We haven’t had a discussion on our favorite stores for online shopping since 2015… so let’s get into it!

I do a lot of online shopping. I got in the habit when I was working such long hours at the law firm that — aside from local lunch-hour trips — it was just easier to buy everything online because I wasn’t available when most stores were open.

I’ve kept the habit now that I have kids, particularly for baby items — we once ran around to six baby stores looking for a nursing thing we needed when I had my first child, and later found it was available on Amazon (with the one-day shipping option, too).

SO: I shop a lot, online. But it’s interesting to me that almost all of my shopping is done at only a few retailers…

(Note that we’ve talked about the 7 retailers with the best return policies — as well as best practices for returning items bought online. This is a super old post, but I still stand by these tips on how to know if an online deal is worth it.)

(The doormat pictured above is under $40 at Amazon!)

Reader-Favorite Stores for Online Shopping for Work Clothes

Based on affiliate data, at least, readers love shopping at Nordstrom, Amazon, Ann Taylor, J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, M.M.LaFleur, and Zappos.

Readers had a threadjack recently when someone asked, “If you could only shop at 5 retailers for clothes, what would they be?” A lot of the answers included my favorite stores for online shopping (Nordstrom, Amazon, Old Navy), but there were a few others that appeared over and over. Those included Madewell, Reformation, Anthropologie, Abercrombie, Sezane, J.Crew Factory, and Target, as well as exercise stores like Vuori and Beyond Yoga.

{related: what to buy for work at Ann Taylor}

My Favorite Stores for Online Shopping (And Why)

I heavily prefer to shop from these stores, in large part because I know what to expect if there are any returns — I know the return window as well as how I can package the returns or if I can drop them off in person. I’ve also never had a bad shopping experience with them…

Amazon

We pay for Prime Membership — and my preferred credit card is my Amazon Visa, which nets me triple points at Amazon — so it’s hard to beat. Free two-day shipping, a 30-day return policy (with easy returns that are often free), a wide selection, and Subscribe & Save discounts for many household things (that sometimes beat even Costco prices).

Nordstrom

TBH, when I started this blog I barely shopped at Nordstrom. I hate the way the physical stores are laid out, I disliked the products that seemed to be in my price range, and so on.

When I noticed that Corporette readers went nuts for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and the Half-Yearly Sale, with lots of eager talk of points, customer service, and more, I started looking into it.

Nowadays it feels like Nordstrom is the department store to beat, online. Their website is easy to use and has a great “recommendation” engine, as well as filters that actually work; and they offer fast, free shipping, free returns that get credited back pretty quickly, a wide selection of products, a price-matching policy, and a very generous return policy.

I like that if you spend enough using your Nordstrom Card, you get gift certificates (Nordstrom Notes) that are basically like cash back.

Zappos

Fast, free shipping; a great return policy (365 days), and a price-matching policy. Sign me up.

Gap / Old Navy / BR

I often buy stuff for my children at Old Navy and Gap, and with the combined shopping cart and free shipping with $50+, it’s easy to add a few things for my husband and myself as well. The frequency of the sales never hurts, either.

Ann Taylor

I usually stock up during their “60% off the sale” sales (which I also try to post about here if there’s good stuff).

Sephora

Every so often I’ll buy from Sephora if I’m on the hunt for something (love that return policy!), or the crazy Dillard’s New Year’s sale, or even (gasp) very occasionally at an actual brand store, like a recent purchase I made at Clinique.com. 

But: My Favorite Stores for Gift Cards & Gifts

I thought I’d mention this because gift and gift card season is upon us: I tend to shop at very different stores when I’m buying a gift for someone. For example, my kids’ teachers almost all get Target gift cards because I figure everyone needs something at Target, whether it’s fun or practical. If we’re getting a gift for a kid party, I also try to get something from Target so that it’s easy for the parents to return and exchange for something else.

We get a lot of cash gift cards from my husband’s clients, and I try to use all of those at a grocery store wherever possible because I never make returns there! (Also, in general, it’s pretty difficult to use cash gift cards online.)

Retailers I Avoid

On the flip side, some retailers I avoid like the plague: One department store that annoyingly keeps emptying my cart when I get to checkout, another department store that used to have decent deals in person in the store but lately seems to only have cheap yuck at high prices online (plus a high minimum to get free shipping)… With some of the big-box stores like Target and Kohl’s, I just hate the online experience.

