Our tips on going for glory with designer clothes and online shopping
Online shopping has been one of retail’s few growing areas since the credit crunch in 2008. With a huge bump in two of the high street’s traditional big hitters – grociers and clothing – websites are fast taking over the shops and supermarkets of brick and mortar.
Along with this proliferation of online clothing stores, there are also numerous opportunities to access collections and designers which were previously too exclusive, or simply in too few stores, to be purchased and enjoyed.
From Net-a-Porter to ASOS, designer names are no longer available after a serious frisking from a burly security guard outside D&G Milan. The best news is that some of the high street’s most-loved retailers are right on top of this sea-change in shopping, and are leading the pack in bringing designer clothes to high street shoppers.
Next is one such retailer, whose 30 years of shops in high streets, malls and shopping centres nationwide have now given birth to a flourishing online market. With a branded and designer fashion section within the website, some of the industry hottest catwalk-too-street names such as Guess are key members of the Next stable.
Guess Navy Floral Wrap Over Blouse from Next, £60
One of the key strategies to find designer bargains and great fashion deals is to keep in touch with the retailers’ online personalities or accounts. By following Next and others on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll receive notifications and special offers that are exclusive to members and online customers.
You can supplement this by keeping a close eye on what style blogs are featuring week to week – we recommend The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph’s fashion sections, as well as magazines such as Glamour, Vogue and Stylist.
The fashion industry runs week to week (it might seem like day to day at times!) and the commercial side is no different, as collections come and go at speed. If you’re brand hunting, a great tip is to compare the brand’s own site with surrogate sites and department stores which have their own sales and seasonal discounts.
Often you’ll find that a large department store or retailer will cut their prices more – and throw in extras like free delivery for a certain time window – which can help you find the best value.