Married folks: who buys the husband's clothes?

[perfectparanoia]

I completely floored my male friends lately when I told them I buy all of my husbands clothes without him there (with the exception of shoes when I take him out to buy them).

Frankly, he doesn't care what he wears and I do. I am also the one who does the clothes shopping for the kids and myself so I just pick up some stuff for him in the process. (He's pretty easy to please.)

So, am I alone in this?

[alice_in_wonderland]

Well, I help my husband pick his clothes, as in we'll go shopping together and he'll try stuff on and I'll tell him what I like and what I don't, but he does the same thing for me.

I have picked him up work pants before so that's sort of like your OP. Anything that it actually matters what it looks like he picks himself though.

[olivesmarch4th]

Sr. Olives is incredibly picky about clothes and while I've gotten him the occasional t-shirt, he has pretty much asked me point blank not to bother trying to pick clothes out for him. So, he very much does his own clothes shopping.

[Lightlystarched]

..

[Malthus]

My wife buys most of my clothes. I rarely have the chance to go shopping. In fact, she buys most of our stuff, generally - clothes, food, appliances, everything.

[Lightlystarched]

I choose my own clothes, my husband chooses his clothes. We are both too particular to even venture at picking out something for the other.

He has excellent taste in clothing and dresses very well (during the work week). After work he has the standard men's selection of cargo shorts and tee shirts.

[shiftless]

My wife likes to shop, likes spending money and loves clothes. I pinch a penny until Lincoln cries and would wear the same shorts and T-shirt every day for a week. If she buys it, I will probably wear it.

[Tranquilis]

We split it - I buy pants, belts, shoes, shirts, and underwear. Intaglio knows what I like, and has ideas of her own about what she'd like to see me wear - She buys shirts, and sometimes underwear.

I usually try to accomodate her likes, though I refuse to give up my attrociously loud Hawaiian shirts, so have to buy my own.

[Sarahfeena]

My husband buys all his own clothes. The most I'll do is pick up a pack of undershirts for him at Target once in a while.

[FaerieBeth]

I buy most, but not all of my husband's clothes. I must do a fairly good job of it, since he's got male coworkers who want me to shop for their wardrobe as well.
::shrug::

He buys his own jeans and t-shirts, but the suits, shirts, ties, and accessories (watches, cuff links, handkerchiefs) are usually purchased with or by me. He has to go with me at least once a year to update/verify measurements.

[overlyverbose]

My husband buys all his own clothes. He's pretty particular, so I'd just as soon not do it.

I buy all my clothes and the kids' clothes.

[Dung Beetle]

My husband knows just what he wants and buys it himself. He might ask my opinion about color.
In fact, he helps me shop a lot more than I help him.

[emmaliminal]

I do most of the buying of all the stuff we buy, for several reasons, top two being I'm good at / enjoy bargain hunting and he mostly hates shopping. I buy a hell of a lot online. His clothes are so easy -- he doesn't fluctuate in weight and he's built like whatever Platonic ideal they use to size men's clothing, and his preferences don't change.

ETA: Another reason I buy stuff is that I earn most of our money, about 4/5 of it or so, and he feels guilty spending it. Even on food! Crazy man. I love him so.

[Ferret Herder]

My husband buys all of his own clothes. Since he does his own laundry too, I'm pretty sure the only reason I know his sizes are helping him find something in his size on the racks in stores. He'll ask me for my opinion pretty often, but that's about it.

[enipla]

Super casual job and lifestyle here. I buy most of my clothes on line now adays. Except for jeans (which I pretty much live in unless I'm wearing shorts).

My Wife will pick up the odd shirt of packet of undies for me. And she sometimes buys me clothes for x-mas. But I buy almost all my clothes.

[ZPG Zealot]

I completely floored my male friends lately when I told them I buy all of my husbands clothes without him there (with the exception of shoes when I take him out to buy them).

