silver linings and online shopping

[kate_nepveu]

So it's taken me way too long to realize this, probably after everyone else in the world, but all the miserable hours I've spent looking for shoes and clothes has finally paid off, thanks to online shopping.

I figured this out first with shoes, since Zappos has a way better selection than any store around me: right, from trying on a million shoes that don't fit I know I need a strap here, a toe that shape, a sole of this composition; videos suggest this bends well, and reviews say a narrow heel that your foot doesn't slip out of? Awesome, and returns are free so there's no risk if I guess the size wrong. *hits purchase*

But it never occurred to me to try this with clothes until just very recently. And for work clothes, I tend to make do with whatever's reasonably fitting and venue-appropriate, regardless of whether it's also flattering or makes me happy, because if I held out for that then I'd never buy anything. Then I bought a necklace from elisem, didn't have any suitable shirts to wear it with, and had to resort to online shopping to find one, because apparently brown is not an In Color this year. When I went to pick up the shirt from Macy's, my eye landed on a dress that yelled out, "I will be comfortable and flattering and work-appropriate, buy me!" (The listed price is definitely not, by the way, what I paid for it.) And I guessed at a size and it fit perfectly and I went home glowing.

A day or two later, I went looking around the manufacturer's website and discovered that they were having a sale and that a third-party merchant was having a free trial period on free return shipping, so it would be no risk to assume that their sizing held constant. I ruled things out based on my extensive experience of "no, that will look awful on me" and ended up with three summer work-appropriate dresses, which arrived today and all fit great and now I will be happy to get dressed to go to work, go figure.

The morals of this story are: free return shipping is awesome; having shitty luck finding stuff in stores at least can teach you what to avoid when you're narrowing things down; and finding something that fits you from a manufacturer with consistent sizing is a really great stroke of luck.

Comments

[canyonwalker.livejournal.com]

Taking advantage of online stores' free return shipping policy has always seemed wrong to me, like I'm abusing their generosity if I buy, say, 3 similar items with the expectation that only one will fit and I'll return the other two. But it's becoming obvious that that is their business model.

BTW, I like the V-neck Swing Dress a lot. It's got a visually interesting pattern with muted, darker colors. The bright colors and bold patterns of the other dresses are not my cup of tea. I hope they look great and fit comfortably on you, though!

[kjn]

Free return shipping policy, or at least no-hassle return shipping policy has long been a staple of clothing mail-order companies, at least here in Sweden.

I think at least one of them just switched to an online model, and still goes swimmingly.

[kate_nepveu]

Oh, I don't buy more than one size of the same thing, I have a reasonably good idea in shoes what size I wear now, but I don't stress about getting it wrong, which is totally worth it to me and to the store--I have bought and kept far more from Zappos than I have returned.

The colors may be a smidge brighter on the screen than in person, but fortunately the only person who has to like them is me.

[bibliofile]

right, from trying on a million shoes that don't fit I know I need....

Yes! And I write it all down, just in case. Oddly, I end up finding as many good fits at thrift stores as I do at regular stores. (The joys of shoping in the plus sizes, yay.) Also good for underthings, when sometimes it's free shipping (and especially returns) to the store.

Those dresses all look good! FYI, Anne Klein has at least one store in an outlet mall (an upscale one south of Milwaukee). I suspect more exist, if you ever go near those places.

[kate_nepveu]

I wish I'd thought to write down fit issues sooner, rather than grinding them into my brain by painful repetition!

There aren't any outlet malls particularly convenient to me, but I'll keep it in mind, thanks!

[qian]

Those dresses are so pretty! Yay for finding clothes you like.

[kate_nepveu]

Yay! Thanks.

[oyceter]

Those are so cute! (Also, now I must remember to look through the site tomorrow because I really like the shape of their dresses but haven't seen them either on sale enough or with a good enough return policy to try them out.)

[kate_nepveu]

The return policy is a 30-day free trial from Shoprunner, which should show up on their pages; you have to give them a credit card, so I put a reminder to myself for 25 days away to cancel. YMMV on whether that's workable.

[kate_nepveu]

And I just got an email saying that on-sale things are another 40% off at checkout, so . . .

[oyceter]

Bwahaha just placed an order!

[kate_nepveu]

I hope it works out!