Your opinions on clothing to buy?

I've found this site to be a decent place to buy swimming gear, very reasonable prices.

http://www.swimoutlet.com/

I bought a couple pairs of lycra jammers to swim in, they're working great.  If they would just make me faster....

In some respects, it's a sad reflection on the sport that someone who is new to it all feels inundated and overwhelmed by gear choices - it really does reflect and speak to how we sometimes all can fall into dependence on the newest/fastest/lightest stuff out there.

Don't turn a fun past time into rocket science;

for training, swim in whatever you're comfortable in, whether it's jammers or a speedo. Just keep in mind that pool chlorine will eat clothes, but proper care will extend their lives. Therefore, you'll see few people swimming in a chlorinated pool with expensive tri shorts or tri suits (unless it's for a pre-race practice to test your clothing in a real-world situation).

Same with running - run in whatever you're comfortable in, whether it's baggy gym shorts ala Lance or compression shorts (my choice, to keep thigh chafe to a minimum) or specific running shorts. Same for tops - moisture wicking tops trump cotton.

Reserve tri shorts, tops and tri suits for racing, or for doing a few training sessions pre-race to test out the clothing. Tri stuff can be expensive and I "save" my good stuff for racing. If I'm doing a longer run brick session I'll wear tri shorts for comfort on the bike but still easier to run in than cycling shorts. 

Tri-specific clothing is great for races because of it's moisture wicking, fits snugly and the fact that the padding in the short won't hold water so you'll be more comfy on the bike & run. However, for sprint tris, many don't bother with padding on the shorts and swim/bike/run in running shorts and a T shirt.

Real men rock a mankini like Faris AlSultan: