6. How to Shop Like a Stylist

Shop smarter AND harder.

WE DID IT! We made it to the True Style finish line. You’ve analyzed your inspiration, interrogated yourself and your innermost fashion desires, and told the world “this is real, this is me, I’m dressing exactly how I’m supposed to be!” and now…it’s time to make it all a reality. Get in, loser, we’re going shopping!

In this final installment of Your True Style, I’ll be taking you through my entire process of finding items for myself online. Let’s find the leopard print boots of my dreams.

What Are You Looking For?

In order to effectively shop for clothes online, you have to know how to talk about clothes: silhouettes, cuts, fabrics, and details—among other things—are the DNA of pieces, and one small tweak can turn our dream dress or pants into an unwearable (to us) mess forever doomed to hang in our closets. I often stress specificity far beyond an amount considered reasonable by the average shopper, but, think about all the times you settled for a purchase that checked enough boxes and not all of them, and how ultimately dissatisfied you were with it: That skirt that “looked fine” on the model that shows off your cheeks with every step because the hem is too short; that jacket you got ‘cause it looked “close enough” and that both doesn’t keep you warm but also makes you unbelievably sweaty because of the fabric and lack of lining; those “knee high” boots that don’t go past your mid-calf because you didn’t take into account the length of your actual leg. I could go on.

Beyond just the overall “look,” of clothes, paying attention to your needs—especially as a human being with a unique body who can’t always rely on the vast world of ready to wear to cater to your particular frame—and how they translate into pieces you’ll actually wear is an important part of building an effective wardrobe. Not to mention, it saves so much money.

So, what are you looking for? Or, rather, what should you be looking for?