The Most Authentic Clothing Review Source Isn't Even a Review Site
Consumer Report For People With Taste?
Online shopping has definitely left me with some battle scars. I’ve waited 41 long days and nights for a package to drop ship from China, only to receive pants so huge I could build a house out of them and live in one leg. I’ve truly embarrassed myself with shopping on Etsy. I squealed with delight when I stumbled upon an Eames lounge chair priced at $400, believing it was a genuine find. However, my excitement quickly turned to shame when I realized it was perfectly sized not for me, but for my sharpie marker? Yes, the online photos misled me, leading me to buy a miniature item I thought was life-sized.
Shopping online has a strange way of distorting our perceptions. We're often lured by items we've never interacted with in person, only viewed through a screen, meticulously staged to entice us into making a purchase. It's similar to the craze for High Sport pants; many, including myself, were captivated, even though we had little idea what we were truly diving into. We found ourselves chasing knock-offs of pants we had never actually seen or felt, drawn in by finely curated images that offered only a fragment of reality. These obsessions seem to ignite more readily in the digital space. Once, I considered being daring as chain smoking at a bar in Cuba on a sketchy street; now, it's making a financially reckless bet on expensive "seen yet unseen" items just because others raved about them. Yup, my idea of risky behavior has transformed with age.
Online clothing reviews often aren't very helpful. Many are fake, paid for, or created by companies.When genuine reviews do exist, they can be vague or puzzling, like someone saying they “sized up twice and it worked out”—great, but what does that actually mean? Specifics are scarce, and it's frustrating not knowing important details to understand what 'sizing up twice' truly entails. I've even seen fast fashion sites where they ask you to review immediately after the purchase confirmation. There's a tactic of focusing on aspects like checkout experience/ ease of navigating the website/ shipping options which avoid the crucial details about fit or fabric quality. It is a clever way to rack up positive ratings without addressing the product's substance.
And let's not overlook the practice of providing free items in exchange for reviews, which inherently skews the feedback. It's a whole system designed to inflate perceptions, leaving shoppers like us navigating through a sea of misleading information. Plus, tons and tons of stores just straight up have nothing. No review system, no close ups of the fabric. Just a couple editorial photos and a high price tag to compliment your rising blood pressure as you hover over ‘add to cart.’
Having been scorched by retail disappointments repeatedly, I've come up with a few methods to validate online purchases without direct inspection, attempting to understand what they really look like. Yes, you can search tagged photos of the brand on Instagram, and you can scout sites like Poshmark and eBay for fabric closeups and pictures on real bodies. And for the most sobering effect, Facebook Marketplace is unmatched. There is truly nothing like the blatant reality check of seeing a listing for a Bottega Veneta bag, tossed on some floor in Minnesota, complete with the advertiser’s hairy toe photobombing the shot. It’s a daunting reminder that my item, too, could likely one day land on some floor, appearing just as ordinary and unattractive.
But overall the best trick in my arsenal is clothing rental websites. Before you scoff - wait. You don’t have to rent anything. I gave Rent the Runway a shot as a renter, but honestly, it just wasn't my thing. The clothes were a little too “starchy” or overly dry cleaned for me, and I'm not always the best at planning ahead, so the stuff I wanted was always gone. But I know plenty of people who use it and love it.
What I really valued from my experience with Rent the Runway, and something I've noticed with other similar rental services, is their robust review system. And you do not need to pay a cent or create an account to use them. The reviews really dive deep into the details. It's a smart move—these companies thrive on repeat customers, so they're keen on knowing what's a hit and what's a miss. This way, they can tweak their inventory to better suit customer tastes.
And think about it, if you're just renting, what's the point in leaving a skewed review? While there might be some biases here and there, the fact that renters have the option to purchase the item post-rental adds a layer of sincerity to their feedback. It just seems like the feedback you get in this context is more genuine than what you might find elsewhere, making the whole system feel more reliable and less influenced by the usual incentives and blind spots.
Another standout feature of Rent the Runway's reviews is the ability to filter by height, weight, size usually worn, and body type. I understand that not everyone is comfortable sharing or using this kind of information—it can be sensitive! But when you're eyeing a particular item, like a pair of pants, it can be incredibly helpful to filter reviews by people who are similar to you in build or body type. For someone like me, who's on the shorter side, I can select reviews from people who match my size and see how the item fits them, complete with photos. This personalized insight really helps visualize how the clothing might look on you and how garments can fit and feel vastly different across various body types.
