Clothes shopping getting you down? This super user-friendly site claims to take away all of the grueling work of having to sort through the reject piles! In six simple steps, breeze your way to your own personalized boutique selections.
Stylizer: Sort through pairs of differently styled pics, choosing which model’s ensemble best fits your look. In minutes, you will be matched with the iconic fashion trend that suits you best. Options are Boho, Casual Chic, Classic, Edgy, Romantic, and Street. Disagree with their selections? Do it again, or choose for yourself.
Dresses: Pick the silhouettes, colors and patterns you love, like that halter (silhouette) that shows off just the right amount of side boob. Then, go back and select the ones you hate, like those beiges that wash you out.
Tops: Love that V-neck? Tell the world. Hate that cropped top? Just a simple click to banish them from your boutique. (Instructions as above)
Bottoms: As above, choose between those wide-legged pants and skinny jeans, long skirts and minis, or… choose both! But if you’re not into snakeskin… now is the time to rule out ‘reptile print’ (pattern).
Shoes: Sixteen ‘silhouettes’ to choose from… none I can bear to eliminate! No patterns to sort through this time.
Designers: Choose from a featured list or go through the tabs on your own. I praised my favorite Boho names (from My Tribe to Kettle Black and Toms Shoes), ditched the Classics (think: Michael Kors and Calvin Klein), lost the Casual Chic (DKNY Jeans and Original Penguin) and went all in with the Edgy (Jeffrey Campbell and Dolce Vita).
Once that’s done, you can check out your personalized “boutique,” a handpicked selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories for you based on your answers. Under the Your Boutique tab, explore the specific products and even full lines recommended for you. Then, if you don’t like what you see, drop-down menus allow you to express exactly what it is you’re not a fan of– brand, color, pattern, silhouette, and even price. “I like that [the site] can be organized to function like a free personal shopper and without you having to explain what your personal style is.
The organization of the website makes shopping quick and easy,” says Kathryn, a junior at Wheaton College.
Save things you do like in your favorites, or share your selection with your friends via Twitter or email. You can also view similar items, shop for the recommended product, and get details on available sizes and ways to wear your new purchase with no more effort required than the click of a mouse. And, like any good online social network, you can keep up with the boutiques you like by becoming a follower.
Minimalist and chic, the site screams elegance, and it assumes that you have it, too, if you are serious about your clothes. Unfortunately, that usually means pricing isn’t really ideal for a collegiette™’s budget. “While it’s really fun to use and the personalization feature works really well (almost everything that showed up was my style),” says Ella* ’12, “there are not a lot of affordable clothes– I guess it’s like a real boutique in that sense.”
Kathryn agrees: “If I had the money [to afford those designers] I would definitely use the website.”
But maybe we’re thinking too narrowly. Shopping doesn’t seem to be the focus of site as much as building an online community. One feature in particular that makes Boutiques.com fun and fresh, if fashion is your forte, is that you can follow what your favorite celebs are wearing, too.
A number of stars have signed on for their own boutiques for public viewing. Gossip Girl’s Taylor Momsen has over 1,000 followers, while Emma Roberts is almost up to 4,000. With over 5,500 followers, though, Mary-Kate Olsen takes the lead, even from her sis, Ashley (boho to MK’s edgy), who’s still at just under 5,000 followers.
You can even check out the looks that were inspired by your star’s personal style– although it’s unclear what source reports that Taylor was the inspiration for a pair of $68.00 gym shorts by Alexander Wang. (However, I could definitely see her– and me– rocking these).
If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, be on the alert for pop-ups in the lower right corner of your screen, like New York Times breaking news notifications. While you’re browsing other boutiques, these come up as recommendations for even more boutiques you might like to follow, based on the celeb/designer/brand you’re currently investigating.
All in all, Boutiques.com is your own personal shopper and combines Twitter, Facebook, and Fashion into one big, user-friendly shopping site, free of charge. What can be wrong with that?
*Names have been changed
Sources:
Boutiques.com
Ella* ’12
Kathryn, junior at Wheaton College