Frankly, he doesn't care what he wears and I do. I am also the one who does the clothes shopping for the kids and myself so I just pick up some stuff for him in the process. (He's pretty easy to please.)

So, am I alone in this?

No, you are not alone. My husband is fond of saying he would rather face a body cavity search than go to a mall or department store. He doesn't like shopping online or with catalogs for clothes either.

[kunilou]

My wife and I virtually never shop together. I sincerely doubt she even knows my size. The most we ever do for each other is that she'll look at a suit I'm trying on and say "that doesn't fit you right," or she'll ask me if a certain color works for her.

[hogarth]

My wife is always involved in buying my clothes, and I'm involved maybe 30%-50% of the time. I'm not sure where that fits in the poll categories.

[Infovore]

He hardly ever buys clothes on his own. Usually clothes shopping for him involves either (a) he needs something like a new pair of jeans, in which case he picks them out himself, or (b) I see something and say, "Hey, that would look good on you, why don't you try it on?" at which point he either replies, "No, I hate that," or tries it on, likes it, and we buy it. I voted that we do most of his clothes shopping together.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I buy my own clothes, which are mostly just jeans and t-shirts anyway.

[carlotta]

My husband and I have been together since we were 19 and I have bought him a few shirts here and there.

For years actually his mom still bought him the bulk of his clothes. Every Christmas he would get a stock of socks and underwear as well as shirts and pants. It was partly that shopping was her hobby and she never got out of the habit of picking stuff up for him when she saw a great deal.

I really really don't care what he wears. I prefer naked.

Interestingly enough my dad really likes buying my mom clothes.

[Vihaga]

We tend to shop together because it's nice to have a second set if eyes. I never buy clothes for him without him, though, unless it's something he asked for as a gift.

[Skald the Rhymer]

I love, love, love buying clothes, so I buy most of my own. Speciall gifts are the exception.

[Moonlitherial]

My husband buys all of his own clothes. Since he does his own laundry too, I'm pretty sure the only reason I know his sizes are helping him find something in his size on the racks in stores. He'll ask me for my opinion pretty often, but that's about it.

This.

My only input into his wardrobe is occasionally insisting that shirts are dead. Really really dead. Throw that away right now.

[Leaffan]

I've been buying my own clothes since I was 14.

Sure, at Christmas or on my birthday I might get a shirt or a tie, but no: I buy my clothes thankyouverymuch. I can't imagine a world where those choices are made for me. I'm an adult after all.

[Dr. Woo]

My husband doesn't shop. Except for some sports-related and concert/event/trip garb, I buy it all. Shoes are the biggest pain - I buy a pair, take them home and start cajoling him to try them on; he finally does and they typically don't fit or feel right, mostly because he doesn't really know what size he wears. Back they go, and we start again. It sometimes takes 4 or 5 instances to get the damn shoes and at the end neither of us can remember which size we ended up with.

I buy pretty much everything around here, but he does choose audio-visual equipment cuz that's his department. Furniture, appliances, my car, stuff for the house, professional services, groceries and stuff is my department. I have a large span of control.:cool:

[Palo Verde]

My husband isn't at all picky, but his clothes are his business and it would never occur me to buy them for him, he isn't a child!

[Broomstick]

I completely floored my male friends lately when I told them I buy all of my husbands clothes without him there (with the exception of shoes when I take him out to buy them).

Frankly, he doesn't care what he wears and I do. I am also the one who does the clothes shopping for the kids and myself so I just pick up some stuff for him in the process. (He's pretty easy to please.)

So, am I alone in this?
Probably not, but actually in my household my husband does more shopping for me (he has a better fashion sense than I do, and he's NOT the colorblind one in the family) than I do for him (absolutely none).

[Suburban Plankton]

I'm a big boy. I can buy my own clothes.

Now, generally when we go shopping for clothes (for either of us) we are together, so there is input from both parties, but I am the one making the final decision for my own clothing.

