For the gents - how to shop for your lady.

Only have a few minutes to get this typed out so bear with me!

Anyway, I'm back a the retail thing for the holiday season and it's one of my favorite times of the year to work in a fun little shop because I get to see people come in and try to shop for others. I really enjoy seeing them work through their thought process, like "But she also likes to wear blouses that are like so and this would go great with almost everything she owns" or "remember? we went out that one night and one of her earrings fell out?"

Watching girls shop is impressive. But what's even cooler is watching men shop. There are three types of guys I've observed, the ones who refuse to ask for help and usually leave empty handed and end up rushing their purchase, and the ones who know their significant others well ENOUGH but are still hesitant to just pick something out without deep thought and the ones who have a goal, just now how to execute. Regardless of which you fall into, here is some shopping advice from me to you:

1. Observe - there's still time for you to shop for something (unless you're getting some custom work done and there's a 3 week window or something) so pay attention to her clothes and accessories. Pay attention to what she says or what she looks at when you are dragged to go shopping with her.
2. When in doubt, get her something pretty and functional like a little handbag or basic jewelry. It doesn't have to be a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. or a Cartier watch but something that says "hey, I pay attention to what you wear/your favorite color/your style" that will complement what she already owns. And unless your girlfriend is superficial, it doesn't have to be expensive (but don't go cheap and go to Walmart either) but THOUGHTFUL always wins.
3. Tell her why you got it for her. "I remember you said you wanted more soft sweaters" always helps. Or "you said you need more sparkly things in your life."
4. Ask for help. Ask her best friend. Ask her sister/mom, ask the girl in the boutique - that's what she's there for!! Describe her to the sales person and you'll quickly see the more you talk about her the easier it'll be to figure out what will work.
5. Have kids? Bring your kids. That way you can blame the bad decision on them* plus when she knows the kids picked it out? It's hard for her to want to exchange it for something else. 

This advice really goes for anybody of any gender. The first one is the best piece of advice I can provide - pay attention to your partner and you can't ever go wrong.

Happy shopping!

*clearly, I am not a parent