I saw this great shirt on Eco Manifesto yesterday and decided that it would make a great gift for a guy. Which brings me to the question of do you buy clothes for gifts? I have two answers for this question – no and yes.

My great Aunt Clytie (who is sadly not with us any more) was renowned for buying clothes for me for my birthday. Amazingly she got my size right and more often than not she picked things that weren’t run of the mill, fad clothes. I still have quite a few of the items she bought me and today still get compliments on them – the gorgeous black lace shirt that I wear as a light overshirt, the white satin blouse with beautiful blue metallic flowers (have to see to understand). There was only a rare occasion when Clytie would get something that didn’t quite suit or was a bit “old” for me.

Buying clothes for gifts can be tricky. Style and taste is such a personal thing and it can all go pear shaped when trying to get it right:

Size - Buying the wrong size for starters can be insulting if you get the item too small or too big. Unfortunately even with so called “standard sizes” there can be a huge variance between brands and styles.

Colour – Choosing the right colour for someone else can be a bit of a dilemma even if you get white, because there are some people who honestly can’t wear it well. The same goes for other neutrals including grey, navy blue and brown.

Style – Unless you have impeccable taste and have watched every episode of Trinny and Susannah or been to fashion school you may be stepping on your gift recipient’s toes by buying them that funky short skirt or glittered gold top. People’s perceptions of their body image can vary with reality considerably, so they may not feel like they can show their “chunky thighs” in the skirt you thought would set off their best assets…

As a general rule I prefer not to recommend clothes for gifts. But! They say rules are meant to be broken and I have indeed bought clothes as gifts. So when is it ok to buy clothes for gifts?

My younger cousin Alison is worse than me at trying to control her wardrobe! She is very much up to date with current trends and styles and she wears what she knows suits her style and age and skin tones. By analysing what she wears and what colours she prefers I have been able to purchase clothes that I think she would like. But, I do one thing that I believe should be a rule when giving clothes as gifts - always include the receipt!

So, back to the question of do you buy clothes for gifts? My advice would be to think carefully about it and ask yourself if you are willing to include the receipt which ultimately shows how much you paid for the item? If not, I would recommend giving a gift voucher instead. If you are sending it interstate, ensure they actually have the shop in their city or town! This allows them to buy what they like, when they like in whatever colour and style they like. Hopefully a win-win situation!