In part two of our Q&A with Andy Gilchrist (read part one here), the founder of one of the busiest clothing forums on the web, talks about retail, dressing up and the economy.
You have some experience in menswear retailing. What are the most common mistakes you see sales people making in stores?
Asking me if they can “help” me! First no one wants to be in a position where they really need help. It’s a position of weakness/dependency and the sales associate is in the position of power. And more importantly it defines the role of the sales associate as a dreaded “salesperson.”
I prided myself in never asking if I could help a customer. I always tried to say hello as soon as they walked in (just like a guest in my home gets a hello and an offer of a drink immediately). It’s common (and expected) courtesy.
I smiled, talked about their great shoes or shirt and then ask if they’d been in the store before. If they hadn’t I showed them around. Then I said you’ve got to see these great new shirts, etc. we just got in.
I just got back from the Las Vegas industry shows and I was a little shocked how the retailers were dressed. If they’re expecting customers to start buying garments from them to look good they just might consider setting an example!
Do you think we’re really returning to an era when American men dress well? Or is the public too segmented for that to happen?
I don’t think it’s segmentation; it’s a new phase. We’ll never return to suits and neckties being standard dress for business. But with more casual wear than suits and neckties (two symbols of authority) it’s very difficult to project an image of professionalism and authority. It can be done, it’s just more difficult.
But do you think the financial crises we’re seeing will lead to more dress codes in offices and more dressing up in general?
Yes, and that’s what has been driving men to dress better the past few years. Especially after the Silicon Valley economic downturn, some of the guys who had been wearing shorts and T-shirts to work had to look presentable to get a job, keep their jobs and be promoted.
Where do you shop?
I like shopping in Beverly Hills for the atmosphere. Maybe that’s the “growing up in Kansas in a town with one men’s store and a part time movie theatre” in me. I don’t need as much in the way of clothing and everything there seems very expensive to me! I do, usually on a weekly basis, peruse Marshall’s, Ross, TJ Maxx, Loehmann’s and Macy’s primarily just for the fun of the hunt.
What’s the last item you bought that you really got excited about?
Just got a Polo/RL zip V-neck long sleeve cotton pullover that is brown glen plaid. It’s beautiful. Very Ralph and Anglophile look to it. And I bought it soon after it appeared at my local department store (the only one left I guess—Macy’s). I did have coupons, so it was okay.
This was not normal for me since department stores have taught me never to buy anything when I first see it, because in only two weeks it will be on sale for 70% off.
Thanks Department Stores! It’s like the current system of buying a car. Even if you get the lowest price available you still, in the back of your mind, think you could have gotten a better deal. And believe me, your next door neighbor will have! As a consumer I actually feel more confident making a purchase in a store like Tommy Bahama that never puts its items on sale.
Do you have any complaints with the way a typical men’s store or men’s department is merchandised?
One of my pet peeves is getting a dress or sport shirt home and going through the intense effort of getting all the pins and plastic and cardboard off and out of the shirt. And if I ever meet the little old lady that puts all the pins in those shirts, I’ll have no control over myself. So I’d put every shirt in the store on a hanger.
Sometimes things look so neat on a table there is a hesitancy in picking something up and really looking at a garment. That’s half the sales—touching!
Where should guys realistically look for inspiration on how to dress well? Television? Movies? Men’s stores? Old family photos?
I just found an anonymous quote I like: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
I really think you have to know the rules of dress and then work within those rules to find what looks best with your body type, hair/skin/eye colors, and your lifestyle. Many (most!) of the men’s magazines are selling something and don’t care about education or how you really look.
Read part one here.
Ask Andy About Clothes, Andy Gilchrist’s website and clothing forums, gets an average of 640,000 hits per day and boasts 18,000 forum members. Gilchrist started the site in 2001 shortly after retiring from the corporate world. He’s been a top salesman at a Polo Ralph Lauren store and he’s written an encyclopedia of menswear.
Want more Catching Up? Here are some of the people we’ve interviewed and profiled:
Jacob Parris, Vinnie’s Styles of BrooklynElaine Hughes, E.A. Hughes and Company
Michael Buckley, True Religion
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