Online shopping can be anxiety-inducing, especially when you can’t physically see or feel the products you’re buying. Shopping online can be particularly stressful for curvy women as many fashion retailers tend to be exclusive in their sizing and designs.
Our guide will help you through shopping for trendy pieces online as we provide online shopping tips for curvy and plus-sized women! Following these tips should help you find outfits that flatter, and prevent you from purchasing clothes that you’d eventually tuck away at the back of your closet. Move confidently, and wear what you want with our 5 online shopping tips:
1. Read the Reviews
Reviews are there for a reason! Reading reviews, and checking out the photos that other buyers post are great for assessing whether an article of clothing would look great on you or not. Through reviews, you can also figure out if the size guide is accurate, and if the material, style, and actual product are in line with its description.
Filtering through reviews can also give you a more accurate gauge of the color of the piece, as well as how it looks on different body types. It would be helpful to find another reviewer with a similar body type and skin tone, as you can gauge how the piece would look like on you.
2. Check the Size Guide
Always check the size guide. Nowadays, size guides are typically accurate – with some exceptions on stores like Wish, where sizing differs depending on their supplier. Some online stores can recommend proper sizing with accuracy once you put in your measurements, while other online stores offer sizing comparisons with big brands like H&M to find your size.
For stores that don’t have size guides, it can be difficult to assess whether the piece is ideal for you or not. In this case, you may want to look at reviews, or shop in a more inclusive store that provides accurate sizing for plus-sized people.
3. Know What’s Good for Your Body Type
Not all curvy body types are the same, and it is helpful to know what styles, cuts, and colors go well with your body. Find out your undertones to find clothes with complimenting colors that suit your skin tone, and try out different clothes to find styles that match your aesthetic.
Knowing the style that matches your body type will help you feel more confident, and will make online shopping easier as you can immediately determine whether you’ll like the piece or not. Try creating a Pinterest board with your preferred styles, or check out your favorite closet finds to see what goes great with you!
4. Search for Recommended Style Guides
Loving a top, but don’t know what goes with it? Most online stores now have recommended style guides that show you different ways of incorporating the piece into an outfit. You can get inspiration from there, or from reviewers who have bought the piece. Plus, most stores offer other pieces from the style guide as well, so you can purchase an entire outfit in one go.
Some influencers specialize in plus-size fashion, and it would help to find one whose aesthetic matches yours so you can have an idea of how to style different outfits. You can also find inspiration online through Pinterest boards, or through a simple Google search.
5. Shop at Curve-friendly Stores
Some stores have “Plus Size” sections just for the sake of offering plus-sized clothes, but these clothes rarely fit and flatter curvy bodies. Being inclusive of different body types doesn’t just mean offering a wide size range in clothes, but also offering clothes that cater to various body types.
Avoid shopping at stores like Topshop and Hot Topic, which are infamous for being the least inclusive of different body types, and instead look for stores that provide more options for plus-sized fashion finds. H&M surprisingly has a collection of plus-sized clothing that are stylish and comfortable, and online shopping newcomer Temu introduced their Curve+Plus collection with trendy pieces that flatter various body types!
Overall, fashion brands still have a long way to go in terms of inclusivity, but there are brands out there that are providing flattering articles that you can purchase. You can be curvy and fashionable – just find the right type of clothing that would compliment your body!