Jun 7, 2019 - Shopping
Today, I’ve got two new arrivals from Everlane for you: this button-front A-line skirt comes in a cool, retroish green and a floral print too, but I’ll probably get it in black and call it a day.
I also like this super-lightweight cotton collarless blouse, which strikes me as very versatile, and goes for a mere $55. By the way, it’s probably clear to you by now that Everlane is my favorite inexpensive retailer, but I’m curious: who is yours?
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Kim France
I was born in Houston, Texas in 1964 and have lived in New York City since 1988. I had a long career in magazines, working at Sassy, Elle, New York, and Spin, and in 2000, I founded Lucky magazine, which I edited for ten years.
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I was born in Houston, Texas in 1964 and have lived in New York City since 1988. I had a long career in magazines, working at Sassy, Elle, New York, and Spin, and in 2000, I founded Lucky magazine, which I edited for ten years.
The storm on Friday had our power out a couple times and then weekend stuff kept me from posting the following question. I have an Everlane question. I’m interested in their wide leg chinos and flirting with getting a pair in early July. However, getting off of fertility drugs that I’d been on for two years, my weight is starting to go down. In fact, I assumed I’d be a size 16 in Everlane, but I seem to be their size 14 (as far as their wide leg chinos go, which seem to be generous for them). I have a hunch that if I waited until August or even September, I might prefer their size 12. Should I hold off or does Everlane stuff move so quickly that it might be gone by then? Of course, if it’s gone, I could always try my luck that an appropriately-sized pair is on Poshmark. To anyone who spots this question, I appreciate any advice on Everlane.
Hey, D. Sending you lots of support and affection for your post-fertility-drug life. I was on an unsuccessful fertility treatment odyssey for several years and it was completely soul-crushing, mind-scrambling, and so lonely. It got better — not in a straight line by any means, but it got better. I wish the same for you, as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your very kind thoughts. It certainly makes one appreciate all the little bits of ordinary life, like this, for instance. I know the psyche part takes time, but I wish I could cut through the clothing limbo. I actually had a inner debate on whether or not to mention fertility drug stuff here, but I thought, why can’t I be honest about a clothing challenge? I mean, the readers here are so impressively resourceful when it comes to clothing contingencies…Anyway, thanks again for the kind words: it is very generous of you to share your experience.
To answer your original question, D: Yes, popular items move fast on Everlane. But I haven’t found a way to ascertain what items will sell out. And I find that things run large…usually.
I can empathize with fertility struggles after 5 rounds of Clomid, each followed up with those painful damned endometrial biopsies, only to find that it wasn’t working and my ovaries were blowing up like balloons. Ugh. I had a happy ending, sans drugs. I wish you all the best.
I love that collarless blouse. Everlane is my go-to, but I also have a couple pair of jeans from The Gap that I wear constantly. And I found some 100% cotton tees at Target this spring (plus an outstanding denim shirt-dress which I wear as a long jacket without the self-tie) that I scooped up. I don’t usually shop for clothes (or shoes) at Target, but they have a brand––Universal Threads––I find occasionally appealing. https://www.target.com/p/women-s-long-sleeve-denim-shirtdress-universal-thread-153/-/A-54312419?preselect=53932855#lnk=sametab
Yes on Target! This season I found the perfect cotton mini skirt(not too mini, cut like a denim skirt) and a black and white polka dot midi-dress.
Funny anecdote: Walking around Nordstrom one evening, a staff member was steaming a shirt-and she had on a cute Ted Baker-ish dress so I asked if it was and she said no, she got it at Target! That’s when I started looking at Target clothes ; )
I don’t consider Target until I couldn’t find what I wanted on the usual sites.
Creative idea on the shirtdress, CW!
I have different stores I frequent for specific items such as Gap or J Crew for popovers and button downs in Talls, J Crew for v-neck tees and jeans (in Talls), Old Navy for pj pants and sleep tanks, and Boden or J Crew for swimwear (Yes, in Talls).
Boden is A+ for swimsuits that one can actually swim in
I just checked it out! I am an average height (5’5), but have a very long torso and short legs. It’s almost impossible to find a one piece… exciting to find more options!
