Tips for Buying Women’s Clothing Online

When it comes to women’s clothing online, there are millions of items to choose from. The most popular pieces of women’s clothing include dresses, slacks, sweaters, blouses, kimonos, and jackets. In addition, there are women’s accessories like handbags, shoes, sunglasses, scarves, and jewelry. There are so many choices that it can make your head spin. However, there are things you can take into account which will make your choices easier. In this article, we will outline each of those tips that will help you to choose the right women’s clothing while shopping online.

TABLE OF CONTENTS – WOMEN’S CLOTHING

• BODY TYPE
• SKIN TONE
• COLORS
• FIT
• SUSTAINABILITY
• TRICKS TO USE
• CONCLUSION

BODY TYPE

One of the most important factors to take into account when buying women’s clothing online is your body type. Your height, stature, curves, muscularity, and weight distribution are important factors. They all figure into how women’s clothing will fit your body type, or how the clothing will make your body look.

For example, there is women’s clothing that makes your body look more curvy, your bustline look larger, your legs look thicker, and your bottom and shoulders look wider. Conversely, there is women’s clothing that makes you look thinner and can de-emphasize the various parts of your body you want less focus on.

If you are tall and thin, there are women’s clothing options that can make you look less so. If you are short and overweight, there are options that can make you look taller and thinner. There are clothing tricks you can utilize to begin or remove the focus on any of the parts of your body you choose. Check out the “Tricks to Use” section below to see what you can do to.

SKIN TONE

Your skin tone affects how different colors of clothing look when you wear them. One of the easiest ways to determine your skin tone is by looking at the veins on your hand or arms.

If your veins appear purple or blue, then you most likely have a cool skin tone. However, when your veins look green or greenish-blue, then you have a warm skin tone. If you have difficulty determining if your veins are blue or green, then you most likely have a neutral skin tone.

The other method used to determine your skin type is holding a piece of white paper next to your face. If your face is tanned or has a skin condition that alters the color, then have someone help you by checking behind your ear.

Using the white paper to compare, if your skin has a pink or blue tint, then you most likely have a cool skin tone. Additionally, if it is green or yellow, then you likely have warm skin tone. Grayish skin tone is neutral.

No matter what skin tone type you have, there are warm, cool, and neutral clothing colors that will make your wardrobe pop. Utilize our suggestions below in the COLORS section to maximize the effect that women’s clothing colors have on your overall appearance.

COLORS

There are vast amounts of available colors in women’s clothing today. We will focus on three parts of the color spectrum and what colors to avoid when recommending corresponding clothing colors for your skin type. The cool end of the color spectrum, the warm end, neutral colors, and what colors to avoid will be included for each skin type.

Cool Skin Tone

People with cool skin tones tend to have a pale or pink-tinged skin color. In addition, their eye color is usually green, or hazel and their hair colors usually include blonde or black.

• Cool spectrum:  Bright blues and greens, purples, and pastel blue, pink, and purple. 
• Warm spectrum:  Bright or dark red, or light yellow
• Neutrals:  White, gray, or navy blue.
• Avoid:  Orange or bright yellow.

Warm Skin Tone

If your skin color is golden, peach, or yellowish, then you have a warm skin tone.  Furthermore, eye colors are usually brown, green, or hazel, and their hair color usually has a reddish tint.

• Cool spectrum:  Olive and moss green, and reddish purples. 
• Warm spectrum:  Red, orange, yellow, andgold.
• Neutrals:  Cream, gray, taupe, or cappuccino.
• Avoid:  Green, dark red, or ice blue.

Neutral Skin Tone

If you have a mix of warm and cool skin tones, then you are considered neutral.  You most likely have blue or green eyes, and blonde, light brown, or black hair.  Neutral skin types can wear any color on the spectrum, but here are some recommendations for the best.

• Cool spectrum:  Softened versions of blues, greens, and purples. 
• Warm spectrum:  Bright red, and softened versions of orange and yellow.
• Neutrals:  Black, off-white, gray, or coffee.
• Avoid:  Bright blue or pinkish purple.

FIT

How your clothes fit is an important aspect of buying women’s clothing online. No one wants to wear clothes that are uncomfortable, look too big or small, or make them unhappy when they look in the mirror. There are important steps to making sure your clothes fit properly for your body type and make you look and feel great.

Measure

When buying women’s clothing or men’s clothing online, you must have accurate measurements to shop with.  For women, you’ll need your height, shoulders, waist, hips, and bust measurements.  For men, height, neck, chest, waist, hips, and inseam are all necessary.

Professional measurements are the most accurate. If you have a seamstress or tailor shop where you live, then have them measure you.  Make sure you don’t alter the results by sucking in your belly or sticking out your chest.  Your clothes won’t fit properly, and they won’t be comfortable, so you won’t wear them.

Size Charts

Once you have your measurements, be sure to read the size charts for each piece of clothing that you are thinking about buying.  Every manufacturer has its own unique size and fit.  This is especially true for European brands.  Pay special attention to whether the chart measurements are in inches or centimeters.

