Avoid getting fashion finessed

Over the last few years, the trends for online shopping are becoming almost impossible for anyone to avoid. Whether it’s those sponsored ads that pop up on your Instagram feed, of the gorgeous models killing it with their cute as anything outfits, or you need to order something specific and you don’t have the time or want to make an effort to go all the way to the actual store. You’ll however occasionally see that some fashion companies only have a small handful of actual, in person stores; and then the majority of everything else is shown online. In today’s industry it is so simple for advertisements to lure you in and catch your eye because of their photo shop skills, and it’s hard to be able to decipher what is real and what is not. The largest issue we have found with these online stores, results in the motto “You get what you pay for.” Also known as a quality and lower price but for an even worse quality of clothing material. These companies tend to offer the same exact products with the same pictures, even sometimes the same prices.
We’ve all fallen short to at least one of these sites before, so we thought you’d like to know some of our tips- to avoid being finessed from PERSONAL experience.

• How much truth does the company place in the quote “The customer is always right”
  • If you buy something online and it turns out to be not what you wanted, what happens next? Any sort of lengthy return policy with all sorts of rules and regulations, i.e- if you bought it online you cannot use the e-gift card as a credit in store, or vice versa.
  • Do they offer a complimentary shipping label to accommodate you if you wish to return something? If the answer is no, and you have to pay to have it shipped back or endlessly search to find a return facility- personally I would think about carrying my business elsewhere.
  • If their return policy is more than three paragraphs long in explaining what to do if you don’t like the products, it probably is not a legitimate site that offers poor quality items. The more wordy and the more complex it seems, that shows how complicated they intentionally want to make it seem so that you try to avoid returning anything at all costs. No company wants to lose money and any company like that- really just wants to make a mass amount of quick sales by false advertisements.
• Sizing charts have also proved to be a huge issue with online stores.
  • Most of the boutiques that you’ll see online or advertised on your apps, are all based out of international countries. Not to say international shopping is bad (which it isn’t) but in the fashion industry it is a completely different world and you’ll notice that the way things are designed and sized may follow a different set of numbers than what we are used to in the US.
  • If you go to the company’s initial website, they’ll normally have disclaimers that they are an Asian-standard facility, or they are based out of the UK. The size charts over there run at least 2-3 sizes smaller than standard American charts do, so it’s difficult to decipher what size to get UNLESS they have a conversion chart.
  • If you are shopping for swim wear, NEVER buy anything that only allows you to pick one size for the full package, because god forbid you buy a two-piece in a large, and your lower half is a medium- they will not let you ship only half of the order back. Keep in mind that most bathing suits don’t have linings in them either, and no one wants to take the time to bring your newly purchased item to the fabric store, and buy underwire or padded cups.
• If you notice that the same piece of clothing that you are completely in love with is on various sites- research it!!
  • 9 times out of 10, you’ll see the same dress, with the same title, with a similar price, and the same model wearing it and unfortunately that’s a red flag for getting Fashion Finessed.
  • If you google the reviews you’ll notice the same theme of comments that completely deter you away from that site. “Loose threads, beading fell off, not true to size, zipper broke as soon as I tried it on” or you see the reviews from people that are very passionate about deterring you away from the site “DO NOT BUY FROM HERE, SCAM, NEVER SHOPPING HERE AGAIN” and that doesn’t make anyone feel confident or comforted enough to buy online.
  • Look for real people’s reactions! Know how to tell when it’s a fake rating, not as detailed in the comments, or the picture is of a cartoon character with the name Jane012345- or anything that sounds super cliché.
  • Sometimes if you take a few key words from the title of the piece, and search it on a nationally trusted site like Amazon, you can find that same item, with flourishing positive reviews, and even pictures of how the item looked once the customer received it. I can personally attest to this- over the past three weeks I have had my eye on a beautiful dress that was unlike anything I had ever seen before, but of course it was on one of those sites where everyone and their grandmother tells you to “NOT WASTE A CENT ON THEM!” and I was heartbroken. Every site that I found this dress on, had nothing but negative news. I knew it had to exist out there somewhere, so I persevered and went to shoot my shot on Amazon, and sure enough I was able to find what I had been looking for, for almost a month!! It had a 4.8 out of 5 star rating and so many people were able to offer helpful hints when it came to the way the piece fit them. I went through with ordering, it came within two days and I could not have been more pleased. If anything were to happen to it, I knew I was backed by the company’s free return policy- without any hassle, which they made very clear all over the website.
  • Any company that genuinely cares about their reputation and what consumers think about them, no matter what part of the world they’re in- will make a noticeable effort to show it.
    
    

Here’s some online boutiques that are Chikmedia tested and approved!

• Fashion Nova
• LivLuvShop
• Shop Red Dress
• Cup She
• Wholesome Culture

 
These sites have received awesome ratings across the board, and can really be classified as a brilliant place to shop because the offer such an abundance of fashion items that are unlike any other store. When your fashion makes a statement, you make a statement. Check out some of the sites we listed above and let us know if you loved them as much as we do! Rainy days call for shopping, after all.
 “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
(Who doesn’t love a good Dr. Seuss quote once in a while ;) )
 
Xoxo,
Alayna Anderson
Editorial Contributor
Intern & Mini Badass in Training 

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