So for Christmas my wife got me this nice jacket from Abercrombie & Finch. Now I say it is nice and it is but a couple of problems 1) It is something somebody about 20 years younger than me would wear. It is a sort of faux fur lined hoodie thing that undoubtedly looks good on somebody in their teens and 20s, but makes me feel like a weirdo; and 2) it was $180, which makes me a little ill. She also bought me this Armani Exchange shirt thing that says “ARMANI” in some sort slight glitter or something, . It is not that it is ugly, but again, it is for somebody else, not me. She says I look awesome in them, but I fell so stupid. She is always so proud and happy when I wear them, so I have a hard time telling her I hate them. So do I just bite the bullet, as one of those sacrifices you make as a married person? Or do I tell her straight out that I do not want to wear them and make her very sad and make me seem like a bit of a tool? Or is there some compromise (please, tell me the compromise)?
I had a similar issue with my mom buying me clothing for Christmas. It was all very nice, but a lot of it wasn’t really me. What’s finally happened is that she has stopped buying me slacks and dress shirts, but likes to buy me workout gear, which I appreciate. It took several iterations of “I like to buy my own clothes,” not sharing my sizes and giving her an alternate form of present that I could handle.
She may say you look good…but nobody looks REALLY good wearing clothes they’re uncomfortable in. Of course, no matter what you wear you’re probably stunning in her eyes, but that’s another matter.
Anyway, you might just admire it and tell her what a fine piece of clothing it is, and how she has great taste and style, but you just honestly don’t feel comfortable wearing that particular piece of clothing.
Then take her to a nice men’s store and pick out some clothes you like. Try them on for her and let her pick out her favorites of clothing that you’ve chosen.
You might still hurt her feelings a little, but it’ll be softened by you being eager to still want her to select clothes she likes to look at you in.
Edit: And hopefully she’ll get the hind and start giving you gifts of clothes you like in the future. If you don’t say something you’re bound to continue recieving clothing you’re not happy wearing.
How about "Honey I HATE the Clothes You Buy For Me?
I told my then girlfriend (now wife) that our first rule would be that if I buy her jewelry, she would be brutally honest with me. I didn’t want a drawer fully of my money sitting there unused.
What is worse - being honest or wasting her money and effort?
Tell her that you appreciate it but the clothes simply aren’t age appropriate. She may be going through a mini-age/identity crisis herself. Lots of middle aged women are walking around in juicy sweatpants and the like and honestly, it just looks tacky (at best). I don’t know if there’s a perfect way of having that conversation though.
I went through this for Christmas with my SO. He bought me a really beautiful peacoat and I didn’t care for it. I had a conversation saying that while I loved the other things he got me but that the coat wasn’t a match and did you keep the receipt? He did keep the receipt…and the coat as he liked it too.
Luckily for us, we wear about the same size clothes so if we buy something for the other person and it’s not their cuppa, it can easily revert back to the purchaser. So I guess my advice is to either be honest and talk about this in kind terms or have you and your wife dress more androgynously together. 
I think you just need to tell her or it will just continue for other gift occasions. I can’t imagine spending that kind of money on something I didn’t like to wear (or even on something I do like, for that matter). It does sound kind of like she’s fixated on a younger style for you for some reason. Lucky for me my wife is pretty in tune with what I like (and I with hers or when in doubt a gift card) and I’m the same way: furry shit and stuff with brand names plastered across are right out. I don’t even know how someone can step inside one of those stores without getting sick; it gives me a headache just walking by one.
Do the same thing to her. Buy her something she wouldn’t wear but you pretend that it totally looks great on her. See what she does. Follow her example
buy her some ugly ass clothes for presents. tell her she would look great in them.
then it will likely come up that maybe you should just give each other gift certificates in clothes.
you could also agree to be open to one another’s tastes in clothes. you agree to frequently comment on clothes that you like and why. then you probably will have given each other a dozen comments or so by each gifting occasion arises.
She might buy you clothes as a way to say without saying out loud that she hates the clothes you buy yourself. Is she buying clothes for the person you were when you met?
Personally, I don’t have the confidence to buy someone else clothes. What worked for me and my husband was for me to say “You really need a new jacket. I’d like to get you one for Christmas.” and then shop for one together. Maybe your wife would enjoy that approach. It shows you’re open to new clothes. You might do well at a place with sales people who will steer things “Perhaps the gentleman would like something less fuzzy…allow me to suggest…”
Good luck.
Have you bought her clothes in the past? Did she like them?
