Shopping by Outfit

[ASTalumna06]

Can anyone recommend a good site where you can shop for entire outfits?

I'm always pinning tons of great things on Pinterest, but I can never seem to find similar pieces when looking at websites or shopping in stores. And then if I do find something similar, I can't tell exactly how it will look. I'm really great at identifying what I want, but once I get in a store, I have no clue what I'm doing. Buying piece by piece and putting together an entire outfit is not my cup of tea.

Any recommendations? Just some examples of the types of outfits I'm looking for (both casual and for work):

[IndianaSigKap]

I am the personal stylist and shopper of my group of friends, if you have one of those friends, ask her to go shopping with you. I do that with a couple of my friends. I put together outfits with the different pieces and then we photograph them so they have a reference point.

Another thing you can do is to print out these outfits and make an appointment with the personal shopper at a department store. Nordstrom is perfect if there is one near you. The personal shoppers at most department stores are free to use, but make sure you check first. I know that a friend used to do it here in my area was paid hourly but made commission from the appointment sales.

It looks like you have pretty classic tastes. You might be able to find outfits like these at J.Crew, Club Monaco, etc. Once you buy some classic pieces photograph them on your smart phone, then show them to the sales associate in stores. Most of them will be able to help you better if they have a sense of your style and what you already have in your closet.

[DrPhil]

I love your style.

[Smile_Awhile]

I'm following this thread- I've just moved into a work position that requires me to deal with more people outside my organization, and I know my work wardrobe is severely lacking! Plus, my style is super similar to yours, ASTAlumna06.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

I am the personal stylist and shopper of my group of friends, if you have one of those friends, ask her to go shopping with you. I do that with a couple of my friends. I put together outfits with the different pieces and then we photograph them so they have a reference point.

Another thing you can do is to print out these outfits and make an appointment with the personal shopper at a department store. Nordstrom is perfect if there is one near you. The personal shoppers at most department stores are free to use, but make sure you check first. I know that a friend used to do it here in my area was paid hourly but made commission from the appointment sales.

It looks like you have pretty classic tastes. You might be able to find outfits like these at J.Crew, Club Monaco, etc. Once you buy some classic pieces photograph them on your smart phone, then show them to the sales associate in stores. Most of them will be able to help you better if they have a sense of your style and what you already have in your closet.

Thanks for the suggestion! I usually like shopping by myself when in-store, but if it comes down to it, I could go to a personal shopper. Although, I definitely prefer to do most of my shopping online. I'm not a huge fan of malls and shopping in general, so once I figure out my size for a certain store/brand, I tend to only buy online.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I love your style.

Thanks!

[andthen]

I like White House Black Market, I know the some of their stores near me are outside of malls. The sales people are pretty helpful in knowing what pieces to pull together. Banana Republic is another one of my main go to's when it comes to finding some great pieces for work or just for causal wear. Also Pendleton-usa.com their stuff is pretty classic (some of their stuff is a bit ugly) but I have gotten several great staple pieces from there. White blouses, I got this awesome black and white herringbone patterned cape. Although I tend to stick to the sale section of the website as their regular prices are a bit steep for me.

[WhiteRose1912]

Since you like shopping online, have you had any luck on Polyvore? The individual pieces are linked back to their source websites for purchase.

[AZTheta]

Looking at the photos, I identified some common pieces: great fitting shirts/tops that are classic, ditto for blazers. Strong statement accessories like belts, jewelry (necklaces and bracelets). You have good taste and a strong sense of style. That's half the battle. Study the photos and pick out what you really love. That's the starting point. Make a list.

Like you, I hate shopping. I struggled for a long time with the frustration of knowing what I like and not finding it in stores, and still do at times (easily overwhelmed with all the choices). Start out with ONE great piece. Find that blazer, for example. Then find a great shirt, and you're on your way. Build from there. That's what worked for me.

Oh, and shop when you don't need something for an event or occasion. That way you avoid the pressure of "I have to find something" and get stuck with something you really don't love.

Personal shoppers are terrific and I definitely agree with using one until you get really comfortable with the whole shopping ordeal. I can now walk into a store, spend about five minutes, and know immediately if I'm going to be buying or moving on.

[maconmagnolia]

For your style (which I love, by the way), I would check out White House Black Market, Ann Taylor, and Express. Maybe Francesca's for some statement jewelry - while they tend to market towards college aged women (I'm not sure how old you are, so this might be young for you?), they have some great statement jewelry. My mom buys a lot of her jewelry there.

