New Online Plus-Size Store Review: Just as You Are
Regardless of what body type you have, there is no standardized size chart for clothing. At one store you wear a size "x" and the next it is size "y". With vanity sizing increasing within plus-sizes, it is difficult to shop without knowing your measurements and hunting down the retailer's size chart. Now a new plus-size retailer, Just As You Are, is making clothes shopping easier -- for outwear at least. Find out how the site works and if the setup is will improve your plus-size shopping experience.
How to Shop Just As You Are
The unique thing about Just As You Are is that you do very little shopping for your coat. The site acts a little like a personal shopper. In order to make a purchase, you must first provide the site with your measurements -- including your height in inches. Once you submit your measurements, the site will create a list of the best matches they found for you based on the data you provided.
The coats are organized with your best match listed first. It is a very simplified way for plus-sizes to shop. Based upon my measurements my top two matches are the Albany Plus coat and Arizona jacket both $179.00 each. From what I can tell, the smaller your measurements, the more recommended garments you will see. So if you are at the lower end of the "plus-size scale" you may have your pick of any of the 15 styles in their fall collection. Unfortunately, as your measurements increase, your choices may decrease.
Lack of Purchasing Control With Just As You Are's Setup
If you are the type who is not familiar with your body and does not know what silhouettes look good on you, then having a store select a garment for you may be right up your alley. However, if you know what looks good on you and prefer to select your garments then you may not be happy with the selection the site chooses for you. For me I really like the Angola wrap however, it does not appear in my recommended garment list.
Quite frankly this is no different than shopping at any other retailer in finding that the coat I like does not come in my size. However, with Just As You Are, I can't be sure if the garment does not fit my dimensions or if the site just thinks I'd look better in something else. The lack of control over which coat one can purchase may pose an issue with potential customers. I know it does for me.
So what do you think? Would you shop at an online store that selects your garment for you based upon your measurements or would you like to make the call? Personally I'm still undecided. The current collection from Just As You Are is contemporary enough where I am comfortable with all the styles. However, if I am to part with $150.00 or more, I'd prefer more control over what I purchase. Check out the site and let us know if you are happy with the selection chosen for you or if you think another style -- not on your list -- would look better.
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The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
Published by ShawnTe Pierce - Featured Contributor in Beauty and Lifestyle
ShawnTe Pierce is a freelance fashion designer, writer and editor with over a decade of professional experience in fashion, beauty, finance and Christian Studies. With a Bachelor's of Science in Apparel... View profile
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3 Comments
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An improvement you can make (with a disclaimer to the customer of course) is to either include the measurement fit range for each coat and give the customer the option to purchase bypassing the enter in your measurements portion OR Have a link on the 'best matches' list page for the customer to purchase other styles, with the measurement ranges for each style listed. This way the customer still has the option of purchasing whatever coat they want online along with the option to contact your customer service to work with your design team offline to see if they can still purchase the style they like.
I don't know how well that will fit in with your store concept but it will put more online purchasing power in the hands of the customer.
Thank you for your comment and raising these points.
Since this is an Online store I have to gear it to the online shopper. By nature, online shoppers want to do just that shop online - (1) shop around for merchandise online, (2) select a product online and (3) purchase that product online at the merchant's site. Once another method of shopping crops up it ceases to be online shopping. From what your site explains and what you have said in order for a person to purchase a coat that is not on their "Our best matches - just for you" list they must contact you by telephone or email to work with your design team and purchase the "non recommended" coat offline. There are picky shoppers out there who see a style they like and will purchase it if it comes in their size/measurement or not. I don't condone such purchasing but it happens quite often. -- continued in following post.
Thank you for taking the time to go through the process of choosing a coat on our Just as you Are brand new website, asUare.com, and then writing about that experience. We very much appreciate your interest.
Based upon your experience and what was read on the site, we are very interested to learn how you arrived at certain conclusions Our intent was never to select a garment for you but to make you aware of the level of best fit you can expect from a varitey of coat and jacket styles, matched to your unique set of curves. The intent is to hilight the coats and jackets which have been specifically designed with your body shape in mind. Once you enter the three measurements and your height, the coats which will best fit your unique shape are presented first (and with a gold star) as the best fits. However the coats which will be a little looser in either the hips or the bust (and so are a little less than best fit) still show up, only a little further down the list. Even those styles that may be the least best fitting, ie - designed for a very different shape, are still displayed (as long as we have the item in stock).
Our aim is not to suggest that you must choose a specific coat or from a limited group of coats. And, of course, should you wish to consider a coat that is not highly recommended for your shape, you are free to do so or to call our customer service reps who are able to work with you and your measurements to determine how well that coat will fit. As a matter of fact, our reps would be happy to help anyone who has questions or concerns about her measurements and the different coats and jackets. Our design team is available as well.
If the above is not clearly conveyed on our site, we would be most grateful if you could guide us and let us know where we have done a poor job in presenting the concept. And we thank you in advance !
We're always happy to answer any questions.
Thank you for your interest and comments.