For Fall/Winter 2010, be sure to include velvet in your wardrobe. Designers from Alexander Wang to Ralph Lauren included velvet in their Fall 2010 fashion line-up and the majority of fashion publications have also agreed on this trend. Velvet will no doubt be adapted in shoes and accessories, but have no doubt about it that the fashion houses are pushing for beautiful velvet dresses, tunics, and blazers.
For those who just don’t consider themselves tech savvy, shopping online for clothes is almost not even an option. This is a shame because not only is shopping online for clothes fairly simple, but also convenient, secure, and extremely price competitive.
The most straight forward case I can present is that of shopping at Border Bookstore versus shopping online at Amazon.com. If you drove down to your local Borders Bookstore, then you would find Figure Drawing for Fashion Design by Elisabetta Drudi for $24.99. Meanwhile, you can visit Amazon.com and order it for $16.49 and a very good chance of not paying any sales tax. Of course, there are certain shipping charges and shipping time that may be inconvenient, but I have always found it cheaper and convenient to go the way of Amazon.com.
In regards to security, this is far form scientific, but I know more people who have had their credit card/wallet stolen or lost while shopping or doing some kind of activity than those who are victims of online credit card fraud. At T.I.L. Darling Clothing Boutique, the credit card information is never seen by us, rather it is passed directly to Paypal, our credit card merchant.
Here are simple tips for shopping for clothes online.
1. Know your measurements. You will need a cloth tape measure and preferably someone to measure you while in your undergarments. For women, you will want to measure your bust, which is the fullest part of your chest. As we already mentioned, this should be done over your bra. Next, measure your natural waist. If you cannot find your natural waist, then stand with your feet slightly apart and bend to the side. Where your waist creases is your natural waist. Finally, measure your hips. Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Do not pull the tape tight.
With this information, you can simply cross reference it to the store’s size chart.
2. Whenever you are going to provide any sensitive information, such as your credit card information or personal information, then make sure you have an “https” in the pages url. The “s” stand for “secure.” If the url simply states “http,” then any information you send is not secure and can be intercepted by thieves.
3. When you are ready to set-up your account or checkout, make sure you know the exact billing address on file with your credit card issuer. One of the top reasons for rejected transactions is because the full address provided by the customer does not match that of what the credit card company has on file.
4. At some point during your checkout, the website will ask for a three digit code on your Visa, Mastercard, or Discover Card. This is the last three digits on the back of your credit card. But, if you are using an American Express card, then you want to provide the four small digits on the front of the card.
5. Take a few minutes to search for available discount codes. Simply search for the store name + coupon in any search engine. For example, if you search for “T.I.L. Darling Coupons,” then you’ll probably find one or two floating out there.
6. Always understand the return policy. Every store has their own return policy. Some may completely disallow returns and only accept exchanges or store credit. Some may require you to return your item within 14 days while Zappos has an unremarkable 365 days. But you can be sure that almost all sites will require you to return your items in the same condition as it was sent to you, otherwise your item may very well be rejected or returned for a huge discount of your purchase price. Additionally, more and more sites are providing free returns and exchanges, such as T.I.l. Darling, but not all sites have adapted this practice.
7. Always look at the total price when comparing between two sites. For example, you may find a dress at Lulus for $55, while we may be selling the same exact dress for $59. Of course, once you checkout, then you’ll see that Lulus has a shipping charge of $7, while we have free shipping on orders over $50. Additionally, currently, you do not have to pay sales tax on items shipped from outside your shipping destination’s state. So, if your purchase from T.I.L. Darling from outside of CA, you are essentially already receiving a 4%-10% discount depending on your state of residence.
8. If you are still worried about security, then purchase from a business accredited by the Better Business Bureau. T.I.L. Darling is accredited with the BBB and has therefore agreed to abide by their arbitration procedure if a customer complaint arises. Fortunately, we never have had a complaint filed with the BBB and our report card is currently an A-. We are not at a full A because we’re simply just a young business.
9. If you are looking for a specific item, such as an Esley Halter Dress, then use Google’s shopping results to help you narrow down the best deal. Simply search from “Esley Halter Dress” in the google search engine and there should be some kind of link that says “Shopping results for esley dress.” From there, you can sort and filter your results to hopefully find exactly what you are looking for.
10. Carefully read the checkout confirmation before processing your order. Through files known as “cookies,” sites are able to remember what you add to your shopping cart on previous visits. For example, if you add an item on Monday and return the following day, then the website will keep that item in your virtual shopping cart. Of course, you would not expect this and once again add it to your shopping cart a second time. If you do not look carefully at your shopping cart or your checkout confirmation, then there is a good chance you’re going to purchase two of the same item.
11. When you submit your order, do not press the “submit” button twice. Otherwise, more likely than not, you will be charged twice. Depending on your internet connection and the website server, it is possible a transaction could take up to one or two minutes to process. In many cases, it should only take a matter of seconds, but it is not always the case. We get plenty of duplicate transactions because the customer hit the “submit” button two or even three times.
With these simple tips, you should not only be able to have a safe experience shopping online, but also save a great deal of money.
Radar Bros. – Horses Warriors
Wild Moccasins – Fruit Tea
Oh Mercy – Get You Back
Forest City Lovers – If I Were a Tree
Darren Hanlon – Electric Skeleton
Vadoinmessico – In Spain
The Pharmacy – Coldest Morning Light
Amazing Baby – Headdress
Jay Jay Pistolet – Happy Birthday You
AIR – Playground Love
Midlake – Some of Them Were Superstitious
Harlem Shakes – Strictly Game
Nickel Creek – Helena
Black Gold – Detroit
A Classic Education – Stay, Son
Elton John – Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to be a Long Long Time)
Midlake – Kingfish Pies
Jukebox the Ghost – Hold It In
The Beatles – A Day In The Life
Little Brazil – Brighton Beach
Chase Pagan – The Lonely Life
The Botticellis – Old Home Movies
Steve Goldberg and the Arch Enemies – Things I Used To Know
White Lies – Death
Wild Moccasins – Cake
I’ve had their singles “Hey Boy” and “Summer” in my playlist for months. I haven’t heard the album yet, so I can’t give a yay or nay, but I’m optimistic.
Once and a while, I receive emails from current Fashion Merchandising students, as well as those looking to open their own clothing boutiques, asking me questions. At this point, I pretty much refuse to answer any of those emails. Here is why.
It has nothing to do with competition because I believe in good karma. Rather, on three separate occasions, I wrote extremely lengthy responses to three separate individuals. I took a half and hour to one hour out of my day to provide a detailed response. Each time, I received zero feedback. Not even a one line email just saying thank you. I’m sorry, but that’s just rude!