If you did and she really and truly didn’t, this might be a form of retaliation.
If your conscience is clear on that front, just tell her you’re not comfortable in the clothes in question and that you’d prefer if you and she didn’t bother with presents of clothes in future. And that books or games or sporting equipment or concert tickets or perfume/aftershave or days out for you both or any number of other things would be far nicer.
Sneak it out of the house, swap it for store credit, and buy yourself something you like instead? Or (drastic, I know) you could just have a calm talk with her about how you’d rather she buy you nice clothes from L.L. Bean or Old Navy, because money goes further there. Or you’d rather she get you a gift card so you can go shopping together and pick things that you *both *like.
Make a point of telling her what you do like.
Like, if you guys are strolling around at the mall, point out something in a window. Or ask her to go shopping with you one day and use the outing to show her what you like/don’t like.
I know sometimes guys hate going shopping with their wives/girlfriends. But it can actually be a useful exercise.
If she asks why you aren’t wearing the latest stuff she just got you, just tell her you’re at that age when you are hard to shop for.
I think you do need to have a talk with her - $180 for something you hate is a big waste of money. Maybe you could figure out something that she can buy for you - I can’t buy my husband clothes either, as he has very particular taste, but there are other things I can buy for him that he appreciates.
Just tell her you don’t like them. My hubs told me a few times and now if I want to buy him clothes we go look for them together. I get the need to clothe him out of my system and he gets something he actually wants and needs.
I can totally relate! I own an expensive but truly hideous bracelet, gold with rubies. Turns out his mother was excited to be buying one for her daughter, who adored it and pretty much picked it out! I could see it coming at me like a train, but there really was nothing I could do. I love this family dearly, the joy and sincerity of the generosity, kept me silent. But it wasn’t easy. But I could not bring myself to do otherwise. I don’t think I wore it but once.
I post this from a new IPad mini, which I seriously do not really need. And hey, it’s not a hideous bracelet at least and I am enjoying it more than I imagined!
How do you normally dress?
Unless you take a lot of care of what you wear, I’d guess that she is basically saying that she wishes that you’d wear nicer clothes. Guys also “let themselves go” in long term relationships, and it can be disappointing and take some of the spark out of things. Women often spend a lot of time and money to keep themselves looking attractive, and they really do appreciate when their SOs return the favor. It sucks to be walking around in your best outfit with your hair and face done, while your SO looks like he just rolled out of bed.
I know that when my SO started wearing sweatpants and old tee shirts out of the house, I started to suggest and then strongly threaten that we should both go out to a nice store and buy some grown-up clothes. It turns out that he wanted to lose some weight before he bought nice clothes, but as a “What not to Wear” fan, I know you have to dress for the body you have and it’s not too much to ask someone to wear pants with a zipper. Eventually, as holiday visits came closer he broke down and bought a few decent pieces to wear around. If he hadn’t, a Banana Republic gift certificate might have been his Christmas present.
I suggest talking to her and trying to find out if she has specific complaints about your current wardrobe. Women aren’t usually great at picking out men’s clothes- we don’t have a good concept of the trends and cuts, and we are inclined to pick out flashier pieces than a lot of guys are comfortable with. Then, maybe the two of you can go shopping together and find some stuff you both like.
"Hey Honey, I do like this jacket and it’s the perfect size but I feel like a 15 year old in it. Do you mind if I trade it for something I feel a little more comfortable in?’
You have two options:
- Wear the clothes.
- Get a divorce.
That is all. 
It’s dumb not to keep receipts when you give people clothing ANYWAY-- what if it doesn’t fit??
When I was a teenager, my mom and I had an outspoken agreement that anything she bought me could be returned with no offense taken, and I loved that. It meant she could have fun picking things out, and I could have fun receiving her gifts without pressure.
When I first started dating my husband, he bought me a beautiful handbag for my birthday, but an easily-stained one. It was too delicate for my lifestyle, so I never used it. I’ve carried it maybe once or twice. I should have just told him it wasn’t appropriate, but I was bashful. But now he’s out $1000+ and I have a bag in my closet I never use and feel guilty about. That’s a lose/lose.
Maybe your wife has no clue of your style, or perhaps you don’t have a clear “style genre” (“hipster”, or “professor” or “scruffy masculine” etc.) for her to shop within. I know my brother is sort of “urban cowboy” so at least I have a clothing genre for him.
You have to tell her they’re not really your style and you’d love to go pick something else out together. If she’s keen, she’ll get a handle on what you like fairly quickly, even if it’s a step “nicer” than you’d normally go.