I am an avid online shopper. I began many years ago with Ebay. At first, I had hit and miss. I would get items too small, short, or long. At times, I still do but it does not matter because I never spent more than $5 on risky items. So, how do you shop online if you are not tall or skinny or looking like a model? How to buy clothes online? Here's few tips to make your online shopping experience better.
If you have been shopping at Banana Republic you know very well how their sizes run and how their clothes suit you. Most likely you can go in your closet and look at what size pants you wear there and select the same size online.
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2. Read Reviews and Look at The Chart Size
One of the mistakes of women is rushing to buy something online without the propers research. It takes just few minutes to look at the size charts that come with an item online or to look at the overall rating for that item. I just recently bought a pair of J.Crew pants in pink. I knew their sizes run bigger than my usual size in pants. I also read few of the reviews which mentioned that the pants were longer than usual and somewhat see-through. I knew that I would have to wear heels and wear nude panties. The pants ended up been fantastic, but it is true that were really long. I would suggest every woman to measure themselves (hips, chest, waist, and shoulders). This will really help to determine the true size given that each brand has different sizes. Zara for example runs smaller, so I know I need to buy a medium. Valentino shows run small, so I need to always get one size bigger. How do I know? I either bought something in the store, or I looked at their chart size on-line.
3. Look at the picture of the model
Most companies now provide details of the models wearing their items (heigh, size she wears, etc). This is useful to get a picture of the clothes on yourself. If you are interested in a pencil skirt like this one I bought at Target - you probably need to know that won't look good on you if you are 5' unless you alter it. A mini skirt on a 5'11 model, might look like a knee length skirt on you. The point is that you can't expect the same look and you need to know your measurements and those of the model.
4. Read the return policy.
Sometimes you just will get something and it sucks, especially when it comes to fabrics. This is a difficult one. All I can say is that you need to trust the brand and look at the price. You can't expect to spend $20 for a cashmere sweater from Forever21 and then get disappointed that the fabric did not feel soft enough. I would read the return policy very careful. I have had great experience and horrible experience and now I only buy online from companies that have great customer support and easy return policies in place. It is not acceptable anymore having to pay to return an item. If you think about it, you don't pay when you return an item to the store, why should I pay if I bought the clothing item on-line?
5. Don't give up
There are so many options these days when it comes to shopping online. Think about sites like Lyst, which is a curated high fashion website with a variety of brands and the latest trends in fashion. You don't need to rely on your local GAP store (I love GAP, but sometimes it is fun to spicy it up). How do I know what to buy from a new site? Here's few example on how to shop online for the first time.
1. Boohoo dress $26 - Lyst
This is a cute dress, traditional cut, good length and color. However, this is one of the pieces that could look great or horrible. Why? The fabric is light cotton, most likely some type of stretch material as everything has it these days. This means that it would highlight all my imperfections. You could see your underwear and love handles. In addition, if you are petite this dress would be considered a maxi dress. On the other hand if you are pregnant or have a pronounce belly everyone will be able to see your panty as the front opening won't stay shut! [Trust me, it happened to me]
2. AG Jeans $198 - Lyst
I love this dress. I like the dark color, which makes it easy to dress it down or up and also hides imperfections. It is proper for work, running errands, or just hanging out with friends. If you are short, the dress will probably look like a long dress, which in this case I think it is quite acceptable, since it is already long on the model. If you are tall, the dress will still look great and not too short. It's a win win situation. I would probably buy it and determine whether I want to make it short or keep it long. This is also a great dress if you are pregnant, so you are buying a dress to wear both pre, during, and post pregnancy. And remember during your pregnancy the length of the dress will change. I would wear spanx underneath but that is because I am obsessed with spanx. In your 20s you probably don't even need to wear a bras!
And now you have it! Tips on how to shop online if you are tall, short or just you! I know how frustrating it can be to buy online, but it does not have to be, just follow some of the tips discussed here and let me know what you all end up buying!
DISCLAIMER: All photos of me are from Mallory Brooks. All content is written by Ginevra Adamoli and should not be distributed elsewhere without consent.
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