Trying on clothing/store lighting

[Kasper]

Do any other members ever have trouble gauging a piece of clothing's exact color in the store? I don't know if it's the lighting they use but on a handful of occasions I have bought an item only to wear it out and discover that the color is too bright in natural light. This weekend I was at a freestanding Jos. A. Banks contemplating a couple purchases and actually asked the salesman if I could take a step outside while wearing the suit I was trying on. He said that it was against store policy and I didn't argue with him although I did try to explain my situation. He told me that they don't use any special lighting and that whatever I buy should look the same in natural light. I wasn't angry but I did leave without purchasing anything and decided later that I am going to be more careful from now on about taking off the tags before wearing the items outside first so they can still be returned.

 

[minhi]

Originally Posted by Kasper

Do any other members ever have trouble gauging a piece of clothing's exact color in the store? I don't know if it's the lighting they use but on a handful of occasions I have bought an item only to wear it out and discover that the color is too bright in natural light. This weekend I was at a freestanding Jos. A. Banks contemplating a couple purchases and actually asked the salesman if I could take a step outside while wearing the suit I was trying on. He said that it was against store policy and I didn't argue with him although I did try to explain my situation. He told me that they don't use any special lighting and that whatever I buy should look the same in natural light. I wasn't angry but I did leave without purchasing anything and decided later that I am going to be more careful from now on about taking off the tags before wearing the items outside first so they can still be returned.

i've had this problem too, and instead of asking the salesman directly, i tell them i'd like to buy it but i'm unsure of the color. either they bring it to the door if possible, or i tell them i'm going to buy it, take it outside and if the color is off return immediately.

but as you said, very few stores prevent returns, so it's not a big deal to return something.

 

[Holdfast]

It's a real concern.

When choosing a fabric for a bespoke or MTM suit, I have in the past stepped outside the shop with the fabric book (accompanied by the tailor) for a more realistic impression of the colour/sheen.

With RTW, almost everything these days is tagged to set off alarms if you step outside. Once or twice, I've asked nicely and they've removed the tag and accompanied me outside. But only in places where the staff know me at least reasonably well.

Otherwise, as others has said, make sure there's a good returns policy.

 

[Kasper]

I found this problem to be the worse when trying to choose pink, yellow and ecru shirts. They always seem to appear much brighter when in day light many times to an extent that they feel inappropriate for how I want to present myself at work.

 

[Edward Appleby]

To a certain extent, you have to decide whether you want clothing to look perfect in natural or artificial light. Midnight blue DJs are an example of this.

 

[Drinkwaters]

On many occassions during my career in menswear I have had customers challenge me as to whether they recieved the purchased item they chose.
Most retail stores use narrow flood halogen lights which will cast a blue/green light that alters natural color. Since I am now the proprietor, I insist that customers take our garments outside to get a true read on the color of the fabric. If a retailer won't allow you to do this, he is not interested in making a sale or a customer!

Best Regards,

Gary

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by Kasper

Do any other members ever have trouble gauging a piece of clothing's exact color in the store? I don't know if it's the lighting they use but on a handful of occasions I have bought an item only to wear it out and discover that the color is too bright in natural light. This weekend I was at a freestanding Jos. A. Banks contemplating a couple purchases and actually asked the salesman if I could take a step outside while wearing the suit I was trying on. He said that it was against store policy and I didn't argue with him although I did try to explain my situation. He told me that they don't use any special lighting and that whatever I buy should look the same in natural light. I wasn't angry but I did leave without purchasing anything and decided later that I am going to be more careful from now on about taking off the tags before wearing the items outside first so they can still be returned.
That's pretty stupid. If they're really that distrustful, they could have asked to hold your wallet or something. I can't imagine that JAB has a huge problem with guys trying on suits, asking to step outside and see them in natural light, and then taking off. They would have lost my potential business right there.

 

[epa]

I think that many stores belonging to larger companies have set up too many and to rigid "policies" that prevent their salespeople from being flexible and treating the clients in the best way, in accordance with the particulars of each client and situation. Too bad.
By the way, recently I bought, on sale, a pair of dark navy Canali trousers that I actually thought were black, but the salesperson swore that they were navy (which was what I wanted). It was dark outside, so taking them out of the store would not help a lot. I trusted him, and yes, the other day in daylight I saw that he was right. For some colours, the artificial light is really a big problem.

 

[DeSica]

Originally Posted by Kasper

Do any other members ever have trouble gauging a piece of clothing's exact color in the store? I don't know if it's the lighting they use but on a handful of occasions I have bought an item only to wear it out and discover that the color is too bright in natural light. This weekend I was at a freestanding Jos. A. Banks contemplating a couple purchases and actually asked the salesman if I could take a step outside while wearing the suit I was trying on. He said that it was against store policy and I didn't argue with him although I did try to explain my situation. He told me that they don't use any special lighting and that whatever I buy should look the same in natural light. I wasn't angry but I did leave without purchasing anything and decided later that I am going to be more careful from now on about taking off the tags before wearing the items outside first so they can still be returned.

I don't know if this will help, but you may want to consider the kind of light in the store.

What we learned in film school was that different lighting had different temperatures, anc colours. Film is designed to be used with a certain light, and needs filters to work wll with other lights, but that doesn't metter here.

Daylight is like 5600 degrees (I think), but anyway, it has a blue element to it.

Flourescent has green. (3400?)

Tungsten (like the regular lights in a house, or certain stores- 2400?) has an orange effect.

This might be playing a part in how you initally see the item you purchse. So if you can keep that in mind, it may help you judge what something would look like in different situations.

 

[adamm411]

I've heard that *certain* stores utilize a number of tricks to get you to buy. Such as using mirrors that distort sizes to make you appear taller and thinner. A more subtle version of the house of mirrors in the fun house at the carnival.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

If you plan to look for particular colors, you can wear something similar. For example, that might help you distinguish dark blue from black. Think of how hard it is for men with some color blindness. An article of clothing should always be tagged or otherwise marked with the item's color.