Sizing Things Up

I am always amazed when I think about how far technology has come in the last two decades or so. I was born in a decade in which the Internet didn't exist, you had to use a card catalog to search for a book in the library and cell phones were as big as a bricks. Now, not only is everything online, but you can access all of this information on something as small as a phone that fits in your pocket. This easy access to information is most certainly both a blessing and a curse and, likewise, has made life simultaneously more simple and more complex.

Since my blog is primarily about shopping/fashion, I will tie these musings into the "art of shopping". I was thinking the other day that I would probably spend a lot less money if I didn't have all of my favorite stores just a click away on either my phone, tablet or laptop. Plus, stores are now doing everything possible to make shopping online more convenient than ever. Providing online reviews and "fit finders" to tell you the appropriate size are all examples of this.

Online reviews are nice because they save you a lot of the hassle that comes from blindly buying something you haven't tried on. Take for example this tropical midi dress from LOFT. I was so excited to buy this during a flash sale (another curse of online shopping) at 50 percent off that I didn't even wait to hear first what other reviewers said about the dress. While I was waiting for the dress to arrive in the mail, the reviews started rolling in online and the general consensus was that it wasn't just a little too big, it was a tent! And I confirmed as much when mine arrived in the mail. I needed to gain about 100 or so pounds to fit a size small. It was so big that I ended up reordering it in a size xxs petite and it was still roomy, but I could make it work. So if you are reading this review of mine from my blog, use the power of the Internet to your advantage and heed my advice and others before me about this dress: size down, way down!

Dress: LOFT Tropical Midi Dress Here

Shoes: J. Crew

Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Alma in Figue

Necklace: LOFT Here

Watch: kate spade "Carlyle"

Bracelet: J. Crew

Sunglasses: Prada

Linking Up With: A Labour of Fashion  Throw Back Thursday
Thursday Favorites  Thursday Fashion Files 
and Fun Fashion Friday