Reasons I’ll Shop at a New-to-Me Online Store

A much better deal that can’t/won’t be price-matched. The price of shipping and the speed of shipping are things that I factor in to the purchasing decision, though, as well as the return policy.

Buying several items from one brand. For example, I knew I wanted a bunch of Clinique products recently, and I didn’t care about a return policy because I’d used all of the products before. I went on the hunt for a “gift with purchase” deal from a major department store, and eventually found that Clinique offered one of the best deals: free shipping with $50 (which I planned to spend anyway), and the deal at the time was five minis/samples of other products, which I liked.

A product that can’t be found elsewhere. Sometimes it seems like almost everything can be found at my preferred retailers — but sometimes it can’t. I recently bought a great All Saints summer dress from (gasp) All Saints; I recently bought a bunch of stuff online at Anthropologie (and returned a lot of it) because they had a good sale and a selection of stuff I couldn’t easily find elsewhere.

A local store to which I plan to return items. I usually find it’s easier to box up what I don’t want and send it back via the post office — and all of my preferred retailers offer free return shipping, so that’s usually not an issue. But very occasionally it’s just easier to run into a local store, run to the closest counter, and return things.

An item that seems like a lot of fuss to ship. For example, dumbbells and other exercise equipment. Ceramic pots. A tension rod for hanging curtains.

A previous online shopping experience. If I already have an account set up, and had an OK shopping experience the first time, then I’m more inclined to pull the trigger on a purchase (assuming the other things are met). Neiman Marcus, J.Crew, The Outnet — none are in my regular wheelhouse but if I see a good deal I’m pretty quick to purchase because it’s jut a few clicks.

A store that takes Apple Pay. If I see an “Apple Pay” option at a store where I don’t have an account and don’t really plan to create one, it’s a very, very easy purchase for me. I like that I don’t have to pull out my credit card, that I don’t have to give them my phone number, and that you can choose to have your iPhone provide an anonymized email address. On the flip side, if the only option is PayPal or credit card I may get annoyed, depending on circumstances.

I’m curious — which are your favorite stores for internet shopping? How much of your life is purchased online? What factors make you deviate from your preferred retailers? Are there some stores where you absolutely prefer the in-store shopping experience (for reasons other than the obvious: being able to try a bunch of stuff on before purchasing it)? 

The post What Are Your Favorite Stores for Online Shopping? appeared first on Corporette.com.

The post How to Avoid Fast Fashion for Work Clothes appeared first on Corporette.com.

Imagine this: It’s the day before a big event for work, and you suddenly realize there’s a problem with the outfit you had planned on wearing. So let’s discuss: Where should you shop if you need something ASAP?

(SURE, you can always just head to your local mall — but let’s assume you’re a weird size, or trapped in meetings all day and therefore MUST shop online.)

Where to Shop If You Need Clothing ASAP

Online Clothing Sites that Offer In-Store Pickup

There are a few stores that tell you whether the item is in your local store — you can often even arrange for same-day, curbside pickup. It’s funny, when I started writing this post I would have said Nordstrom and Target were two of the only ones, but there’s actually a huge list of workwear stores that offer in-store pickup.

• Ann Taylor
• Anthropologie
• Banana Republic
• Banana Republic Factory
• Bloomingdale’s (they have a link in the upper-right corner where you can shop things that are in-stock in your store)
• Brooks Brothers
• Cole Haan
• Express
• Gap
• J.Crew
• J.Crew Factory
• Loft
• Macy’s — has a link in the upper-right corner where you can “shop your store”
• Madewell
• Nordstrom
• Soma
• Target (not great for work events whether it’s a suit or dress kind of thing, but STILL)
• Theory
• Uniqlo
• White House Black Market

Note that some stores (cough, Abercrombie) allow you to SHIP to the store, but there’s no guarantee on timing that I can see. Some of the fast fashion sites like H&M sell out of things so quickly that they’re honest they can only give you an estimate of what’s in stock at each store.