[OneHeartOneWay]

Even if the stores you like don't have a personal shopper "program," they generally are not going to turn their nose at a potential repeat buyer. When I was the manager of The Limited here locally, we had a woman who sounds exactly like you. She absolutely hated to shop, but did have a strong fashion sense. She would give us a call about a week before she would come in, give us her budget, and have us pull outfits for her. She would usually come in once a season, so 3-4 times a year, and spend anywhere between $300-$500 each time. So, we're not talking a HUGE spender, but a consistent customer. We knew her size and her style, and we would build several coordinating outfits for her, and like said above, we would take pictures of them for her so she could remember how to mix and match the different pieces. She would come in, we would have everything already laid out for her in the large fitting room, she would spend about an hour trying it all on, having us show her how to tie the bows just right, etc. It was actually a lot of fun for us, too, because we liked building the outfits!

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by WhiteRose1912

Since you like shopping online, have you had any luck on Polyvore? The individual pieces are linked back to their source websites for purchase.

I like Polyvore for ideas, but it can be a challenge buying from there. So many times I've loved an outfit, but then I find that a couple pieces are reasonably priced while a couple others are through the roof expensive.

Originally Posted by AZTheta

Looking at the photos, I identified some common pieces: great fitting shirts/tops that are classic, ditto for blazers. Strong statement accessories like belts, jewelry (necklaces and bracelets). You have good taste and a strong sense of style. That's half the battle. Study the photos and pick out what you really love. That's the starting point. Make a list.

Like you, I hate shopping. I struggled for a long time with the frustration of knowing what I like and not finding it in stores, and still do at times (easily overwhelmed with all the choices). Start out with ONE great piece. Find that blazer, for example. Then find a great shirt, and you're on your way. Build from there. That's what worked for me.

This is still so hard for me to do. I've bought a couple nice blazers, but I end up getting "boring" colors (blue or black) because I don't know how to put anything else together. These colors are basic and can go with most anything, so I end up defaulting to that. And while I can look at pictures and think something looks great, if I don't have that exact shirt available while buying the blazer (or whatever item), then I buy the boring clothes and know that I can match them with what I already have at home... or I just give up altogether. I'm hopeless. Lol

The same thing applies for jewelry. I've bought "statement pieces" before, but I seem to buy all the wrong ones. And a lot of necklaces I see online look great with a particular outfit, but I'd never be inclined to just buy the piece by itself.

If I don't see the big picture all put together, I'm lost.

Originally Posted by OneHeartOneWay

Even if the stores you like don't have a personal shopper "program," they generally are not going to turn their nose at a potential repeat buyer. When I was the manager of The Limited here locally, we had a woman who sounds exactly like you. She absolutely hated to shop, but did have a strong fashion sense. She would give us a call about a week before she would come in, give us her budget, and have us pull outfits for her. She would usually come in once a season, so 3-4 times a year, and spend anywhere between $300-$500 each time. So, we're not talking a HUGE spender, but a consistent customer. We knew her size and her style, and we would build several coordinating outfits for her, and like said above, we would take pictures of them for her so she could remember how to mix and match the different pieces. She would come in, we would have everything already laid out for her in the large fitting room, she would spend about an hour trying it all on, having us show her how to tie the bows just right, etc. It was actually a lot of fun for us, too, because we liked building the outfits!

Um... this sounds amazing! The idea of never having to actually shop is a dream come true for me! Haha.

[OPhiAGinger]

Like you, I would much rather shop online than in a brick-and-morter store. Unfortunately, that limits you to brands that you already know because you are confident in their sizing, fit, and quality. After a while, though, you can really get stuck in a rut.

A few years ago I took the plunge and made an appointment with the personal shopper at a nearby Macy's. At our first meeting she asked what my favorite brands were for work, casual, special occasion, etc. She asked about my lifestyle, which gave me a chance to really emphasize that my clothes have to be pretty hardy -- no delicate hand washables will stand a chance in my house! She took some measurements (the worst part by far) and started pulling outfits for me all over the store. I just stayed in the personal shopper's private dressing room and tried things on for an hour. It was like shopping with your mother when you were a kid, if your mother had a current fashion sense and knows every inch of a big department store. Half of what she brought me to try on was from the sale rack. She even arranged to have my pants hemmed by the in-store tailor. It was the easiest and most productive shopping trip of my life.

A year later when OPA's convention was in our city, I invited that personal shopper to lead a "What Not To Wear" workshop. I recruited local alumnae with four different body types (hourglass, apple, pear, and straight) to meet with her ahead of time and have her pick a trendy outfit that didn't flatter them, as well as one that did. Then during the convention workshops, they modeled both outfits while she described what worked for that body type and what didn't. The message was: don't buy things just because they are the current trend, especially if they don't flatter you. The best part was that the "don't wear this" outfit for the pear body shape was the exact same outfit the straight body shape was advised to wear. The fluffy skirt added visual inches to the hips, which just emphasized the pear shape but which added pleasing curves to the straight body shape. It was a HUGE hit with the delegates! And she was a sweetheart to help us with it: picking out the outfits and accessories, transporting them over to the convention hotel, then providing the commentary while the volunteer models strutted around.