Shopping Online for Men’s Apparel

Cause we are living in a material world, and I'm a ma-ma-material girl,” said some singer from Michigan before she took over the world.

All kidding aside, gay men can surely relate to the aforementioned quote. For the most part, not only are we creatures of experimentation and risk takers but we are also fans of throwing down our credit card and saying “Charge it,” before the total even comes up on the register. Indeed, shopping is a past time for many gays. Whether it be on Melrose in Hollywood or SoHo in Manhattan, if it's cute and the price is right we gotta have it! Internet shopping is another guilty pleasure that we gays love that is fun, convenient and guiltless - take iTunes for instance. This is the best example of instant gratification, .99 for a song that is ready for your listening pleasure in a few minutes!

When it comes to clothes, this is where it can actually get a bit tricky. From waist size, shirt size and shoe size - if you get the wrong measurements you are stuck with a product that doesn't fit you and you must possibly wait another week until you get the correct fitting. One thing that truly helps is to carefully read the measurement directions the site you are shopping on provides. Take the extra minute or two to assess your current waist and chest size. It might sound like a pain at the moment but it will come in handy when you get your perfectly fitted clothing that you won't have to ship back to the company!

If you weren't previously aware, the popular women's clothing store Forever 21, currently in some legal hot water with Gwen Stefani over trademark infringement, now has men's clothing - and might we add, cute stuff too! The gear that Forever 21 offers for men is ultra chic and competitive in price - t-shirts ranging from $13 to $15, and plaid bermuda shorts for just over $21, so you won't break the bank looking cute but will surely look as if you did. Their jeans are just under $30, but we're not quite sure just how good the fit will be for that cheap of a price!

Next up, shoes! We know, buying “kicks” online is a nightmare. So many companies say that they have the policy of customer satisfaction guaranteed, but most of the time that's just not the case. Onlineshoes.com is the real deal! Besides being around for 11 years, they have thousands of men's shoes to choose from. Puma? Check! New Balance? Check! Dr. Martens - you get the idea. Recommended by a friend, he told of a bad experience with a pair of shoes he bought from the company, which ended up being a terrific experience. Buying his boots online from Online Shoes, when the fit wasn't what he thought they would be - and with hiking boots it's all about the fit. Being disappointed and a tad melodramatic he called the company to explain, but to his surprise he didn't have to. The operator told “John” about their 90-day unconditional returns and free shipping AND exchanges on every order! Let me tell you it's rare to find a place that will give you free shipping on returns because usually it's your problem!

Denim is another tough item to shop for. Considering you have the length, width and overall feel of the material to consider, you better know your product if you're going to shop for it online. While many sites like True Religion, and Rock and Republic have made shopping for denim fun by hosting elaborate websites with specific ways to find out what fit of jean is best for you, we recommend you skip these kinds of sites and go directly to wholesale buyers.

Sites such as Emoda and believe it or not - wait for it - Ebay have steadfastly lead the way in making it easy to get the “look” you want easily and cheap! It's true if you have that certain body frame and good timing you can score brand name costly jeans for up to 50 percent off the retail price! If you're clueless on buying jeans and picking the ideal pair the site AskMen.com has a particularly great article that gives you denim-challenged homo's a leg up on the rest!

Last but not least, you've worn your new outfit, knocked 'em dead at the club and gotten that tall, dark and handsome porn star to come home with you. We certainly hope you don’t have some nasty and scuffed underwear on.

As a gay man it is your duty to have gym undies, sporty undies, lingerie-like undies, I'm-going-on-a-date underwear, work undies, and hook-up undies (those should be the thin white Hanes that guys can just rip off of you.) If you are looking for some hot underwear for any of the above occasions Undergear is the site that has practically EVERY kind of underwear under the sun, including our favorite Andrew Christian and Papi underwear!

So now that you have all the essential shopping sites for the remainder of your summer, go out and shop until you drop, but remember that to pull anything off - it isn't who you are but the attitude you have when you wear those hot gender bending jeans. Fuck it! Wear them and know you look fabulous!