Purchasing larger sizes also makes clothes easier to put on and take off. A useful benefit for someone like me, who manages to turn this supposedly easy exercise into something akin to escaping a straitjacket. For this reason I also refrain from wearing too many layers, and steer clear of items with lots of buttons. (I once made the mistake of buying jeans with a button fly. Imagine the scene: you go out for the night, use the men's toilet, and then find that you just cannot do up your zip. Who do you ask for help: a guy in the loo you've never met or the girl you've invited out for the first time?)