Quick tip on navigating search features and dealing with naming inconsistencies: Like many platforms (ahem, Substack), Rent the Runway's search function is hit or miss. So, here's a workaround I use: Google. When I'm hunting for a specific item on Rent the Runway—or any rental service like Nuuly or Armoire—I'll type the item's name into Google followed by the term “rent” and the rental service's name. It's an efficient way to cut through the clutter since sometimes the item names and search results vary across platforms. If you know the product name just pop it in i.e. "Sandro Kurt Daisy Jacquard Zip Sweater Rent the Runway" or I’ll put “Sandro Kurt Daisy Jacquard Zip Sweater Rent RTR Nuuly Armoire” and then I see what comes up. It's a simple hack but a real time-saver when you're trying to find something on sites that don’t always have the best search user experience.
I’ll show you a couple examples of how I’ve done this.
I was looking on Ebay at some Sandro sweaters and I found this $35 (!) Sandro Daisy Sweater. It was cute and such a good deal but I really couldn’t get a sense of the material composition, weight of the fabric or sizing.
I typed “Sandro Kurt Daisy Jacquard Quarter Zip Sweater Rent RTR Nuuly Armoire” into Google and got this:
On the Rent The Runway website, the review section includes a size filter feature. Here, "SOA 0" indicates Sandro's size 0, which aligns with US size 0 and so on. Everything on RTR is US sizing. International shoppers should convert this to their local sizing standard for accurate comparison:
When I narrowed down the search to my size, I found numerous people who shared photos of themselves wearing the sweater. They provided insights on how the material felt, the fit, and their overall satisfaction with the item.
After seeing so many positive reviews, I purchased the sweater on Ebay! I love it and have worn it so many times.
Now let’s talk about how this review system has saved me from making regrettable purchases as well.
I stumbled upon these Nanushka pants on sale and loved the color! But I’ve never seen them in person and so before making a decision, I want to do a bit more research.
I put “Nanushka orange pants rent the runway” into Google because I didn’t know the exact product name. They came up and I went straight for the RTR reviews. Filtering by my height and size and clicking on the photos told me exactly what I needed to know:
The honesty and humor found in reviews on rental sites offer a refreshing contrast to those 'BEST LIPSTICK EVAAAR!!1!' reviews scattered across sites like SHEIN and Amazon. This genuine feedback is especially valuable on Rent the Runway, which, thanks to its longevity and large customer base, provides a wealth of reviews on a wide array of clothing, accessories, and bags. I often find myself cross-referencing Rent the Runway reviews before making a purchase on The Real Real, ensuring I make informed decisions.
Also Nuuly stands out as a great option. With its selection of indie brands, Nuuly feels like the 'cooler' little sister to Rent the Runway, offering some more diverse options. Their user interface is pretty user-friendly, too.
While exploring these sites, it's essential to remember that they may nudge you toward creating an account or logging in, suggesting this is necessary to access the full range of reviews. But it’s not the case. Rent the Runway, for instance, is super accessible, allowing you to easily peruse reviews without the need to commit. To avoid the annoyance of persistent sign-up prompts, head directly to sections on these sites labeled as 'Clothing,' 'Browse the Collection,' or 'Brands.' This approach helps you get straight to the reviews.
Here’s some shortcuts to the review sections:
Be mindful with the smaller platforms like Armoire, where the interface can feel clunky—the reviews are hidden in a sidebar, so it's crucial to click on 'Brands' to bypass a frustrating encounter with the login screen. Again, googling is usually your best bet.
So, have you been burned by online reviews and purchases before? What strategies do you use for smart online shopping? Are you using rental sites for clothing reviews too? Share your tips with me, and let's discuss in the comments!
Til next time,
🍒Total Rec
P.S. I’ll be out next week but you’ll hear from me in just a couple!
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Thanks for sharing this fantastic intel with us! I’ve come across a few memes of people whove also bought doll size furniture, so you’re not alone! For the main sites, sometimes I find looking at the 3/5 star reviews helpful. They’re likely not paid or receiving free product otherwise they would review higher, but they’re also likely not hate bashing the product for no good reason. YMMV, but just another suggestion!
This is brilliant! I have been doing similar, mostly with beauty products and electronics, with Reddit. Sometimes I still see some suspicious reviews, but usually there is enough of a community aspect that someone else is there to challenge the opinion.