Tips For Successful Online Shopping!

Hey everyone! Sorry I was MIA on Wednesday. I was writing this post but feeling too rushed to do it justice so I took my time and did it right. Enjoy!

So, I’ve been doing a lot of online shopping this fall and have noticed some cheats I use to see if the item will actually fit and look good on my apple shape. If you are just getting started on discovering your style again I do not recommend online shopping. It’s too discouraging to order 5 things and then send all 5 back. But, once you start figuring out the brands that fit you and start recognizing the cuts and fabrics that work for your shape, you will have more success, not 100%, but I’d say 50%. I’ll take those odds!

First, and funnest, is look for items that look terrible on the model! Yes, I said it! If you have an apple shape like me then we have the opposite shape of the model and if it doesn’t look good on her then the chances are better that it will look good on you. Case in point:apple shape shopping tips! | www.whenthegirlsrule.comCompare that suede jacket to how it looks on this full-figured woman:apple shape shopping tips! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com This is a fun way to start! You can see more items like this here, here, here and here. (I could go on and on!) It’s also helpful if it looks like the model is saying “Ew” too! 🙂

Read the reviews. If people comment that the fit is weird or boxy or just off, then that is your clue! I am not kidding! http://shopstyle.it/l/j9vaThis coat, besides looking bulky on the model had really bad reviews. But, it fits me perfectly!A Cute Coat for an Apple Shaped Woman! - www.whenthegirlsrule.com

Look at the fabric content. You always hear me say a top needs to “skim not cling”. Rayon doesn’t cling. A heavier knit doesn’t cling. Heavier silk doesn’t cling. Magnify the fabric if possible to determine how it will hang on your body. If it looks like it’s hanging straight down off the flat-chested model then usually it means it has some weight and will skim not cling.

A fine knit usually is too clingy apple shape sweaterand a large knit is usually too bulkytoo bulky for curvy women

so look for a medium knit with some weight to it. whenthegirlsrule.comBest way to determine that is to look at the hem. You can usually gage if it’s heavier and will behave online tips www.whenthegirlsrule.com

or light and rippling by the hem.whenthegirlsrule.com

Look for fabric content that has stretch. We usually need an item to stretch somewhere so that means it has spandex, nylon or polyester mixed in so it will give you that stretch. Rayon/spandex mix is my favorite or cotton knit/spandex.

If it looks swishy on the model it will probably billow out when it’s on a curvier woman (especially if it’s 100% polyester).online tips www.whenthegirlsrule.com

As opposed to just looking loose.

online tips www.whenthegirlsrule.com

If you start to get starry-eyed and forget that it will not look the same way on you as it does on the model do this: Draw, with your finger, two big boobs on the model on your screen. Yes, you’re going to have to make them lower too.

This will remind you to put the item in context. If you don’t have a big bust then you could draw a big stomach, but either way it snaps you back into reality so you can look at the item better. The top shirt doesn’t pass the boob test because the sewn in wrap style will be pulled sideways too much by your bust and then pull the hem up too high and start showing tummy. The bottom sweater will work because it will stretch sideways and up but looks like it has enough fabric either way.

whenthegirlsrule.com

Also, look to see if the item has extra fabric at the armpit. That means there will be more room for a bigger bust. whenthegirlsrule.com

And lastly, don’t purchase online on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Most stores have their sales on the weekends (25% off, free-shipping, $50 off of $150, etc…) which they usually start on Thursday and go to Sunday though they often extend to Monday.

Ok, I hope that helps and remember when you’re at home trying on your items and standing in front of the mirror, say to yourself “It’s not me. It’s the clothes.” when something doesn’t work. Good luck!

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28 Comments

  1. OMG—you crack me up, Julia!! I would never think to draw boobs on the model like you did.
    But these are some fabulous tips. Although I know it’s hard for some people to visualize these things. That’s why they need a couple of different models for the same items. I bet it would help to sell more because then women could visualize it better…
    OXOX
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

  2. omg – this post made me laugh out loud! but SO honest and true…a dear friend of mine worked as a personal stylist at Nordstrom’s and one of her mottos was “bulk + bulk = bulk”…and hence, if i’m trying to look and feel my best, i walk away from the bulky sweaters…do i own a few? YES – but i know they’re not my BEST look for my “girls” and sometimes, that’s o.k.

  3. Ohmygod I’m hysterical over the “boobs drawn in” pictures! It’s brilliant…but hysterical! And they look exactly LIKE mine! ha ha ha ha ha – Thanks for making my afternoon!

    Other tips also good, but boob drawings are the best!

  4. Love the tips especially the boobs drawings. I have saved photos and stretched them but that’s not as fun as the drawings:)

  5. Let me second your recommendation to read the reviews when you think about buying things online. Doing that has saved me more than once!

    Some of the online retailers have begun putting actual dimensions of their items in the “product information” section — they’ll give you the diameter of the sleeves or the legs in addition to the length of the skirt, etc. Sometimes you really have to pay attention to the details to avoid paying return postage.

    A few of the online clothing companies have also (finally) begun using larger models so we can actually see how things hang on someone with Girls. Now, when they start showing things on women with Thighs…

  6. Great tips, Julia! Online shopping is such a crapshoot, but there are a few things that we can do to even the odds! Great post.

  7. Fantastic tips! One more is to see if it looks like you can shorten the sleeves or hem or take up the straps. Anything with a fancy cuff or border at the hem will probably be a pain to alter. And be wary of deep v-necks -they end up way too low on my short body. We don’t have many petite/short brands available here so this is a constant problem for me.

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