Services Do the Shopping for Men Who Hate the Mall

For men who don't like to shop, the idea of a subscription clothing service sounds ideal: Fill out an online questionnaire, get a box of clothes in the mail, try them on at home, keep what you want, return what you don't―all without setting foot in a store.Several of these services exist, each with its own approach, ranging from one item every month to a full wardrobe delivered seasonally, to any number of items delivered as needed. We tried three services. None charged a separate membership fee. Customers pay retail price for the clothes and the sites makes their profit that way.To get started with Trunk Club, my husband―who hates to shop―and I signed up online and filled out a questionnaire asking everything from his age to his occupation, his sizes, how he dresses at work and at home and his preferred stores and brands. It also asks for customers to pick one of four overall styles: formal "Park Avenue," trendy "Modern Man," classic "Heritage Style," and athletic "Work Hard, Play Hard."
We were then assigned a stylist whose phone number, email, and photo were included.Another round of detailed questions followed including preferred colors and fit. The site even asked whether my husband likes to wear his button-down shirts tucked in or out.Next, we were asked to check off the items we needed. We asked for everything except shoes and jackets.The next day, we received a detailed email from Ali Ryan, our stylist, asking to discuss our preferences over the phone to make sure that she had gotten everything right. (Scheduling issues led us to do this via email.)
We then got an email with more targeted questions about what we did and didn't want included in the trunk. Ms. Ryan also sent us a range of price points for the different categories and we requested that she choose on the lower end. The prices in this category ranged as wide as $250 (for example, sweaters from $150 to $400).The "trunk"―a sturdy cardboard box with a flip-back top and plastic handle―arrived a couple of weeks after our order. It contained a neatly stacked pile of clothes and accessories along with a handwritten note from Ms. Ryan and a packing list with individual prices. Nowhere did we see a grand total for the clothes, so we tallied it up ourselves. The 12 items totaled $1,374, ranging from $10 for a pair of patterned socks by PACT Apparel to $178 for a pair of AG Hero jeans.Trunk Club offers members free returns within 10 days of the shipment's arrival. We went over the time limit but we were told by Ms. Ryan that as long as we kept her up-to-date, it would be fine to delay it.We liked the selections and the personalized service. The pattern of one button-down wasn't what we would have chosen, and a "vintage washed polo" by Lacoste seemed overpriced at $88. When we Googled it, we found the same one on a different site on sale for $52.99.

Pacific Plex Summer Dress Clearance Sale

PacificPlex, a premier online retailer and fashion leader specializing in formal evening wear and plus size dresses today announced that it will be holding a clearance sale with savings up to 73% off original prices. Anna Evers, Director of Marketing at Website says, "In order to make way for the Fall inventory, we need to clear some space in our warehouse so we are slashing prices and allowing the customers huge savings on our already great prices. These dresses are moving fast and sizes or quantities may be limited"
For best selection shop early, even though PacificPlex carries sizes extra small through 5x, including junior plus size, not every dress on sale will be available in all sizes during this clearance. The clearance sale includes gowns both long and short, strapless dresses, and bridal gowns. There is also some casual clothing available on clearance such as dressy tops sun dresses and ladies teddy. Website is continually expanding their fashions with new clothing, shoes and accessories, making the online retailer a one-stop-shop for those who love to make purchases online for the convenience and savings on high fashion in the comfort of their own home.
PacificPlex allows its users the luxury of shopping online and browsing the continuous expansion of its collection. The assortments of clothing are of top-of-the-line quality, and are the latest in the fashion industry. With the ability to carry extended sizes up to 5X, women of all sizes can enjoy and lavish in the chic and stylish women's plus size dresses that PacificPlex offers.PacificPlex is the fashion leader in formal dresses. The online premier retailer specializes in plus-size clothing for teens and junior sizes. PacificPlex carries bridesmaid dresses, long prom gowns, and short and stylish outfits. In addition, the website provides shoes, bags, jewelry and Lesather sexy accessories, as well as many other essentials to complete a wardrobe. The retailer provides styles that reflect famous designers such as: Jessica McClintock, Sherri Hill, Flirt, La Femme, and many others. With careful attention to detail, and an exquisite choice selection, PacificPlex offer runway-fresh and modern clothing, with an inexpensive price tag.
The Wardrobe For Opportunity office on 14th Street in downtown Oakland is on the second floor of a commercial building. A buzzer at the entrance grants access to the office, but don't expect to see a room filled with desks and computers. Those are in a corner just far enough away so clients are not distracted from the space they just entered. Instead, the boutique is filled with racks of women's clothing: Dresses, coats, skirts and tops and a space for shoes. The men's section is almost as large and carries all of the items needed to dress someone in business attire.

Thrifty bride KNITS her own dress from charity shops for ￡5,000 recession wedding

