According to the size guide of one of my favourite online clothes shopping sites, I’m a UK size 18.
I’m also a UK size 12.
And a UK size 6.
I have an oddly-proportioned body – wide shoulders, narrow hips and waist, large…other parts, which makes it difficult for me to shop online without hesitating at least 25 times to click the ‘Checkout Now’ button.
Don’t get me wrong though, I can see the benefits. Specifying exactly when and where you want your items delivered, easy returns service and crystal clear instructions are just some of the many advantages to online shopping.
But there are a myriad of disadvantages too. Didn’t you see the white sequins on those white shorts photographed against a white background? Are you sure that dress is mint green and not light blue?
What makes it especially irritating for me is in the information where the details of the clothes are shown; there is always this little nugget of info in some form or another:
SERIOUSLY? Who exactly is actually benefitting from this piece of information? How am I supposed to know from that whether or not this item will fit me? I’m not that tall and – permitting your size guide – I’m not a UK 8.
I have always been a fan of ‘try before you buy’ clothes shopping in real life. One shop’s size 12 is another shop’s size 10; it just depends on where they’ve been made. You can actually feel the material to quickly find out that that shirt is not made of a horrific brushed fabric. And, of course, the immediate thrill of a shopping purchase that can be in your hands right now as opposed to the days or weeks or even months-long wait.
Maybe I’m patiently waiting for the technology-based utopia I’ve dreamt of, where you simply step into a scanning machine; make a choice of what to wear and the perfect-fit items materialise on your body in seconds.