I'm on the shorter side (5'7") so I buy a lot of clothes online for the bigger choice of sizes / retailers. But I've found it so hit and miss, even checking Instagram reviews or looking for reviewers online I've found a lot of what I get is bad quality, poor sizing etc. It's no secret that Insta reviews can be bought and lots of bloggers just give good reviews to get free stuff.

Was wondering if anyone has recs for reviewers they trust so I can check quality of stuff I'm considering. Bonus if UK based or targeted at shorter guys. ModestMan is great, I find the site really helpful for fashion guides and the reviews are authentic, but as it's US based it's hard/expensive to get a lot of the brands he recommends.

Cheers in advance!

I thought we could do a post about the retailers we have loyally shopped with and how they have changed.

ASOS: I feel a little sad for their company. They had previously had good prices, and interesting/wearable items, but of recent times in general regarding womenswear the prices have risen significantly for designs that seem to be of lesser quality. I will say the small item I bought this year was actually satisfactory, but when I went to their chat to give feedback there was an error. I don't know if I would shop there again because there's no way to get in contact with them.

Nike: I bought their activewear in the past and it was always of excellent quality considering the price paid, but they've declined in quality buying this year. The stitching was serviceable but looked rushed, the material considerably thin. I have a 2013 hoodie of theirs which had metal eyelets and metal zips, of great construction. Many zips now are plastic. Their live chat was genuinely helpful with a question. More and more i've found that lightly used clothes from 10-15 years ago can actually look better than brand new things of today, because the materials were high quality and held to a higher standard.

Zara: They were great for me, now they're okay. In 2019 I bought a dress that had really good tailoring, very well made. Now their clothes are much more simplistic, but cost more. I am still open to shopping with them simply because they ship within my own country so it's quite fast.

Farfetch: My favourite retailer, when I once in a long while can afford it. They ship to me via DHL which is always speedy and of a high standard. I always got things in a thick box without so much as a crease. Once, I wanted to enquire about the measurements of a suit, and when I called their phone number there wasn't any wait and I got the information I needed. It is kind of annoying when e-tailers try to avoid getting direct communication and lead you to FAQs and automatic assistants.

Please share your individual experiences, as this is what it is - a collection of personal anecdotes on your relationship with retailers. (And let's respect the variation in opinions, too!)

I'm so disappointed in their quality! Ten years ago their style, cut, fabric was such good quality. I went and had a look last week and was so shocked by how poor the skirts and pants were.

I know that the saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is mostly true when it comes to cheap items, but after a certain price you’re not getting quality and you’re more paying for the reputation that comes with a designer label.

What clothing brands do you feel hit that ‘worth the cost’ phrase without being too expensive for no reason?

Edit: wow this post blew up. By the way when I said ‘too expensive for no reason’ I meant paying for designer brands where the extra $ isn’t an increase in quality but rather for the reputation of the brand itself.

Like many of you, I've been stuck at home with too much free time on my hands. I figured this would be a perfect time to update my summer wardrobe. Since most stores are closed I go the online route. I find an article of clothing I like and start reading the reviews.... which in turn leaves me frustrated.

Why you might ask? It's because how online reviews and the review process are utterly inconsistent.

One reviewer says the item runs large, order a size smaller. Another reviewer (for the same article of clothing) says it runs too small, order a size up. So what am I to believe? Do I order a size up or down? If it doesn't fit, I may get stuck with a return charge and have to drive to the mail carrier to return it (which I'd prefer not to during COVID). Not to mention the bottleneck it causes for mail carriers. Then I have to wait a while before I'm refunded - and by that time the item is sold out or no longer on sale.

So what can we (and companies) do about this? Well first, it would be nice to make women's sizing CONSISTENT across the board. If I buy a size 8 from one brand and the same size at another, it should still fit. The same should go for shoes. I've been measured a size 8, and yet I wear size 8.5 and 9 shoes. Also, items should always include measurements, period.

Second - make it so that you need to enter in your measurements or shape (or typical standard size) prior to submitting a review. That way people who are that shape/size can get a better picture of how the item is going to fit. We all know some clothes look better on certain body types.

Third - get rid of the low effort and dumb reviews. I was reviewing a sandal that stated in the item description "item runs small, order 1/2 size up." I go and read the reviews, "I ordered my regular size and the item is too small." No kidding. Not very helpful. Your bad reviews flood out the helpful reviews and in turn lower the star rating of the item.

Fourth - we need to get to know our bodies better. If we know our bodies (like shape and foot width, etc.) we can give better reviews.

So, what are your thoughts? Do reviews frustrate you too? What can we or companies do better to make the review process more helpful?