[Lasciel]

My only input into his wardrobe is occasionally insisting that shirts are dead. Really really dead. Throw that away right now.

Nice to know someone else has to play the dead shirt card.

I'm only allowed to "kill off" one of his beloved t-shirts per year, by marital decree, so I have to pick carefully. It was a hard slog at first, because there were quite a few offenders left over from college which were more hole than shirt.

Same goes for boxers, really, but those I just ninja into the scrap-rag pile when I do laundry.

"Honey, where's my nice soft boxers?"
"I dunno, maybe the dryer ate them...[innocent face] lalala."

Log another couple who shops together. He doesn't verbalize opinions very well, so at first I bought his stuff when he wasn't there, and he just never wore what he didn't like. Even when I brought it up, he wouldn't admit that he didn't like it, it just never ever got taken out of the closet or cabinet.

So now he has to come with me to try things on, and I've learned to look for the particular facial expression that means "Dear God No." It's a very subtle expression - he doesn't want to cause trouble or be a pain. I've tried for years now to get him to just admit that he didn't like this or that damn article of clothing, but it's not happening.

I tried also letting him buy his own clothes, but I quickly realized that would result in legal action from him walking around exposing himself in public. So this works for us.

I fail to understand how someone can care what they wear, yet never actually think about acquiring things to wear.

[DoctorJ]

I'm very picky about clothes and hard to fit, so I don't think CrazyCatLady has ever bought a garment for me. She hates buying clothes for herself so I'm pretty sure she's OK with that.

[doreen]

I might buy my husband a tie. Maybe. Any thing with a size- no way. He'll try on 4 pairs of pants in hte same style and size because " one might fit a little differently than the others. I can't stand to even go shopping with him.

[Bartman]

I am currently without a wife. But even when I had one (thirteen years of marriage), I can't remember her buying a single stitch of clothing for me. The idea of someone shopping for my clothes seems completely alien.

[Siam Sam]

I usually buy my own stuff myself, but the wife will occasionally get me something.

[Sudden Kestrel]

I generally don't buy clothes for my husband, but I do sometimes need to tell him when he needs some new ones, and I do occasionally veto something he brings home.

[Becky2844]

If I didn't buy my husband's clothes, he'd go nekkid.

[BrassyPhrase]

Not married, but with an SO.

He's not fashion unconcious, but sometimes just clueless. And I'm not a fashionista, by any means.

I think every new thing he's had since we've been together, I bought. (Mostly b/c I thought--'Oooh! he'd look cute in that!'
With the exception of some workpants (he's an odd size and I can never remember it).

I swore I'd never be like this, but I have requested that he retires certain shirts from his wardrobe. ("You know, I thought about throwing this away, but I didn't want to do that to you." "Thank you, that would have made me crazy about where did that shirt go!" "You're welcome. Throw it in the trash while I WATCH so I know it's DEAD.")

And he complies, b/c he really doesn't care.

[elfkin477]

perfectparanoia, how old is your husband? My mom buys almost all of my dad's clothes, and I'm under the (possibly false) impression that the older the husband is, the more common it is for the wife to buy his clothing. I don't mean that older men care less than when they were younger and that someday these currently independent guys will abdicate the responsibility too, but that when they were born had an effect on their willingness to spend the time and effort to buy things themselves.

[Cheez_Whia]

My husband is picky about his clothes, but hates shopping. He'll only wear Levi's, and all of his shirts have to have a front pocket, and no banding around the sleeves if it's a T-shirt of golf shirt. He's retired now, so I don't have to shop for dress shirts and ties anymore, thank Og!

[flodnak]

The only clothes I buy for my husband are gifts, or once in a while at his request. You know, of the type, "As long as you're going to BigLocalMall, could you pick up some new socks for me?" and then when I say Sure he tells me the relevant details.

