guys, i am tired of getting shot down.
here is what i do.
girl is crossing from across the street. we get closer and closer. when we are close, i say "i like your purse" or "i like the color of your shirt"
usually i get ignored, or the maximum reaction is a smile.
i will be honest with you, it hurts. I know you are supposed to say "fuck them" and move on, but what the hell, man?
i do live in a neighborhood where there are a lot of rich people. so maybe these people are just uptight?

When you give compliments like that they are generic and aren't specific to the woman and they are often shrugged off. Women like this get hit on a LOT and these are very common things to say to girls. IF you insist on giving the woman a compliment that's cool but try to be more original and specific to her, as long as it is sincere.

Otherwise, if you are going to do that you might as well be more direct. Your actions are obviously direct in nature with the way you are approaching her. You could just say something like, "I know this is totally random, but I saw you over here and would be kicking myself if I didn't come introduce myself. I'm xxxx" I think you'd get a lot more out of that approach than trying to give a generic compliment on her clothing.

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Been around the world twice, Talked to everyone once...

I seem to think that (though cannot really say because I too am trying to muster up the courage just to compliment a girl in town) rather than saying "i like the color of your shirt" which can come across as a little bland and generic, give a reason why. Perhaps "Excuse me, I know this is random....but I just saw you and had to say that I like your style today because....." and give a good genuine, maybe witty and creative (but not dirty!) reason why - and mean it when you say it! Try that next time then tell us how it went.

as jsmooth said and...

your opening with a silly, non-believable complement (does she remotely believe you give 2 shits about her shirt or purse?), this is perhaps the worst opener in the world. You are essentially SPAM you status for acceptance, you need to read some PUA material, those type of openers are horrid and completely unacceptable.

As you can see i'm no where as near or nice or professional as jsmooth. Thats why he is the professional dating coach, and im the online cold shower.

Man, who cares about the items of clothing she has, or the purse she's carrying, unless it is crazy interesting, there must be a more thrilling thing to open with, surely?

Bro you're not doing it right. Instead of just throwing compliments through the air, approach and say, "Hey you looked interesting so I wanted to meet you." Get her name and shit, give her your name..THEN give the compliment.

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Don't get on one knee for a girl that won't get on two for you.

I don't think there's any large importance on the particular sequence things are done in, just make it more interesting for yourself and her. If you are coming across as complimenting one of her clothing/items just as an excuse to talk to her, then you're doing it wrong.

Hmmm, based on that we can also say that if you're coming across as hitting on a woman just as an excuse to talk to her, then you're doing it wrong.

I don't know man.

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Don't get on one knee for a girl that won't get on two for you.

What do you mean? Girls do not want you to tip toe around the situation and beat around in the bush while trying to talk to them. They just want you to get to the point, at least with approaching.

How can you hit on a woman as an excuse to talk to her? "hitting on her' is simply letting her know that you're interested in talking to her as well as being physical with her.

You didn't really get my point. I'm saying that a compliment is a great way to open up a woman. That's already getting to the point right there, you're being direct. Think about it. A lot of guys try to not compliment when she's clearly wearing an amazing pair of funky high heels. Look, all this stuff is just mental masturbation. Just approach, state your intention, and be direct.

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Don't get on one knee for a girl that won't get on two for you.

Read what i said
This is me saying i think being direct is a good thing, so you didn't have to state this again in your reply. Since it's something i just said i agree with. Telling a woman a compliment about HER is great, not about something she is holding, or her t-shirt being a nice color, pretending it's not related to her(pretending you're only talking to her because you like her shirt, not because you like her)
That just confused me, hence why i said "what do you mean?". So it wasn't really a matter of missing your point at all, it was a matter of me not understanding what you were trying to say due to your reply that was confusing.

great fun this is nice.,....

"i like the color of your shirt" in passing on a crosswalk is something a serial killer would do.

also, a crosswalk isn't a place that naturally lends itself to stopping and talking.

LOLOL

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what dr. house brings to medicine, i bring to everyday life (an extreme dose of cynicism), don't listen to the curmudgeon!