Consumers have had long-term success on the Internet with established brands such as J. Crew or Banana Republic. Surprising enough the Internet has also been a resource for cutting-edge style. Now with the increasing growth of e-commerce, shoppers anywhere can buy brands that were once only found in fashion capitals like NYC in a tiny little boutique in SOHO. With the wider range of choices, I have personally found it much easier to find bargains. Some people find it intimidating to walk into a store with a snooty sales staff, but with the luxury of online boutiques no one will ever know how much you're spending. However, with so many retailers on the Internet, the choices can seem truly overwhelming so here is guide on how the fashion gurus navigate the online shopping world.
Boutiques:
Several LA boutiques have chosen to go online. One in particular is Madison, which has four brick and mortar boutiques that are becoming popular with stylists and celebrities. They sell a handpicked mix of brands as well as emerging hip labels. Sites like this join a roster of retailers that are now online and are known for making deals with their labels to create exclusive deals for their stores. For example, your new Rachel Zoe dress won't be in the same Rachel Zoe dress available at hundreds of other retailers across the states. There is a trendy store in NYC's SOHO area that sells some pretty hard to find brands on their online store, but still they only have a small selection of items on their site that include luxury brands. There is also Bigdropnyc.com, a New York chain that now has a "Shop by Look" tool that allows their customers to buy stylist selected outfits. This is a great tool for those people like myself at times, who have trouble putting outfits together. Another way for more people to shop online is how Net-a-Porter is now offering same day delivery to some neighborhoods in New York.
Online Retailer:
Bargains are the way to anyone's heart. Bluefly.com has remained a popular place to receive deals. However, they did start out selling discounted fashions that were a season or two behind retailers but they have recently been trying to post items that are closer to when they are in stores. This is a site that may be hard to find that must-have item you're looking for but would be a great place to buy jeans,which never go out of style. They sell a pair of jeans for roughly $77 while Revolve lists them for about $150. This is just an easy way to get people to shop your online store over your competitors.
Department Stores:
Department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus have designed way for people to see how a brand new jacket would work well with three different outfits. They call it ways to wear or even mix and matching ensembles. Customers are able to play dress up on Neiman's site while switching out earring, purses, or blouses as much as they please and hopefully buying the entire ensemble at the end. This is something I love to do because not only do I get to see what the entire outfit looks like but I also get to see what other pieces it will work well with. Almost every brick and mortar store has an online store for their customers to conveniently shop at.
Websites have offered fitting tools for as long as I can remember just to ensure that there is no disappointment when the item is received. Now these tiny boutiques are offering a way for customers to choose these costly fashions without having to try them on. Online stores are now offering "Dressing rooms", which show clothing pieces on a variety of different body types. This is to ensure that when you make a purchase that your pieces will fit and look great on. Another important aspect that online boutiques are taking another step further is that the pictures that showcase their clothes on the site are well lit as well as detailed. These are the stores that are getting it right.
Boutiques:
Several LA boutiques have chosen to go online. One in particular is Madison, which has four brick and mortar boutiques that are becoming popular with stylists and celebrities. They sell a handpicked mix of brands as well as emerging hip labels. Sites like this join a roster of retailers that are now online and are known for making deals with their labels to create exclusive deals for their stores. For example, your new Rachel Zoe dress won't be in the same Rachel Zoe dress available at hundreds of other retailers across the states. There is a trendy store in NYC's SOHO area that sells some pretty hard to find brands on their online store, but still they only have a small selection of items on their site that include luxury brands. There is also Bigdropnyc.com, a New York chain that now has a "Shop by Look" tool that allows their customers to buy stylist selected outfits. This is a great tool for those people like myself at times, who have trouble putting outfits together. Another way for more people to shop online is how Net-a-Porter is now offering same day delivery to some neighborhoods in New York.
Online Retailer:
Bargains are the way to anyone's heart. Bluefly.com has remained a popular place to receive deals. However, they did start out selling discounted fashions that were a season or two behind retailers but they have recently been trying to post items that are closer to when they are in stores. This is a site that may be hard to find that must-have item you're looking for but would be a great place to buy jeans,which never go out of style. They sell a pair of jeans for roughly $77 while Revolve lists them for about $150. This is just an easy way to get people to shop your online store over your competitors.
Department Stores:
Department stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus have designed way for people to see how a brand new jacket would work well with three different outfits. They call it ways to wear or even mix and matching ensembles. Customers are able to play dress up on Neiman's site while switching out earring, purses, or blouses as much as they please and hopefully buying the entire ensemble at the end. This is something I love to do because not only do I get to see what the entire outfit looks like but I also get to see what other pieces it will work well with. Almost every brick and mortar store has an online store for their customers to conveniently shop at.
Websites have offered fitting tools for as long as I can remember just to ensure that there is no disappointment when the item is received. Now these tiny boutiques are offering a way for customers to choose these costly fashions without having to try them on. Online stores are now offering "Dressing rooms", which show clothing pieces on a variety of different body types. This is to ensure that when you make a purchase that your pieces will fit and look great on. Another important aspect that online boutiques are taking another step further is that the pictures that showcase their clothes on the site are well lit as well as detailed. These are the stores that are getting it right.