Clothing Sites with Fast Shipping

Who among us hasn’t placed an order with Amazon and then been surprised when they’re like, “So is 4 a.m. tomorrow good for you for delivery?” I also always used to think about Zappos as having super fast shipping. But let’s look around…

• Amazon: You can see the items available for “same-day delivery” here.
• Ann Taylor: Next-day business shipping is $25.
• ASOS: They offer express delivery for $8.99 and next-day delivery for $20. (They also offer free, unlimited Express shipping with ASOS Premier at $24.99 a year.)
• Bloomingdale’s: Depending where you are, they may offer same-day or next-day delivery for $20 (via DoorDash).
• J.Crew: Expedited shipping is $15; overnight shipping is $25, and Saturday delivery is $35.
• Madewell: Offers expedited shipping for $15 (free if you’re a Madewell Star or Icon), and overnight shipping for $25.
• NET-A-PORTER: They note that delivery availability varies by item, but they offer same-day service (with a 2-hour delivery window) for $25 — and you can select a nominated date for delivery up to six days in advance, which could be handy if you want to keep your options open while traveling to a wedding or whatnot. Next-business day shipping is also available for $25. Sister site The Outnet also offers next-day shipping for $25.
• Nordstrom: For the NYC area, they offer same-day delivery; otherwise they offer 2-business-day delivery for $12, and next business day for $20. Sister site Nordstrom Rack offers 2-day shipping for $15, and next-day for $25.
• Revolve (and sister site Frwd): Free 2-day shipping is available; they also offer UPS Next Day Saver for $24 and UPS Next Day for $30 (additional items are slightly more, or they max the shipping price at $50).
• Shopbop: They offer free 1-3 day shipping on all orders; guaranteed two-day shipping is $10 and next-day shipping is $25. They also offer guaranteed Saturday delivery for $30.
• Theory: They offer next-day delivery for $25.
• Zappos: With Zappos VIP (free to join) you can generally get 2-day delivery.

This obviously is not an exhaustive list, so what are some of the sites you know of with “same-day pickup” or “next-day delivery” options? Where do you shop if you need clothing ASAP?

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / luna123.

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We haven’t talked explicitly about the best workwear for cusp sizes in far too long — if you’re a size 16 or 18, what are your favorite stores and brands? Given the fact that the average American woman is now a size 16 and 5’4″, this is particularly a difficult question, because with those stats you may fit in regular sizes (e.g., 12, 14, 16, 18), plus sizes (e.g., 10W, 12W, 14W, or 16W), petite regular sizes (e.g., 14P, 16P, 18P) or that rare bird, petite plus sizes (e.g., 12WP, 14WP, or 16WP). This is why women in this size range are called “inbetweeners!”

But a lot of “regular” stores only carry sizes up to size 12, and a lot of “plus” stores only start at 18W. Add to that the fact that most stores carry very few of those sizes on the shelves, and you may be stuck in a never-ending cycle of online shopping and returning stuff, as several readers noted in our post on how to return items bought online.

{related: 100+ great shops for plus-size work clothes}

SO. Let’s discuss, readers: What’s the best workwear if you’re a size 16? If you’re an “average” size and right on the cusp of plus sizes, which brands or stores have you found to be the best for you? What styles of clothes work best for your body type? Which brands run small; which run big?

If you are interested in plus-size workwear, please sign up for our newsletter CorporettePlus! Signing up helps us gauge interest in the project, and we promise not to blast your email more than once a week at most. (Right now it’s more like once a month.) In keeping with our Privacy Policy, we’ll never sell your email address.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

(Psst: we’ve sprinkled some of our favorite plus-size basics throughout this post — note that most also come in sizes 14-16.)

Some of the brands I know of include:

“Regular” Workwear Brands in Sizes 16-18 (aka “Misses” Sizes)

(I realize “regular brands” is a flawed term, but I mean to distinguish a size 16 from a 16W — if anyone has any suggestions for something other than “regular” or “misses” sizes I’ll take it.)

These are the best brands for work clothes offering cusp sizes… Also check out our roundup of the what to buy at Amazon for work outfits — many of those come up to “size 3X” that is more like XXXL than a true plus-size 3X.) We’ve bolded the stores with reliable suiting options.

