It's pretty often that, in person, I'll get asked where I've bought something and more often than not, my answer is "online". Living in a small-ish city on the east coast of Canada, shopping is very limited. I do a lot of my shopping online, as the selection is endless and you can find unique pieces that not everyone else is going to have.
It's something that I've feel I've gotten pretty good at over time, and I know a lot of people find online shopping a little intimidating, so here are some tips that will help make the process a whole lot easier!
1. Know Your Measurements - Knowing your actual measurements is essential to your online shopping success. Some sites will give you exact measurements of the garments and others will give you a general size guide. Please remember that size guides are just that - guides. A lot of online shops carry many different brands, so the sizing isn't going to be exactly the same across the board.
2. Be Honest With Yourself - If there's something that always tends to give you some difficulty when you're out shopping or trying clothes on, be honest with yourself about it. Do you have a larger chest that usually leaves blouses gaping, or find that fitted dresses are difficult to fit over your hips compared to your waist? Unless you're willing to take the risk, avoid ordering items that give you a hard time online, and go shopping for those in person instead!
3. Read The Reviews - Reviews can be a great source of information. It can give you a better idea of overall fit, quality, and likeliness to the photos. However, don't just look at the star rating. Some reviews are really poorly done and will give a dress 1 out 5 stars because the dress is navy and they thought it was black - even though the description says it's black. There's nothing wrong with the dress, the buyer just didn't read the description carefully. Which brings me to my next point...
4. Read The Descriptions Carefully - Descriptions often hold vital information. The fabric the item is made of, the color, whether it's sheer, has stretch, etc etc. Read this carefully to make sure you know what you're getting.
6. Understand The Shipping Policy - So you find the perfect item, and go to check out, only to discover it costs $40 to ship it to your country. Or worse, that they don't ship to your country at all! Before you dive too deeply into an online shop, check out their shipping costs and whether they ship to your country.
Looking for some great online shops? Check out Zara, ASOS, Shopbop, J.Crew, Modcloth, Sosie and Anthropologie! (I've ordered from all but Anthro personally and all have great Canadian shipping rates!)
And be sure to check out my giveaway with a brand new online shop for your chance to win a dress of your choice!
Looking for some great online shops? Check out Zara, ASOS, Shopbop, J.Crew, Modcloth, Sosie and Anthropologie! (I've ordered from all but Anthro personally and all have great Canadian shipping rates!)
And be sure to check out my giveaway with a brand new online shop for your chance to win a dress of your choice!
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