Kimberlee's Pick Of The Week-Fashion Services: Are You Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck?

What began as an experiment of sorts, has turned my head in a new direction for 2011 in my fashion obsessive lifestyle…this is the year of Fashion Services.  With an ocean of various resources availing their products in hopes of being the chosen retailer who will collect the revenue from our retail therapy sessions, it is becoming more and more difficult for any given location to stand out from its peers.  Price points, shipping fees, customer reviews…it becomes a balancing act to weigh the pros and cons down to the last ounce before purchasing anything and feeling like you were handed the biggest bang for your hard earned buck. 

Enter, Fashion Services. 

What I particularly love about this brilliant concept that has emerged into fruition for the retail world, is that these services are providing something that sets them apart: A Service.  They are going above and beyond our expectations of simply generating a store front and screaming out a sale price, and coming forward with an element that makes our shopping experiences feel satisfying. 

I have already introduced you to Shoe Dazzle, and have rambled on and on about how enamored with their shoe styling service I am.  I feel that my dollar goes further when I purchase a pair of shoes for an amazing price, and receive the services of professional stylists as my complimentary gift.

With this experience having impacted my view of the retail environment so significantly, I have begun to sink my teeth into other vessels of this principle.  I simply must introduce you to my newest obsession, Swirl. 

Swirl first tickled my nose around the Holidays, and I have since found myself browsing their sample sales multiple times per week (at least) and each time I fill my virtual shopping cart and threaten to make a purchase.  Swirl is, like others of its kind, an online sample sale of items bearing world renowned designer names at up to 80% off their retail prices.  My first inclination was that the prices would still, at 80% off, be far out of my realm of affordability if their initial retail prices are $2,500 and upwards so really, this is still not for me.  Several clicks into my first Swirl session, I soon learned that the vast majority of the price points were actually under $100 and completely unbelievable.  I have browsed designs from Rock & Republic, Diane Von Furstenberg, Chanel, Wren, Dolce Vita, and more.  Selected by hand via style editors from Daily Candy, and reviewed for quality, each piece is pre-screened in advance of its debut.  Perfect.

Researching the value of each piece I have fallen in love with them on Swirl, I must share that I have yet to find a product listed with Swirl that is simultaneously for sale by another retailer for equal or less than it’s deeply reduced price point.  No last year’s models or clearance pieces being poised to look like they are an amazing discovery.  Swirl is offering the real deal.  Each sale is quick (typically only a couple of days), and the best pieces go quickly.  I strongly encourage signing up for the email notifications and taking a peek as quickly as you can when a sale comes up that interests you.

 

My first of many purchases from Swirl happened one day when I received an email notification with what never fails to draw my attention and captivate me with it’s gripping power…Denim Sale.  Browsing the designer labels, cuts, and washes I happened upon a pair of flare leg jeans by Paige Denim.  I adore Paige, and have paid upwards of $150 to own them.  Swirl was offering a pair of Bundy Flare Leg jeans by Paige Denim for $59, marked down from their original $170 retail price tag.  Pitter, patter, pitter, patter…my heart starts to race.  Available in my size, I snagged them without a second thought.  I managed to round up a coupon code by google-ing “Swirl Coupon Code” and scored free shipping on top of my $111 savings.  Seriously?  Seriously. 

My package arrived within 3 days of my online purchase, and I was in denim heaven.  They are absolutely authentic Paige, and perfectly amazing.  Nothing is missing, nor are they stitched wrong, they aren’t falling apart or used, or any of the other nightmare-ish possibilities I had suggested to myself before their arrival. 

With a bit of extra effort, Swirl brought me a perfectly selected shop filled with designer items at sample sale prices, and that is a service that is worth its weight in gold.