So maybe you’d rather stick pins in your eye than venture into a clothing store or (horror!) the MALL (aka the MAUL) to purchase garments. Who can blame you, honey? The smell of cheap fabric and the glare of department store lights are overwhelming to this girl, who does a lot of on-line shopping. On-line shopping also requires diligence, attention and commitment. Until you learn the manufacturers that work for you, you may be making a lot of returns. Some discount sites, such as Zulily, don’t even accept returns. So you really have to develop a good eye for the product.
These tips are for discount sites, to help you assess a garment and avoid being taken in by the tricks of the trade.
First – fabric. It may look sumptuous in the photo but always read the description and zoom in on that photo and examine it! Is it cheap, clingy, maybe a little shiny?
This fabric is extremely cheap. Perfect if you have zero lumps or bumps, but most of us do:
Darker colors help when the fabric is thin and cheap.
How is the model posed? In this dress, which I initially thought might be kind of cute and interesting, I noticed that the model was standing very strangely, lifting her chin way in the air and swaying her back. That’s a sure sign that this dress looks like a potato sack on someone standing normally:
Question the illusion. Here, the model is creating shape by putting her hand on her waist, which is typical. But now I wonder if someone Photoshopped in more of a waist, and I also wonder if the sweater has been pinned at the back to make it more fitted. I’m not sure, but it’s possible. I don’t want to have to tailor any discount items I get online, so I watch carefully for that sort of monkeying around.
Discount sites are a good place to turn if you want to try a new style that isn’t “you,” but you think might be a “you” you’re eager to explore. Like maybe a more Bohemian you. Or a you who wears pastel purple. Who knows? At $16, plus $5 S+ H, you can afford to find out.
Always compare the discounted price with the retail price as listed on the site (most of them will tell you). If the original was $105 and the discount price is $19, you may have found a real deal. If the garment is listed at $17 and retailed at $27, not so much.
Another thing to look at and research is the so-called brand name. Some online discount retailers make up their own “brand names” to fool shoppers into thinking we’ve found something really swank. I just saw an Ike Behar bathrobe for sale on a discount site. Wow, Ike Behar! No idea who that is. Joy Behar’s husband? I’m not in the market for a man’s bathrobe right now so I won’t research it, but if I was interested in making a purchase I’d do a quick Google search.
Here’s an English Laundry shirt onsale on a discount site. Very nice, cotton, made in China (boo), cute color someone might be interested in trying for himself:
I have no idea if English Laundry is a real label or one the site made up to sound designer-y, but that doesn’t necessarily matter to everyone. Sometimes you’re just looking for a shirt for Easter morning, you know?
As someone who gets most of her new clothes on-line through discount sites, I can advise you to look frequently. Use online browsing as a little visual break after a morning of thinking a lot, or sermon crafting. If you have a conference or season coming up (and who doesn’t?) and you need something, you stand a good chance of finding what you need online if you comb the virtual racks frequently for good deals.
Ooh yes, I wouldn’t have noticed it if you hadn’t mentioned it, but the waist on that black top does look suspicious. Good point.
Another place for discounted good clothes is eBay.
Let’s say you have a favorite blazer from years ago or you tried on a great $800 blazer at Nordstrom’s that looked great, but you simply can’t afford it. Look for it on eBay.
I was so excited to read this post, I’ve been considering shopping online for clothes. This is good advice, but how do you even begin to figure out the size? In the store, I can take all 3 possible sizes into the dressing room and pick the best one. Not so online.
I recently discovered that sizes can vary even within a single line–I bought the same pair of jeans, by the same manufacturer (Gloria Vanderbilt), same style, in the same store, on the same day, in the three different colors (dark blue, black, brown–basic stuff). Good thing I tried on the various colors to see how they looked on my body! I had to find three different sizes, because the sizing on each color was slightly different. How do you deal with this kind of thing online?
Wisdom appreciated, because I keep seeing things I like, but I get stymied by choosing a size. [Thanks for writing! The thing about shopping online for discounts is that you have to weight the possibility of not getting quite the right size with paying a lot less for the same garment in a store. The best you can do is research the brand, try it on in the stores, research your own closet, and make your best guess. I tend not to buy important pieces on-line; things that really need to fit well. I buy filler pieces, the skirts with easy waistlines, the shirts that will probably be okay if a bit on the large or small size. I almost never purchase pants online for the very reason you mention: pants sizing is insane! – PB]
curious about the “booo!” regarding a cotton shirt made in China. Is all manufacturing in China considered sweatshop? or is manufacturing outside of the continental US considered exploitive?