He doesn't like shopping much, but being a computer geek most of his wardrobe is variations on a theme anyway. He can go into one of his usual stores, get what he needs, and be out in ten minutes. Possibly five if there's no line at the cash register.

[RTFirefly]

My wife knows better than to try to buy clothes for me. It's not like my tastes are at all complicated, it's just that I still need to be the one to pick things out.

[Avarie537]

We typically go shopping together, and I'll suggest a particular color/style if I see something he might like. Usually he picks out his own stuff and asks my opinion on which one I like better or think fits better. If I know for sure that he needs socks or underwear I'll just buy those. Sometimes I have to call and ask if he wants the 34/36 waistband or 36/38 waistband for his boxer-briefs, but there's not that much difference otherwise. However, if I'm a thrift store and see something that really catches my eye, I'll just go ahead and get it. If it doesn't fit or he doesn't like it, it goes back.

I would never try to buy his shoes though. Even after almost 12 years together I can't remember what size he wears.

[lazybratsche]

I don't like to shop. She hates to shop. Every few months I have to coerce her to go on a big shopping trip ("you only have one pair of pants without holes"). Usually it's the two of us, but sometimes she'll go with friends. She'll help me pick out stuff when we're out together, but she'll never buy me anything without me.

[Toucanna]

My husband buys almost all of his own clothes. We had a long chat about this issue before we got married. It is one area where he likes to retain his independence/express his individuality, so that's why I don't buy regular clothes for him. The only stuff I get him is the occasional "team shirt" for his favorite basketball team.

Every now and then, we'll hit up the thrift shop on dollar day. Then I'll help him find stuff on the racks. He will often ask my opinion on whether a color suits him, or how a shirt fits across the shoulders, but it's ultimately his decision what to buy. However, when we are dressing for an important occasion, he'll ask me for, and usually accepts, my suggestions on suit/shirt/tie combinations.

[Taomist]

My sweetie is hard to shop for AND hard to size, as am I. Well, I'm a lot easier to buy for and he frequently will buy me shirts he'll know I'll like <and he's right> but something for him is really difficult. He does, however, want me to shop WITH him for his clothes, and that is cool.

[cherry]

My husband hates shopping for anything so I buy everything. He also has a very busy work schedule so any free time is for doing fun things. I can only think of a few times when he had to go to Nordstroms to buy suits. I also bought the furniture, found the house and put an offer on it before he had even seen it. But he did see it on the weekend when he was off though. It's pretty easy to shop for him. I have good taste and he generally likes what I get. For shoes I will buy a couple of pairs and see what he likes. If he has a favorite shirt I go out and buy more of the same. We are both pretty easy going about what works and I love to shop. I also buy my kids clothes and she has no preference yet. On the other side my husband doesn't buy clothes for me or our daughter unless it was Christmas pjs.

[Chefguy]

Carhartts and jeans don't require a fashion maven. I can do that just fine by myself.

[PunditLisa]

He'll buy his own shoes and suits and that's about it. I buy the rest. When he does shop, he overspends because he's too lazy/eager to wait for a sale. He recently got two new suits and two dress shirts and spent over $1200. :eek:

[FairyChatMom]

My husband cares way more about clothes than I do, so he mostly gets his own stuff. I'll occasionally get him work t-shirts or jeans, but he gets his own work clothes. I do try to encourage him to try colors other than black and gray, and it's working - he bought some shirts in blues and greens and even reds, so yay for that!

If he had his way, he'd buy all my clothes too. Like I said, I really don't much care about clothes.

[Serenata67]

My husband wears a uniform to work, so he doesn't need much as far as new clothes. More often than not, it's stuff like underwear and socks that he needs. And since I do most of the shopping, he'll just say, "Hun, when you go to Wal-Mart next, pick up some socks for me." So I do. As far as clothes like jeans and shirts and such, sometimes he's with me, but usually it's me thinking ahead. I'll notice he needs a dress shirt for a wedding, I'll look through the closet, see that he doesn't have anything that fits, then I'll buy him a shirt to go with my dress. (We'll at least doesn't clash. I don't want to be too matchy-matchy.)

