Clothes -How do you shop?

[mommyatty]

How do you guys like to buy clothes?

After trying multiple services, I’ve started using Trunk Club through Nordstrom and actually really like it. I like that I can preview what they’re sending and say yes or no before it gets to me to try on. I love the boxes they come in and that they send everything including tape to tape the box back. Then they will pick it up or we can drop it at the UPS store. I love that I can tell them not to send anything for a while. I especially love that I have a regular stylist that seems to be consistent, so if I see something I like, I can text a picture and say “I want to try something like this”.

I end up buying 4-5 pieces every other month or every 3 months. I was really overdue for something like this, as my clothes were frankly getting worn looking. I tend to buy good quality staples, so they don’t really go out of style. But you do have to replace stuff you wear a lot.

For weekend clothes, I still do a lot of Amazon.

[sunbutter]

I’m glad you like Trunk Club. I might try it.

I absolutely hate going to a clothing store to shop. I do it maybe 1-2 times a year and it is usually out of desperation because I have a trip the next day or something. In these situations, I go directly to Ann Taylor because that is where I know I will mostly likely find something that works. Jcrew sometimes comes through too.

I shop mostly online. Lots of Boden, some Garnet Hill. Cole Haan and Zappos for shoes.

My wardrobe needs refreshing.

[waverly]

As you all know I mostly hate shopping. Right now my wardrobe is pretty full as I did a big shop last fall and am pretty set for fall and winter clothing. I got a lot from Loft and H&M. I would like some recs on fleece lined leggings. Mine are from Walgreens or something and while it’s like a sweatshirt on my legs I would like something that stays up better and is more comfortable around the waist area. I just sort of saw them and randomly picked them up.

I’ve done Stitch Fix. DH has done Trunk Club. I’ve done the one where you rent clothes like get 3 tops and send them back and get 3 more which was fun. I shop at Target and Kohl’s because they are the only clothing stores in my town, and I am super lazy and don’t want to drive farther for Old Navy and Marshall’s. I’ve bought recommendations from here on Amazon.

For the kids I add in mom to mom sales, Once Upon a Child type stores, but they are aging out of them for the most part.

I basically only shop 2 times a year for the cold and the warm season. I pick up things as needed in between like swimsuits for a vacation type thing or dance/ sports stuff, but I’m not clothing shopping weekly or even monthly.

[notsopicky]

I shop for clothes online ONLY. I buy shirts/sweaters at Loft/Ann Taylor, pants at NY&Co, shoes & boots at Naturalizer, bags at Coach or Kate Spade, underwear at Jockey, socks at Target, camis at Express, dresses at Macy's, swimsuits at Lands End. I'm pretty sure that's all of my clothes, lol. Oh, and PJs are cut-off yoga pants from NY&Co and a tank from Old Navy. I have boxes coming in (purchases) and boxes going out (returns) all the time. I know my sizes exactly from these places, so shopping is easy this way.

I have a hard time with coats. I am very broad shouldered, and carry my weight in my mid-section, so coats are either too tight in the shoulder and won't close, or I have to buy men's coats, and I'm really tired of doing that. Perhaps I could get a custom-made coat.

I would love to branch out, but I'm so wary of the "Stitch-Fix"es of the world--my legs are so long that pants never fit right, and the whole shoulder/heavy mid-section thing means that tops usually don't fit right either. Ergo, the menu of sorts listed above--I have found that those are the only brands that really work for me, my body type, my lifestyle, so I'm not actively searching for new ideas for purchasing clothes. Most of my clothes are highly interchangeable with each other, so I always feel like I can put "new" outfits together. It's taken me a long time to get comfortable with my clothes, b/c I've never liked the way I look.

[larzhope]

i've done stitch fix and just got my first trunk club last week. I think I've converted. I loved all the things mommyatty mentioned.

[sandandsea]

I got stitch fix for Christmas in 2017 and have kept it since. I was invited for a promo for a year long fixes for $75 or something like that and it’s been good. I’ve generally kept something every month and use it purely for work clothes. I use amazon for weekend stuff.

