and energy into finding exactly what they want whereas men will pay more for something that fits the bill, without looking at all the options. Let's face it, women have more shopping stamina. CRIMES AGAINST FASHION MOST COMMONLY COMMITTED BY MEN (ACCORDING TO THEIR PARTNERS) Jeans that are too baggy, high-waisted and ankle grazing, or worst of all, worn with a matching denim shirt or jacket (or both!) • Pants that are too old-fashioned or too small • Scandalously brief swimwear • Colorless combos of dull shades of brown and beige • Sandals worn with socks • 'Mutton dressed as ram' - overly-youthful hoodies and T-shirts • Out-dated or too loud patterned shirts There are other reasons I can mention from past personal experience and that includes shirts that are worn repeatedly when there are equally flattering shirts in the closet; underwear and socks that have so many holes it is difficult to find the point of entry, jeans that are so baggy and threadbare, there are no labels or brand identifiers to even know the origin of the jeans, etc. At Foot Traffic , we are aware that most of the men's socks that we sell are purchased by women for men. Of course, our socks are novelty socks so the socks are usually purchased as a surprise, a gift, or a way to add fun to their significant other's wardrobe. Our socks are a perfect impulse purchase and are bought often times in stores that carry both men's and women's clothes or in gift stores that carry items for both men and women. We hope that you ladies will continue to "influence" your partners and at least keep the sock drawer refreshed! With Father's Day coming up, it is the perfect time to add some fun to your man's wardrobe with fun men's socks from FOOT TRAFFIC . So, what influence do you have on the wardrobe of your significant other?