In general, he doesn't wear through clothes that often that we need to buy much for clothing. Just chef coats, chef pants, socks and undies. All of those I am totally capable of buying for him.

[Sigmagirl]

My husband wears the adult version of Garanamals. Polos and Dockers, every day. In the winter, long-sleeved twill shirts and Dockers, every day. And he regularly ruins them at work, and then we go get more. He probably has two dozen solid-colored polos in his closet right now, and he will get a half a dozen covered with grease that won't come off, and rip a couple of his Dockers, and I'll keep an eye out for when they're on sale, and the cycle will continue. It may as well be a uniform.

[Hari Seldon]

I completely floored my male friends lately when I told them I buy all of my husbands clothes without him there (with the exception of shoes when I take him out to buy them).

Frankly, he doesn't care what he wears and I do. I am also the one who does the clothes shopping for the kids and myself so I just pick up some stuff for him in the process. (He's pretty easy to please.)

So, am I alone in this?

As far as shopping for clothes is concerned, I could be your husband. My wife says that when we walk into a store, especially a clothing store, I just go somnolent.

[Gleena]

My husband would not buy clothes if I didn't tell him we were going shopping for them. I have proof of this - when I met him he had tshirts, shorts, and boots. Except for the boots, his clothes were all grey. Not originally, they were just so old and faded that's the colour they became. Ugh.

Plus, now he has to wear suits to work.

Typically, we take a day, I go with him. He picks out his own stuff, though I will give my input. This is everything. I might pick up up a pack of socks or undershirts or underpants without him there, but not anything else, because he won't wear it. He's incredibly picky, he just can't be bothered to shop for clothes because he's not interested.

Weird.

[Maastricht]

My husband doesn't want to spend money on his clothes, and his main objective is comfort. I make sure his shoes, leather jackets etc are shined and go in for repairs. I buy him new clothes occasionally and he gets to say which clothes he wants to keep and which ones I return to the shop. It is a thankless job and I do less and less of it.

[VunderBob]

I WON'T let her buy my clothes, because she has neither my taste nor does she ever get the sizes right.

[chela]

While I do buy his clothes I sure as hell don't dress him or decide what he will wear on any give day or occassion.

CLothing for for work is practically uniform, chinos and an oxford shirt. Colors are in blue, black, grey or beige. Shirts are solid or striped. SHopping for him is sort of like stopping at the grocery store to stock up on basics, wait for a sale and no list required.

He would shop for himself but he would be putty in sales person hands, probably leave there all dandied up and $500 poorer.

[Maus Magill]

Well, I help my husband pick his clothes, as in we'll go shopping together and he'll try stuff on and I'll tell him what I like and what I don't, but he does the same thing for me.

I have picked him up work pants before so that's sort of like your OP. Anything that it actually matters what it looks like he picks himself though.

This - only from the other side.

[Rhiannon8404]

Wife: my husband and I share the shopping for him.

We generally go together. He has gone/is capable of shopping for himself. Sometimes if I'm out and I see a shirt or something I think he'll love, I'll get it, but that's rare. It's the same for me. If I need to go shopping for clothes for myself, he usually goes with me.

We both hate shopping, so we figure if we have to do it we might as well spend the time together.

[Crotalus]

The only articles of clothing I have purchased in the eleven years I've been married have been a few pairs of shoes. My wife really cares about clothes and other aspects of personal appearance, while I am somewhat oblivious (she would remove the somewhat). She knows that if I were left unattended, I would probably dress myself in a way that would not make her happy. She seems to enjoy buying clothes for me, and my only occasional objection is that I have too many things to choose from. Her response to that complaint is to help me choose. :)

[2square4u]

I've got a question to y'all who let your SO do your shopping for clothes: How on earth did you manage to look half way decent when you were single? Or did you go directly from "Mom buys all my clothes" to "wifey buys all my clothes"?