[sdlaura]

I like shopping in person. Favorites are Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Loft and Loft outlet, H&M, Old Navy. I do most of my shopping when I have time to kill on work trips. I have trouble with online/subscription because I’m petite (5’3” on a good day) and not skinny and I’m pretty picky.

[ilovelucyvv]

Occasionally i get time to myself to go to the mall and i buy tons of stuff... mostly Loft. Other than that it’s mostly Amazon or Target.

[skidunks]

I get most of my clothes from Target, Costco and Amazon. Sometimes if I’m in the mood to actually “go shopping” I’ll go to TJ Maxx, Marshall’s or Nordstrom Rack. I try to stay as far away from the actual mall as possible.

[edwardo123]

I just finished a year of Stitch Fix. I generally kept most of it, but it's not really in the budget long term. I order on-line from Old Navy/Gap/Target/Kohls/Amazon for the kids and my casual clothes. If I like something for myself, I order multiple colors. I hate shopping and avoid it. I spend a lot in the fall and spring, and fill in as needed.

My husband shops for himself when his clothes rip or look threadbare. He's an adult, so he can do his own shopping. His mom and my mom were shocked that I don't buy him clothes, when they've noticed a hole in his socks. Last time I checked, we both work and are capable adults,

[sdlaura]

edwardo123, we categorize shopping like other household chores - usually the person who minds it least does it. DH doesn’t expect me to shop for him, but since I kind of like shopping and he doesn’t, I usually shop for him. I think work location matters too - he commutes into downtown, while I work next to an outlet mall. Socks and boxers and that sort of thing fall into online ordering and he does that.

[edwardo123]

Sept 15, 2019 15:31:18 GMT -5 sdlaura said:

edwardo123, we categorize shopping like other household chores - usually the person who minds it least does it. DH doesn’t expect me to shop for him, but since I kind of like shopping and he doesn’t, I usually shop for him. I think work location matters too - he commutes into downtown, while I work next to an outlet mall. Socks and boxers and that sort of thing fall into online ordering and he does that.

I guess I was more annoyed with them blaming me that a 43 year old man had holes in his socks. We also divide and conquer chores. Our mothers both stayed at home and did everything and still do in retirement.

[waverly]

DH likes to shop more than I do and handles all his stuff. I get annoyed too when people blame me for stuff.

For example our RSVP for a wedding. We were not sent an invitation or RSVP card because it was close family of DH’s. DH told them we were going over the phone or in person. They still emailed me later to see if we were attending and chided me saying I didn’t RSVP.

[edwardo123]

Same, it also has been brought up when my husband forgets a birthday on his side of the family.

[mrsGreeko]

Well today I took my teen to H&am to buy some jeans and sweaters and I also picked up some pants and a shirt for the youngest and I looked at clothes for me and decided they’d all look silly on me and didn’t buy myself anything. So that’s how I usually shop. 😂

I ordered new shoes for work the other day, but they are just the same shoes I already had since my old ones had a massive hole in them. I prefer to just buy the same basics repeatedly. Preferably online. Generally from kohl’s, target, old navy, and the like. I have very few clothes at the moment because I can never find anything anymore.

[sdlaura]

edwardo123 and waverly, my favorite advice columnist Carolyn Hax always calls people out for that stuff. Like in this column:

www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/caroly-hax-now-this-goldilocks-guest-is-looking-at-hotel-porridge-and-beds/2019/09/11/dd59f0ba-d0ed-11e9-8c1c-7c8ee785b855_story.html

[covergirl82]

I generally shop online (a lot of Loft for me, a lot of Old Navy for the kids) because I just don't have time to shop in person. In a perfect world, I'd shop in person because I'd prefer to try my clothes on (I cannot wear boxy tops - I am short with a short torso and enough hips where that style looks terrible on me) and I like to feel the fabrics so I know it's something me/the kids would like. Occasionally I will go shopping by myself or with the family, and then we might go to a few different stores.

I have a few boutiques in my town, and I've done more shopping there recently, since I can actually make it into the stores and try things on.