When Lydia Tayler and Ash Pears wanted to hold their dream wedding and still have money left over to buy a house, they knew they needed to be inventive.And thanks to Lydia's handicraft skills, they managed to hold a wedding for just ￡5,000 - nearly ￡15,000 cheaper than the cost of the average wedding.She knitted her own dress, decked out the reception with homemade bunting and served nearly 80 guests on crockery scavenged from charity shops and car boot sales.She and husband Ash got their big day for a snip - ￡5,000 compared to the ￡20,248 average bill which the bridal industry says couples face in 2012 for their big day.
It allowed the happy couple to splash out on a 18 night dream honeymoon in Bali and Singapore and have enough left over for a deposit on a new house.One of the biggest savings was on the wedding dress which Lydia, 26, knocked up for less than ￡200 - using a ￡3.99 pair of knitting needles.Lydia, of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, spent four months making a made-to-measure dress which would make 26-year-old Ash proud, using 300g of yarn and 100,000 stitches.She said: 'I looked at a few dresses first but only for inspiration. I did try a couple on but had already set my mind to knitting my own.'I did not look at the price tags but I know from my friends' wedding they would have cost a fortune.
'Even if we had had the money to spend on a big wedding we would not have done it. What most people spend is a very good deposit for a house.'If we had won the National Lottery the only change we would have made is a free bar for our friends.'Everyone just loved my dress. They could not stop looking at it and taking photographs. It was lovely to wear - not only nice and warm but as light as lace because I used very fine yarn.'Knitting is a huge part of my life and I always knew I would want it to form some part of our wedding - I just didn't set out for it to play such a huge role.
'The dress is the hardest, and most important, garment I have ever made but I'm so glad I did it.' After the ceremony in Huddersfield Town Hall the wedding party moved onto a reception at the local rugby club.Lydia and her family decorated the conference suite with home-made bunting and fed the 78 guests off crockery from car boot sales and charity shops.
She carried a bouquet of stitched together fabric and fake flowers and handed out home-made wedding gifts of pear pin cushions made out of stuffed fabric.

Picking the perfect plus size mother of the bride dress

This article discusses some ways a plus-size mother of the bride can ensure she has a lovely, flattering dress for her daughter's wedding.Weddings can be stressful events, and when planning one, it seems that hundreds of things have the potential to go wrong. The mother of the bride is usually neck-deep in these preparations, and it seems the last thing she has time to do is go find a sexy open babydolls. This issue becomes more complex if the mother is a plus-size woman. It's a fact: dresses in the formal shops are not usually displayed in plus sizes. The industry standard size is a 10 and most dresses will be this size. So how can a mother of the bride find a gown that is suitable for her needs and looks beautiful? Read on.
A MOB (mother of the bride) has two choices: buy or make. Making a dress may seem like the ideal solution, since the mother can have her pick of styles, fabrics and colors, but even with a skilled seamstress working, time must be taken to go to the fabric store, peruse the patterns, pick a color and fabric that is suitable, and go for dress fittings. As with most wedding plans, the earlier a MOB starts, the easier she will find her task.One advantage to the handmade dress is that many patterns are available for plus-size formals, and these tend to be constructed in flattering styles, unlike dresses in a retail store that simply can be purchased in larger sizes, but do not take into consideration the needs of the larger women.
Plus-size women, whether tall, average height or short, often have several things in common where their body styles are concerned. Most have large thighs and upper arms. Many have large bustlines, but this is not always the case. Any dress style should take these things into account. Plus-size women generally shy away from anything sleeveless, strapless, very low-cut, backless Sexy bikini or with a short skirt. Garments constructed for the larger woman will have larger armholes, a greater amount of ease in the shoulder and back seams, and will be wider through the shoulders. Hence, a handmade garment can accommodate most of these features.A plus-size MOB should consider first and foremost: what styles are attractive on her? Some women look better in a one-piece gown, some in a two-piece suit or skirt and top combination. She should look at the dress clothes she wears most often and feels most comfortable in. These styles will likely be what she needs to look for in a gown. Of course, the formality of the wedding will determine the style to a certain extent, but what makes a gown truly a formal are the fabric and the accessories, and within most styles, there is great latitude for how formal the gown will be.

Coral and bold patterns, summer dresses and fedoras reign at Essence Fest

Keyshia Cole and Trey Songz may be ruling the Main Stage, but coral-colored clothing is reigning over the fashion scene at this year's Essence Music Festival. Tropical orange-pink hues flash from cotton dresses, fitted skirts, light slacks, frilly blouses and the occasional men's button-down shirt throughout the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.Many of the women not rocking coral have chosen evening gown and rompers in bold patterns -- stripes, swirls, zigzags, leopard print. Chunky, sky-high heels, wedge heels the still-popular gladiator sandals also fill the Superdome floors as part of carefully crafted ensembles. Men draw attention in bright, super-sleek suits and matching leather dress shoes. Many others have taken the casual and comfortable yet well-put-together approach with neat slacks and button-down shirts. Light-colored fedoras with colorful bands complete a number of outfits.
Some festival attendees said they simply put on their usual chic attire for tonight's events, while others said they coordinated their ensembles especially for Essence. All interviewed said their apparel reflects who they are.The outfit: Ferguson sported a black-and-white ensemble formed of a white tunic and pin-striped black dress slacks with black dress sandals. He matched this with a white fedora with a black band and an impressive array of gold bracelets and rings from around the world. Most noticeable is Ferguson's vest, a black-and-white piece with a back covered in grinning skeletons, bones and other haunting images.
Where he finds his attire: Ferguson said he travels often and his souvenirs always include clothing and black net stocking."Everywhere I go, I have to leave enough room in my suitcase because I’m going to buy something," he said, pointing out bracelets and rings acquired from Italy, Mexico and parts of Africa.Ferguson, who owns at least 200 pairs of shoes – and annually donates 30 to 50 pairs to homeless shelters – said he bought two pairs of sandals in New Orleans. This year, he may buy a new fedora, he said.What is your favorite part of your attire? "Putting it all together. Most of all, I like this vest."What does this outfit say about your personality? "Age is nothing but a number."The outfit: Sip wore a fitted coral blazer paired with skinny jeans and chunky coral high heels accented with a white flower on each. She completed her ensemble with white feather earrings.How she picked her outfit: "I saw a lot of people wearing blazers and thought I’d dress it down with jeans but still dress it up with heels, kinda dress it up and down at the same time."