I, too, am loving Everlane. I resisted for a while (who knows why?), but I bought two pairs of pants and I’m impressed with the quality and fit. Count me in!
Forgot to mention Loft! That is my REAL go-to.
Anthropologie. the sales can’t be beat and I always find something – pants, t’s, dishtowels, notebooks…
Oh, I love those Everlane tops! I just bough the white and the blue striped one last Friday. They are lightweight and I love the sleeves.
I like Boden quite a bit. For t shirts, I head to Eddie Bauer specifically because they carry talls. They are the only t shirts that I found that are long enough for me. I’m tall and long-waisted besides. I also like Universal Standard quite a bit.
I’m the opposite – Everlane has been disappointing lately, especially their bottoms which give me diaper butt/crotch – but I did pick up a raw hem denim skirt that was flattering.
I’ve been buying a lot of pre-loved/consigned stuff, so I don’t have a particular favorite retailer at the moment.
I’ve also been doing more preloved stuff. Poshmark is addictive!
I have a weak spot for Uniqlo and Target’s Universal Thread.
I do love Everlane. And for slightly elevated and more expensive but still not insane, I have discovered COS for real. Working in LA, went to their DTLA retail store, and OMG. I’m in love and managed to walk out of there with only 3 things when I should have bought the whole store. It’s def not for everyone, but their current simple stand-away-from-the-body shapes thrill my little shapeless-sack-wearing soul.
Mine’s probably Madewell, but I hate how everything is some variation of cropped blouse + high pinchy waisted bottom these days, which does not work for me. I prefer the more classic shapes featured here at GOACA.
For basic Ts it’s haunting the Velvet by Graham & Spencer sales; for blouses I always find flattering stuff at AmourVert.
Wow, Amour Vert! ❤️
I’ve yet to take the plunge on Everlane but I will one of these days! Top Shop is my current favourite for inexpensive tees and blouses.
Uniqlo. I am surprised by how much I dislike Everlane.
Me, too. I love Uniqlo, and Muji has worked very well for me, too. Everlane is the retail version of a BEC for me.
Oh, Muji! I’ve gotten some good stuff there. The women’s sizes don’t go very large—I guess because Japanese women are generally more petite than American women—but they have some oversized summer tunics and dresses, and I’ve bought linen sweaters there from the men’s section as well.
+1 Everlane just doesn’t work on my D cup mombod. Pretty much everything I’ve ordered from them has been super unflattering. T’s got holes within 3 wears. :/
I’m plus sized so I go wear I can find my size. Unfortunately Everlane doesn’t go there. Too bad for you Everlane. You don’t get my $$$.
Lately I’ve found some cute stuff from J. Crew and Madewell — they both have expanded their size range. When I had to dress professionally for work (I work from home now) I found things at Boden (they go up to size 18). My jeans are Levis. I make do.
I do love Everlane and have purchased multiple silk tops, cashmere sweaters, blazers and recently their form bag which I like but wish had more magnetic closure strength. Also Uniglo and believe it or not MUJI.
Some great finds there like basic polos with small shoulders (even in size M and L) that fit my frame better than most.
Everlane’s fine, I have been shopping with them for years, but I return about 50% of what I order because I find their quality to be VERY uneven. J Crew everyday cashmere is better than Everlane’s and when it’s on sale a better deal.
Cut me, I bleed Everlane.
I wouldn’t say Aritzia is particularly inexpensive but I’ve lucked out the odd time.
I’m still mourning the loss of Jenna Lyons at J.Crew….
COS is definitely it for me. Some of their pieces are so over-the-top as to be laughable, but a good many are wonderfully wearable. At first glance, a lot of their pieces—dresses especially—seem similar to each other, but when you look closely, there’s always an interesting drape or architectural detail that sets them apart.
I like Everlane cotton pants in the summer and their tee-shirts. I like the sweaters – not had as much luck with their jeans. Want to put in a good word for Boden cotton shirts and swimsuits.
I am a devoted reader of this blog and also iwanttobeher.com, and I love it when the two of you pick the same stuff!
