2019-10-01 Cosmopolitan

Trying on clothes is about more than

mirror selfies. (But actually, those selfies are

important, so don’t stop doing those.)

By RACHEL TORGERSON

Your official

checklist

of

what t o do in a

fitting room

ost of the time when we all try on

clothes, we put them on, look in

the mirror from a few angles,

and then decide if they’re awesome or meh. But

that’s. Not. Enough. Taking these steps will ensure

you don’t regret that credit-card charge later.

m

it’s

an

int

err

og

at

io

nr

oo

.m

Thisisn

’ta

fitti

ng

roo

m—

Bend over

Yeah, you heard me. This is how you’ll know if

your boobs are going to spill right out of that

deep-V or if your ass is fully visible when you pick

up your dropped phone off the floor.

Sit down

Does the waistline of those jeans make a gap

in the back? Will your bare butt cheeks stick to

the hot leather of your car in the summer? (That

unsticking pain is real, people. *shudders*)

Raise your arms

Could you actually get your hands all the way up

to reach for the good cereal you hide from your

roommates, or will they stop midway at the oat-

bran? (@ horses and healthy ppl: Is oat-bran a real

thing or did I just make it up?)

Take a photo (with flash)

And no, not just ‘cause these pics are super cute—but

because that shirt might end up being see-through,

and you don’t want to find out after someone posts

an otherwise awesome group dinner pic.

Check those tags

Is that shit dry-clean only? Then put it back...

unless you either think you’ll never sweat in it or

have money to burn and want to be in a committed

relationship with your dry cleaner.

Stretch it out

Some light lunging will help you find out if pants

are actually too tight for reasonable movement

and if they have the potential to split at just the

wrong time.

Move around—even dance!

Sounds weird, but people do, like, a lot in their

clothes. If the pieces you want pass an awk by-

yourself salsa test, they’ll probs hold up all the

way from your commute to post-work ‘tinis.

Inspect the seams

Is the pattern misaligned? Are there strange tan-

gles of threads in the armpits? These are signs the

garment is poor quality and won’t last long.

Tug gently on embellishments

Do they feel secure or do they seem like they’d

come loose without much persuasion? If it’s the lat-

ter, those sweet little appliqués are probably not

long for this world. Pass.

Be realistic about who you are

If you don’t have tons of gala-like events going on,

it’s unlikely you’ll suddenly become a fancy person

who needs a ton of cocktail dresses. It is common

sense but bears repeating: Don’t buy things you

aren’t actually going to use!

The plan of attack

fashion

46 Cosmopolitan October 2019

MI

CH

AE

L^ W

ILT

BA

NK

.