Buy and Hold: How to beat buy/try/return

An occasional series about wardrobe value, and how to get the best return.

 MJ inspired today's post, when she commented on the post "Getting and Spending: "Investments" and other fallacies":

"I appreciate fine fabrics and good fit, but don’t know how to find either without trying on clothes. And I don’t like the idea of buying, trying, and returning. In the past I used a personal shopper to help keep me both up to date and not to force items on me that weren’t exactly right. But she’s no longer employed. This may be a year without new clothes."

I replied: "...since retiring, I had already moved to mostly online shopping, because slogging though racks, getting undressed (usually several times), waiting in line... no fun anymore..."

Nearly 100% free from the buy/try/return cycle, I'm channelling my Inner Warren Buffet to describe my approach: Pay attention to the three fundamentals—fit, fabric and fashion— to build your portfolio. 

1. Develop a Portfolio  

For core items you wear often, invest in makers who deliver the fundamentals, year in and out. Find one to three sites to supply each of your most-worn categories of clothing. These are your blue-chip stocks. 

From the Core Portfolio

I routinely order tees and nightwear from AmorLux, knitwear from Eric Bompard and Brora, and running shoes from Icebug; your "stock picks" will differ, depending on your likes and needs.

Fit

Learn your size for your core Portfolio vendors. Marilyn, for example, knows she is an XL in sweaters from J. Crew, but a M-L for most other makers.

Single-brand companies offer more size consistency, but the large ones often use jobbers, so cuts can vary. If you prefer the variety offered by online sites like Netaporter or Asos, know your size in various brands or contact them to get key measurements.

The savviest vendors list more measurements than just the standard chest and length for each garment, as well as body dimensions for size, and equivalents for various countries. They include Boden and Everlane; if you know of more, please comment.  

This chart (partial view) gives measurements for a specific Boden dress: it's rare to get information about a measurement like the front neck drop.  

Fabric 

Fabric and finding quality is admittedly harder to assess without your hands on the piece, and customer reviews can be worthless or deceptive. Price is often a guideline. I have sometimes called the CSR to tell her what other brands I buy and ask how their item would compare.  If the company's CSRs do not have sufficient product knowledge, I ask them to forward my inquiry and if no one contacts me, dump the "stock".

Nordstrom and J. Crew provide free personal stylists by online chat, email or phone. They are good for suggesting items that could work together, and often know more about fabric and cut than CSRs.

Fashion

You might find a company that has very good fabric, and the clothes fit you, but your taste or lifestyle changes. Every year, consider whether that "blue chip vendor" is still delivering.  Maintain loyalty only as long as it suits you. Many women are choosing to go greener, so choose environmentally-responsible vendors or want to spend their money locally.

Diversify your Portfolio

All core and no play is dull! To prevent the portfolio from being too same/old, add a sprinkling of quirky "start ups"; mine includes the British company, Toast and the Danish designer Mads Nørgaard. The smaller firms come and unfortunately go, so it's good to keep a few on your radar.

Mads Nørgaard Super Stripe Tamolly top

Create a bookmark folder labelled "Wardrobe Portfolio" for those sites; you could also set up notifications on consignment or auction sites (e.g., eBay, Vestiaire). So the whole idea is to use your Portfolio rather than flutter around like a manic hummingbird. You click through other sites only when that's fun. Otherwise, decision fatigue sets in.

Manage shipping expenses  

To the Portfolio Manager (that's you), shipping becomes an associated cost, like the cost of a stock trade. Reduce that by selecting vendors who give free shipping for a fairly low minimum order, or who offer reasonable rates—some vendors run shipping as a profit centre. Wait for free-shipping promotions, often offered on long holiday weekends. 

When offered shipping options, select the cheaper, slower method. Skip express shipping unless you're getting it on a free promotion.

Some vendors include a prepaid return shipping label that is cheaper than usual postage, which decreases the price of a return. But if we get the portfolio right, we don't need that often. I haven't returned an item in at least four years. 

Has it found its forever closet?

MJ's personal shopper had a stake in sending her out looking fabulous. At home, it's all up to you, so many of us seek a second opinion.

A friend, family member or colleague has prejudices and filters through which they have seen you for years. Consider their feedback, but you are the one wearing it—we hope, for many seasons. Le Duc is going to thumbs-up anything fitted; Lou dislikes black so will never be wholly positive; Jeanne, trained at Parsons, has an eagle eye for fit and thinks budget is a car rental firm.  

You are not doing the sartorial equivalent of day trading; take your time to assess what landed on your door, and don't settle. Look at occasional returns as the cost of getting smarter. (If you are returning everything, stop shopping those flash sale sites like Bluefly, especially while drinking merlot.)

Now may be the time to spring for a Zoom session or two with a stylist or image consultant who is not associated with any particular vendor.

Where is Betty when we need her?

The in-store personal shopper or expert salesperson could assess size, body and means at a glance, and then dress a woman, never pushing her to buy the wrong thing, and in fact refusing to let her do so.

Bergdorf's hallowed Halbreich

One of the all-time greats, the now-retired Betty Halbreich of the still-open Bergdorf Goodman, said, "In my little corner of the store, I'm direct and truthful—two words not normally associated with retail."

On our own for the "truth", we long for vendors to first supply us with sound choices. To earn their keep in your Portfolio, your preferred vendors, whether Uniqlo or Netaporter, must provide detailed information on request, provide consistent quality for the price, and fulfill orders efficiently. 

It's unlikely, should we return to a store, we can count on finding a personal shopper, an in-house alterations service, or even a perfume counter with open bottles for a sample spray.