• Nordstrom (00-18) (Especially check out affordable workwear brands like Vince Camuto, Open Edit, and 1.State, fancier workwear brands Boss, L’Agence, Eileen Fisher, Theory, and Lafayette 148 New York, as well as pants from Kut from the Kloth, Liverpool, Nic & Zoe.)
• Abercrombie & Fitch (XXL in short lengths, and XLP)
• Ann Taylor (00-18)
• Anthropologie (14-18 and XXL)
• Amazon
• Aritzia (XXS-2XL, short and long lengths for pants)
• Banana Republic (0-18)
• Banana Republic Factory (0-20, 0P-18P)
• Boden (2-22)
• Bloomingdale’s (00-18)
• Brooks Brothers (0-16)
• Dressbarn (2-16)
• Express (regular, short and long sizes 0-18)
• J.Crew (000-20)
• J.Crew Factory (00-24)
• Gap (00-20)
• Lands’ End (2-18)
• Loft (00-18)
• L.L. Bean (XS-3X, petite and tall sizes; mostly just winter coats and tops for the office)
• Macy’s (00-20) (particularly check the Anne Klein Executive Collection (0-18, 0P-16P))
• Madewell
• Mango (0-22, XXS-4XL)
• M.M.LaFleur (0-18)
• New York & Company (000-20)
• Nora Gardner (independent workwear brand with sizes 00-16)
• Old Navy (0-20)
• Pendleton (02-18)
• Talbots (2-20)
• Target (00-16)
• Uniqlo (limited options up to XXL)
• White House | Black Market (00-18, regular, short, and long)

Independent Brands With XXL-3X Sizes

It can be hard to make the cross into the “X” sizing, but if you’re looking for something to wear you should consider these stores.

As of January 2023, some of the smaller, independent brands with sizes bigger than a 10/12 include these stores:

• Able Clothing (XXS-3X)
• Aday (XL allegedly fits up to size 18)
• Alex Mill (XXS-XXXL)
• Alice Alexander (XS-4X)
• Amour 781 (size M-5X)
• Argent (up to size 18/2XL)
• Birds of North America (up to 18)
• Bleusalt (limited options up to size 3X)
• Cobalt Street (XS-XXXL)
• Dudley Stephens (XS-XXL)
• Eileen Fisher – PP-PL, 2P-18P, XXS-3X
• Etsy sellers TielDorein, Heart My Closet, MarcellaNYC, VigilanteLabs, and CelesteLilou
• Everlane (limited options in XXL-XXXL)
• Favorite Daughter (XXS-XL, 0-18, 0P-18P)
• Grana (up to size XXL)
• Karen Millen (00-18, 12W-20W, XL-XXXL)
• Kirrin Finch (gender-neutral suits, XS-3XL)
• LaLigne (XS-3X)
• Ministry of Supply (XXS-XXXL)
• Modern Citizen (XS-3X)
• M.M.LaFleur (00-18)
• Nora Gardner
• Of Mercer (limited options XS-2X)
• Paire (pants, some options up to size 18 – formerly Aella)
• Reformation (up to 1X; also plus sizes)
• The Shirt, by Rochelle Behrens (XXS-XXL)
• Saint & Sofia (2-18)
• Scanlan Theodore (some available in size XXL)
• Smart Glamour (XS-15X)
• Sonderlier (up to XXL)
• Summersalt (up to 2X)
• Veronica Beard (00-24)
• Vetta (0-18)
• Wallis Evera (hemp workwear in sizes 0-18)

(Also check the inclusive sizing sections at Shopbop, and at Revolve (XXS-4X).)

Made to Measure Work Clothes

Hunting for the best made-to-measure work clothes? As of March 2023, the best options we know of are Brooks Brothers, Sumissura, Etsy sellers Heart My Closet, VigilanteLabs, and CelesteLilou, as well as smaller brands like Loud Bodies, Sharpe Suiting, IGIGI, and Rita Phil (pencil skirts only), plus eShakti.

Some of our favorite stores that offer free alterations for members include Nordstrom, J.Crew, Banana Republic, and Uniqlo (select styles). If you’re crafty, you may also want to check out our roundup of sewing patterns for workwear outfits.

