We all love a good bargain and being so close to Christmas there’s really no better time to take advantage of those retail discounts than during the Black Friday Sales. This year due to lockdown is the first ever Black Friday where we can’t actually try and buy instore and instead everything is having to be bought online. Buying electronics, your trusted tried and tested beauty products is easy but buying clothes online has to come with a warning!
For us Personal Stylists, shopping online for clothes is easy; we know what styles suit our body shape, we know our colours, we know our brands and we know exactly what items will compliment our existing capsule wardrobes but most people who haven’t got this personal in-depth knowledge, more often than not just shop online and hope for the best.
When I do wardrobe edits on my clients, the items of clothing that have still got the price tag on and have never been worn are usually Online impulse buys. They bought the item because they liked it on the model but when the itemed arrived, it didn’t quite fit – sound familiar?
Online shopping is the best thing in the world when you know what you’re buying, it saves time and money but when you don’t know exactly what you’re getting, it can be so disappointing, frustrating and time consuming having to arrange returns, repackage items and queue up at the post office to drop off the returns!
Here are 3 simple rules to follow when you are shopping for clothes online:
- 1) Remind yourself that you probably don’t have the same colouring, height and body shape as the model in the photo and that lighting makes all the difference so always read the description of the item in detail: What’s the colour, fabric and fit? If you can honestly imagine yourself in the item – buy it!
- 2) Be honest with your sizing, there’s no shame in buying a larger size. We’ve all probably changed our shape and sizing over this year so save yourself the frustration and buy your existing size. If you’re not sure on your current size buy 2 sizes and return one.
- 3) Remember to check the return policy – don’t get stung by stores that only offer exchanges and credit notes – that drunken impulse buy can hurt your bank balance! If you are buying with the intention to return some items be mindful of how long it will take for the money to be credited back to your account.
For anyone who is frustrated with shopping online, why not take advantage of our Virtual styling services where one of our personal stylists will not only shop for you but will teach you exactly how to dress your shape so you’ll never put the wrong item in your basket again.
Until 2nd December 2020 we are offering 20% off our personal shopping fees. Just quote Black Friday when you enquire.