I’ve found cheap thrills at Urban Outfitters, Asos, & Other Stories and Topshop, but more than half of what I buy – clothes, shoes, accessories- comes from Yoox.com, an Italian discount designer site. I’ve scored a Dries van Noten dress and Isabel Marant top at 80% off, but their selection is vast and they stock less rarified lables too. They cut prices repeatedly and often have 20-30% off promotions. I recently bought a few pairs of cotton pants for $5$ to $95, less than or only slightly more than what you’d pay at Anthropologie or the Gap but the styling and quality are amazing. I’ve only ordered one thing from Everlane, a pair of black trousers that didn’t fit and were never flattering. I kept hoping they would magically improve, (they didn’t) so I’ve mistrusted the site ever since. I know, it isn’t their fault I didn’t return the dumb pants. Frankly, nothing they sell appeals to me.
Oops! I meant $55 above. I’ve also found cool pants there for $22!
I have a question: No one mentions Zara, which kind of feels like an elephant in the room – I mean, they are huge,everywhere and are featured heavily on numerous shopping blogs. Fashions skew too young? Or what? I don’t really shop there, but I did score the absolute best leather motorcycle jacket there last year, it looks like it should cost five times what it did. Just curious.
Zara came up on the podcast Kim did with Lisa Birnbach – you can find a link on GOACA. To paraphrase our fearless leader, she said she can’t in good conscience encourage shopping at Zara. That said, since I first discovered Zara in Paris more than 20 years ago I’ve gotten lucky there many times and found stuff too good to be disposable. Being in a Zara store can be a soul-deadening experience, but a lot of stuff on the website looks great, and not too young. The quality can range from yucky to excellent, so if you study an item’s fabric content you can do well. Zara’s older, more tailored sister Massimo Dutti is also a terrific source, but I doubt Kim would endorse them either.
Haven’t listened to the podcast yet. What’s the problem with Zara? We don’t have one where I live but I generally pop into one when I see them.
I had a nasty experience with Zara and refuse to go back. I tried to return a bunch of stuff but the sales guy had inadvertently cancelled the receipt. Would you believe they refused to give me my money back, store credit only????? Completely their fault. In any event, something is usually off about the fit so I was never a frequent shopper there anyway!
This is a year old, so I’m sure there’s new horrors is doesn’t cover, but: http://fortune.com/2018/06/22/melania-trump-jacket-zara-controversy-swastika-holocaust-clothing/
Thank you for sharing. I had no idea; I’m not a Zara shopper except when I travel since we don’t have one in my city. I haven’t bought anything as I’m not a fan of “fast” fashion and often sizing is tough, but I won’t buy anything for sure now.
I’ve been shopping Boden for years. When I get asked what i’m wearing its often a Boden purchase!
Boden’s quality is very good and they often include small details that make wearing their clothes fun. I have a duck-egg blue wool skirt from them that has a purple lining and interior seams that are finished in red. Another piece (a jacket) has different color stitching on each of the buttonholes on the wrist.
I like Everlane but once the exchange rate, shipping and customs/duties are added on to get it up here to Canada… it’s not cheap. The Gap and Uniqlo are current favourites for cheap and cheerful clothes… I also have a lot of t-shirts from a Canadian chain called Joe Fresh…
Summer is by far my least favourite season, as far as fashion goes – good thing I’m Canadian. In any event, I hit the jackpot at Club Monaco today! Again, not exactly a haven for bargains unless you hit the sales but what I got today was reasonably priced.
J Crew, COS and Uniqlo are favorites and the occasional Target find. I have attempted to shop at H & M and Zara but find it so difficult. I can never figure out how to navigate their stores. What is the method to their shopping arrangement? I give up and leave. Occasionally I’ll find something at Madewell. Everlane tops are too boxy and bottoms just don’t work for me.
I had some luck last year at Joe Fresh with some linen-viscose blend items in a classic blue and white stripe. Scored a shirt dress and utility jacket in my plus size at the end of summer sale. I will wear these until they fall apart. This year? Nothing.
Gap has made me extremely happy over the past few years…great tops tees and jeans!
H and M
American Eagle (it’s like a cheaper more wearable urban outfitters)
Madewell
Uniglo, J Crew and occasionally Ann Taylor. I like those black shorts in the picture…good length for a slightly chunky upper thigh.