Petite Workwear in Sizes 14P, 16P, 18P

As of Jan. 2023, this is where you can find petite sizes above a size 12…

• Nordstrom (14P-18P) (especially business casual pants from Liverpool, Wit & Wisdom, Kut from the Kloth)
• Abercrombie & Fitch (XXL in short lengths, and XLP)
• Ann Taylor (14P-16P; also curvy cuts)
• Amazon (14P, 16P)
• Anthropologie (up to 16P/XLP)
• Aritzia (short sizes up to 16P but very limited inventory)
• Banana Republic Factory (00P-18P)
• Bloomingdale’s (0P-18P)
• Betabrand (XL-petite and XXL-petite)
• Dressbarn (14P, 16P only)
• Eileen Fisher – PP-PL, 2P-18P, XXS-3X
• Eloquii
• Express (regular, short and long sizes 0-18, also curvy cuts)
• eShakti (up to 6X/36W/custom; they ask your height on every order)
• Favorite Daughter (0P-18P)
• Girl With Curves / QVC (0XP-5XP)
• Hours (14-28)
• J.Jill (14P-20P)
• Lands’ End  (14P-18P)
• Lane Bryant (12WP-26WP)
• Lafayette 148 New York (up to size 16P)
• L.L. Bean (XS-3X, petite and tall sizes; mostly just winter coats and tops for the office but some pants too)
• Loft (14P-16P; also curvy cuts)
• Madewell (limited options in 16P; also 33P)
• Neiman Marcus (14P-18P)
• New York & Company (14P-18P)
• Nic & Zoe (14P)
• NYDJ (up to 18P)
• Old Navy (0P-20P)
• Rita Phil Custom Fashion (custom skirts)
• Spanx (XSP-3XP)
• Talbots (14P-18P)
• Tapata (Amazon seller with options up to XXLP)
• Ulla Popken (short sizes 12S-38S)
• White House | Black Market (00-18, regular, short, and long, also curvy cuts)

Workwear for Plus-Size Petites (12WP-44WP)

As of January 2023, this is where you can find plus-size petites… spots with suiting options are in bold.

• Alfani (at Macy’s)
• ASOS
• Avenue
• Dillards
• Eloquii
• eShakti (up to 6X/36W/custom)
• J.Jill (14P-20P)
• Lafayette 148 New York (up to size 16P)
• Lands’ End (lots up to 18P, with select options for plus-petite sizes up to 26)
• Lane Bryant (up to 28)
• NYDJ (up to 18P)
• Spanx
• Sumissura (custom)
• Talbots
• Tapata (Amazon seller with options up to XXLP)
• Ulla Popken (short sizes 12S-38S)

{related: the best plus-size women’s workwear – wardrobe essentials!}

Smaller Plus-Sized Work Clothes (10W-16W or 0X)

Plus-size clothes tend to be cut a bit wider than regular clothes — a size 16W will be bigger than a size 16, for example.

{related: 100+ great shops for plus-size work clothes}

As of January 2023, these are the plus-size work clothes that start at relatively “small plus sizes…”

• Nordstrom (12W-28W) (especially check brands Sejour, Vince Camuto, and Tahari)
• 11 Honoré (10-24) (limited workwear)
• ASOS Curve (12W-26W)
• Anna Scholz (12W-28W)
• BAACAL (limited options sizes 10-28)
• Bloomingdale’s (12W-28W)
• Eloquii (14W-28W)
• Forever21 (sizes 12W, 0X)
• Fuller Beauty (12W-44W)
• Gwynnie Bee (rentals 10-16, 18W-24W)
• Igigi (14-36)
• Jibri (0X-3X)
• Macy’s (12W-28W) (especially check brands Calvin Klein, Kasper, Tahari, and Anne Klein)
• Kiyonna (sizes 0X-5X)
• Navabi (14W-32W)
• SimplyBe (6W-28W)
• TJ Maxx (0X-4X)
• Talbots (12W-28W)
• Ulla Popken (12W-38W)
• Universal Standard (00-40W)

Picture via Fotolia / Syda Productions. 

Admin note: This post was originally written in January 2017 but has been updated as indicated above.

Updated stock photo via Deposit Photos / CandyBoxImages.

The post The Best Workwear For Size 16 (and 18, and 16P, and 16WP, and 14W…) appeared first on Corporette.com.

Here’s a fun question for today: What are you stalking in the coming sales — Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Have you scored any amazing deals in the past?

