Confessions of an Online Shopaholic

Uniqlo blouse
Sezane jeans
Balenciaga heels
Mango handbag
Mango sunglasses
Vintage scarf (similar)
Madewell rings
Location: The Manitoba Legislature – Winnipeg, Manitoba

Probably because the shopping options in Winnipeg are still relatively limited, and I buy basically everything online, my outfits stand out more here than they have anywhere I’ve ever lived. (My penchant for designer shoes and handbags doesn’t help.) I was never truly content to build a wardrobe based on the garments available at Gap and American Eagle, even as a teenager. Now, it’s the experience of being in the shopping mall, fighting crowds only to find a less varied selection of styles in stores than online, that turns me off of shopping in brick and mortar stores. I’ll take an imaginary cart and a browser window over a hot, cramped changeroom and checkout line any day.

I got my start in online shopping early, on eBay. I discovered the site in university and fell hard – suddenly, the designer brands I craved were available to me, at least occasionally, at prices I could afford. Once I won my first auction, I was hooked. I moved on from eBay to routinely shopping J. Crew sales. Since I’ve always loved receiving mail, online shopping not only gave me access to clothes I couldn’t get close to home, it satisfied my craving for receiving parcels. It wasn’t long before I stopped bothering with brick and mortar stores at all. My policy on that reversed only briefly, in the year we lived in downtown Vancouver with every store you can imagine just minutes from our place. Even in Paris, I often happily placed orders online rather than going to stores to try clothes on.

Online shopping works for me because my body is relatively easy to dress. After years in retail, I know my size well. It’s rare that I order a piece that doesn’t fit. And so I find myself a bit stumped when faced with questions, which I get more and more regularly when I go out. “Where is that from? How does it fit?” How does it fit? Well, it fits me. I’m comfortable with guessing my size and knowing what will work on my body. But not everyone is – as I learned at a party at a local boutique late last year, when a guest tried to buy the Zara coat I arrived wearing. I was happy to let her try it on – although not to let her leave with it. She would never consider buying it online without knowing if it would fit, she said.

Part of me sees her point. And I can see it because of these jeans, one of my rare unsuccessful online purchases. Sezane is the sartorial love of my life. I had to try their denim. But they’ve never had my size in store in Paris, so I was left to guess what would work. Normally, I get it right. And with Sezane, I think I did my best. The reality is, the cuts and sizing of their jeans vary wildly. I have this style in blue and black; the black always fit, although sometimes snugly. The blue is another story. Some days, based on nothing explicable, I can’t pull them up past my knees. Other days, I slip them on almost effortlessly. Either way, though, they never seem to stretch. They pinch and pull, making me feel uncomfortable and, thus, making feel like I don’t look good in them.

Should I have returned them? Probably. But returning clothes to Sezane from Canada is no easy feat and involves sending shipping receipts, then waiting for reimbursement. Beyond that, I just really wanted them to fit. I still do. Unfortunately, on the day these photos were taken, they felt particularly tight and uncomfortable. A week later, I slipped them on effortlessly – they were almost loose. Frustrated, I haven’t worn them since.

After these jeans, I swore off buying denim online for a while. But then I found the perfect pair of mom jeans at Zara, which has no brick and mortar stores in Winnipeg. I was wearing them the other night when I went out and found myself, once again, helping an acquaintance find all the pieces of my outfit online so she could buy the same ones. But again, the discomfort factor came in. She hesitated. “Do you find Zara jeans fit well…?” I do. Much better, for example, than Sezane. And they’re much easier to return if they don’t fit well. But the thing about shopping online, just like shopping in stores, is that it’s highly individual. What works for me today, with one brand, might not work tomorrow with another – and there is no guarantee it will work for you.

I will always love the ease and efficiency of online shopping. It’s not a perfect system. But for me, it will always be preferable to the alternative – though I will probably second guess that every time I look at these jeans.