[Voyager]

My wife likes to shop even less than I do, so when I absolutely have to buy new clothes, I do it.
We don't spend a lot of time at the mall in my family.

[Chronos]

I know that I'm fashion-blind (the extent of my knowledge is that any given pair of jeans goes with any given flannel), and were I married, I wouldn't at all mind my wife choosing what looks good. But pants sizes are variable enough, even given the numbers on the label, that I wouldn't want her buying pants for me without me trying them on.

[ZPG Zealot]

I've got a question to y'all who let your SO do your shopping for clothes: How on earth did you manage to look half way decent when you were single? Or did you go directly from "Mom buys all my clothes" to "wifey buys all my clothes"?

When I married him my husband's "wardrobe" consisted of several pairs of blue jeans and various T-shirts (many of which were advertising freebies) and his "dress" clothing all of which had been gifts.

[Redwing]

I can't even imagine the horrors my wife would find for me to wear should she do my clothes shopping. TBH, I'm happy when she tells me she's going shopping with someone, it lowers the odd of her coming back with something bizarre, even if she does end up buying more than she would if she went alone.

I don't particularly enjoy shopping, but I can't really understand how someone would rather avoid it than control how they present themselves to the world.

[hogarth]

I've got a question to y'all who let your SO do your shopping for clothes: How on earth did you manage to look half way decent when you were single? Or did you go directly from "Mom buys all my clothes" to "wifey buys all my clothes"?
When I was single, I would buy clothes and then wear them until they were worn out. And I mean really worn out. I'd also get some clothes from my mom as Christmas presents. So that means that it would be several years between my clothes shopping trips, whereas my wife thinks that shopping for clothes should happen every week or two.

[perfectparanoia]

perfectparanoia, how old is your husband? My mom buys almost all of my dad's clothes, and I'm under the (possibly false) impression that the older the husband is, the more common it is for the wife to buy his clothing. I don't mean that older men care less than when they were younger and that someday these currently independent guys will abdicate the responsibility too, but that when they were born had an effect on their willingness to spend the time and effort to buy things themselves.

Sorry, was away for an extended weekend.

He is 32. I don't think this is an age thing.

(Though now I am wondering if my posting style sounds old. I may have to incorporate some of those new-fangled colloquialisms.)

[Malthus]

Sorry, was away for an extended weekend.

He is 32. I don't think this is an age thing.

(Though now I am wondering if my posting style sounds old. I may have to incorporate some of those new-fangled colloquialisms.)

I don't think it is an age thing. It could be somewhat linked, because older couples are the more likely to have a "traditional" division-of-labour approach.

In my case, my wife buying clothes just makes sense: she has more opportunity to do so, as I often work very long hours. When she was working at a professional type job herself, we each bought our own.

[Lunar Saltlick]

On the odd occasion, I'll go with my wife to stores, and she'll see something and say that might look nice on you. Alright, I say, and I buy it. Sometimes I try it on first, but not always. I don't care about clothes, and I'm too tired to even think about it. She hates shopping, but she's smart with clothes, and so this sort of quick, surgical clothing strike system gets us both what we want with minimum time and fuss.

[corkboard]

I buy all my own clothes. My wife doesn't even know what size I wear in anything, unless it's S-M-L (I'm an M). Maybe once every couple years I'll ask her to pick up some more underwear the next time she's in Kohl's, but I have to tell her the brand/style/cut/size. I know what I like and what fits right, so generally I just get my own stuff.

I even shop for her, without her there. I get it right about 95% of the time. I know her sizes and what I like to see her in, so if I'm walking through the mall or in a store and something catches my eye that I think would look good on her, I get it. I'll also occasionally tell her it's time to retire this or that top to clear some room on her side of the closet.