For my $.02, we have some bigger holiday purchases to make that I’m hoping to get on sale — a new cell phone for my husband, a Meta Quest for the kids, a new rug to replace an older one, maybe a new lamp or two for specific spots.

In the past, some of the best deals I’ve scored include a bunch of blogging tools and services (one year I think I saved $1,000), as well as a few household things for the kids. (Especially for bigger toys that are sold a lot of places — know the exact name of the product you want and then use Google Shopping to find the lowest price. One of my friends used to crow about getting $800 off an outdoor playset, but she had to buy it through a really random online store.)

In general my best advice is to think big — furniture, mattresses, technology, etc. — but know what you want going in (and what the going rate is). Even if it’s only a 10% + free shipping deal, that can mean huge savings on furniture or the like.

Something else I’d suggest, especially if there are smaller brands for beauty, art, clothing, or something that you’d like to try, is to get on their newsletter — I pulled the trigger on a bunch of ecoSlay products last year for curls that I probably would not have otherwise because they had good sales. I may have also gotten my Our Place pan during the sales last year, as well as my Brooks Brothers ruana a few years ago.

How about you guys — which sites will you be checking to find the best deals? Are you mostly focused on gifts for others, or purchases for yourself? In the past, where have you scored the best deals?

The post What are You Stalking for Black Friday? appeared first on Corporette.com.

Have you ever watched a television show or movie and thought, WOW, I totally want that outfit? Did you know that there are actually a NUMBER of sites where you can find anything worn in TV shows or movies?

After all, work outfit inspiration can come from anywhere , and why not take it from our favorite characters?

Sites to Find Anything Worn in TV Shows or Movies

Worn on TV

Worn on TV is one of the main ones that I’ve known about and loved for years — their content is pretty thorough, and their picks are spot on.

I like that you can search for fictional shows (including soap operas) as well as reality TV shows, news, and talk shows. Curious what Savannah Guthrie is wearing? Looking for style inspiration from Julie Chen on Big Brother? They’ve got you covered.

Here are some of the latest fashions from Partner Track, something the readers have mentioned as one of their favorite TV shows for workwear inspiration…

Shop Your TV

ShopYourTV.com is another of the greats — they cover a ton of fictional TV shows, reality TV shows, and talk shows. They source their info by taking submissions from readers in their Facebook group, as well as getting information from PR companies.

Just to compare apples to apples, let’s look at their content for Partner Track:

Spotern

Spotern crowdsources “everything appearing in movies, TV series, shows or video clips.” They note that everybody is welcome to contribute on Spotern; you can even earn money by helping them source products. You can ask for a premium account once you’ve sourced 10 items.

This is the Spotern page for the character of Marla Grayson from the movie I Care a Lot; you can see that some products are a perfect match, others are close matches, and still others are “wanted.”

Steal Her Style

StealHerStyle.net tracks down the clothes worn by your favorite female celebrities, primarily in interviews, music videos, and street style. It’s helpful to know which celebrity you’re interested in, and not everything is terribly complete. For example, the Taylor Swift content is really up-to-date, whereas the Mary Kate Olsen content is not only outdated but unhelpful. (Did we really need to know that there’s a boxed hair color that might be similar to hers?)

They sometimes (but not always) do handy pins like this one:

Seek-Shop.com

A hat tip to Vogue for introducing me to Seek-Shop.com, a site that hunts for clothes worn on shows and films.

They do not have a ton of content just yet, and what content they do have is a bit odd — they do have some clothes worn by characters on shows like Gossip Girl, Succession, and Hacks, but a pretty limited selection. They also include collaborations inspired by movies like Dune or TV shows like Bridgerton.

Here’s what the page for clothes from Succession looks like — when you mouse over the product you see a still from the scene where the character wore it.

Honorable Mentions for Sites to Find Clothes Worn on TV

There are a ton of royal fashion bloggers, of course — Town & Country just did a great roundup.

Another option: the subreddit r/findfashion (although that one can be super random; e.g., the most recent post today is a dress from Sabrina the Teenage Witch (and I am so old I just wrote Clarissa the Teenage Witch, sigh.)

Readers, do you know of any other sites where you can find anything worn in movies or TV?

The post Sites Where You Can Find Anything Worn in TV Shows or Movies appeared first on Corporette.com.