General Tips

Shirts, tops, and jackets for women should fit nicely without restricting your movement.  Shoulder seams need to fall right at the edge of your shoulders.  Hems, if not tucked in, should fall near the middle of your hip.  Sleeves need to end at your wrists just before your hands.

Pants that fit correctly should allow for movement and comfort.  The waistband should allow for extra room to compensate for daily changes or bloating.  Your skin popping out or hanging over the top of the pants indicates an improper fit.  Hems should also be an inch from the floor.

Take the time to choose clothing that fits well, is comfortable, and makes your body type look great.  The alternative is buying clothing that you will never wear and will hang in the back of your closet.

SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is the new luxury.  Eco-friendly women’s clothing has become the new trend in fashion because the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world.  The production of fabric materials causes greenhouse gases, consumes precious water, and causes soil degradation, rainforest destruction, and microplastic pollution that chokes our landfills.

Sustainable, organic, and vegan materials like hemp, bamboo, linen, cotton, and cork, are responsible alternatives to petroleum-based products like polyester and other synthetic materials.  They are powerful examples of why sustainability is the way to go in fashion. Even though many sustainable products cost more than non-sustainable, they are much more durable and may last up to 3 times longer than their non-sustainable alternatives.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton uses 88% less water and 62% less energy to produce a crop than conventional cotton.  It is also processed without using chemicals and does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

Organic Hemp

Organic hemp is considered a carbon-negative raw material because it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere.  In addition, it uses less water to grow than cotton and improves the soil it is grown in through a process called phytoremediation.

Hemp fabric has a similar texture to cotton but also feels a little like canvas.  It is about three times stronger than cotton and highly breathable.  A normal cotton shirt can last for about 10 years, but a hemp shirt will last 20 to 30 years.  It also wicks moisture away from the body and works great in hot weather to keep your body cool.

Bamboo

Bamboo is highly sustainable and harvested without killing the plant. It is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth and quickly regrows the harvested portion. It also consumes more CO2 than some trees, so it makes sense to plant as much as possible to counteract greenhouse gases.

This fabric is breathable, thinner, and more stretchable than cotton, so it is popular substitute used for both tops and pants.  The fiber is also often interwoven into high thread count fabrics which then in turn are thinner and lighter than regular cotton fabrics.

Lyocell

This semi-synthetic material is a form of rayon (also known as TENCEL) manufactured using the pulp of eucalyptus trees from sustainably grown forests. This cellulosic product uses much less water to produce and reuses over 99% of the chemicals utilized in the process.

The fabric is used in women’s clothing, including dresses and blouses, and is very soft. It is often mistaken for cotton and often mixed with silk, cotton, nylon, wool, and polyester. In addition, it is much more resistant to pilling than cotton.

Recycled Polyester

Materials previously headed to our landfills, like plastic bags, bottles, and textiles, are used to make this fabric. Manufacturers have figured out a way to fight the non-biodegradable plastics problem we have struggled with for decades. Sustainable brands like prAna, Reformation, and Patagonia have been using this material for years to produce many of their products.

The fabric is very versatile and is used to produce products like fluffy sustainable fleece and thin, stretchy conscious activewear. But unfortunately, we can only recycle it so many times before it breaks down and cannot be recycled.

Econyl

This synthetic material is manufactured using recycled nylon recovered from abandoned fishing nets, ocean plastic, and waste fabric. It utilizes dangerous oceanic waste and requires much less water than original nylon to produce. We can use it to manufacture any nylon fabric needed for clothing production and wears just like virgin nylon fabric.

Wood and Pulp

There are so many other products made from wood, pulp, and organic materials which can be considered sustainable. The fabrics produced have different properties, and we can utilize them to manufacture clothing of all types. That clothing has properties that cause it to hang and fit your body differently depending on its material.

Vegan

Some additional examples include products made from beech trees, pineapples, coffee, synthetic spider silk, apples, coconut, and protein. They are all vegan, eco-friendly, and responsible choices for fashion.

If we can modify our buying behavior to include mainly fabrics made with organic and vegan materials, we have biodegradable clothing. We begin to stop the never-ending cycle of having to either recycle or discard non-biodegradable materials. We are then wearing genuinely sustainable fashion.

TRICKS TO USE

Here are some tricks for you to use which take advantage of the cut, color, fit, and pattern of different pieces of women’s clothing to change the way your body appears when you wear them. Wear pants with a low waist if you want to look like you have more curves. A-line skirts help make your lower body like it is curvier. A straight skirt adds width to your bottom half.

Utilize high waist pants, and bright patterned blouses to accentuate your bustline and make it look larger. Shoulder pads will add width to narrow shoulders, and pleated pants will make thin legs look thicker.

Wear horizontal stripes to widen the area you are wearing them, and choose clothing with vertical lines to look thinner.  Whatever part of the body the vertical lines are worn will have a thinning effect.

Use dark solids to de-emphasize areas of your body.  For example, black is a very thinning color. You can also pair black with a bright pattern to emphasize one part of the body and de-emphasize the other. Lastly, you can wear tapered skirts to de-emphasize your bottom half.