[madringal]

For weekend clothes I do most of my shopping online, but for work clothes I tend to shop in person. I really, really need to invest in some new clothes - but never have the time to really go shop. My younger sister has the best work wardrobe, very colorful and well curated - she does lots of Anthro, Boden, Nordstrom. She also travels to Paris once a year and always comes back with amazing stuff. I need to just have her start picking up one in my size of everything she gets, lol!

[twinmomma]

Um, how do I not shop? lol I love shopping. I'm one who loves to wander a store and poke through racks to find new clothes. Since I'm such a clothes horse, I end up sticking to things like TJMaxx or Target or cheaper stores. I also love wandering the outlets. I am a quantity/trendy over quality shopper.

[k3am]

Weekend/casual shopping is 100% online.

Work shopping lately has been popping into Loft on my way home for work (conveniently located near daycare) and doing power sessions of trying stuff on before picking up DS.

I'm getting to the point where I'm going to hire a consultant again. I did it years ago.. she did a closet audit and we ended up donating a majority of my stuff because it didn't fit properly and/or had sat in my closet with tags on and never been worn. She preshopped the mall for me, and it when I showed up, it was just try on and reject or buy. I've also had her pull selections and bring them to the house, but I actually preferred mall shopping. It was expensive, but I loved everything I bought with her. Even DH thought the money was well spent.

I did Stitch Fix for a year or so. I ended up keeping an item from every box just to not lose the styling fee. Of all the items I got from them most of it went unworn. Never again.

[supertrooper1]

I shop mostly online, occasionally at a local outlet mall.

I LOVE Trunk Club. I think I've had 4 trunks now and have kept the majority of it. I did Stich Fix a couple of times and found that I didn't like what they sent me and what I did keep was cheaply made and only lasted for a few wears. If I get a brand that I like through the Trunk Club, I know I can go onto Nordstrom's site and order more. I'm horrible at shoe shopping and my stylist has been great picking out shoes for me.

I will often buy way more online than I need. I try it on at home and return what I don't like, doesn't fit, don't want. This gives me time to try it on at home at my leisure. I hate shopping at stores and not being able to find my size.

[k3am]

Random question.. Years and years ago, when online shopping was just starting to really become a thing, I looked at a startup company as a prospect for work. You basic input all your measurements (the standard ones, plus other ones that don't come up so frequently) and it basically sources across multiple brands to recommend a good size fit for you.

They didn't have a great selection at the time, but does anyone know if there's something out there now that does this? I'd imagine that if they're still around, they'd have come along way. We didn't do the deal and I can't remember the company name for the life of me.

[sdlaura]

k3am, I think I'd still be skeptical because I feel like even within the same store/brand, sizing isn't consistent.

[k3am]

sdlaura, during my diligence, they qualified by piece, not store. So they may say that in Brand XYZ for style 756, you're an M, and for style 888 you're an XL. If I recall correctly, they did it by your largest measurement, so if you had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, it would go by shoulder size, as well as giving you fit guidelines ("we chose a large because ___, your normal size ___ would likely be too ___" type qualification).

It actually was really well thought out, but I couldn't really see how the business could scale based on how wonky clothing measurements are.

[sdlaura]

k3am that does sound like it could be helpful!

[186momx]

I need to go shopping so this is timely. I've had no luck online shopping so am stuck shopping in store. The new trends don't agree with my body type or skin tone so I feel like everything I look at is horrible looking. Normally I find things at Fred Meyer, JCP, Costco, and weekend stuff either at Wal-Mart or Ross. My office is very business casual so slacks and a nice top is all I need. I have lots of slacks but I need new tops as I've had to retire lots. DH thinks I should walk around looking like a giant flower arrangement because that is what is in GAG!

[twinmomma]

k3am, I know I've seen a plug in on some retail sites that lets you choose your size in other brands so you can figure out what you need on that site... But I can't for the life of me remember the name of it.

[phdmomma]

k3am, twinmomma, Nordstrom Rack lets you do that on their website.