Daily: 305
Vitta Luna dress via Modcloth, Tart leggings via Gilt (click if you need an invite), Born shoes, belt from a Tucker for Target dress
I've decided I'm done with Modcloth, which means I should probably stop visiting their site so I don't find another cute dress to buy. I've criticized Modcloth before on this blog, but my criticism at the time wasn't enough to merit a ban from buying. Yes, they have a major presence in the blogging world, but so do many other stores. It's practically impossible to be completely original. Not that I'm necessarily trying to be just that.
No, my reasons for ending my relationship with Modcloth have to do with size. The dress I am wearing is a large and that makes me mad. Before you think I'm mad that it indicates I am large, that is not it at all. I am not large. I generally don't state what size I wear because I don't think it's beneficial to most conversations, however for this conversation, I think that it is. I wear a size 6 in pants (I don't know what that translates to in dress size). I realize sizes are very arbitrary, but I think you can get most people to generally agree that size 6 is considered thin. I don't say this to brag, I say this to make a point that Modcloth doesn't want you as a customer if you are larger than a size 6 because many of their dresses wouldn't fit someone bigger than me. There are a select few dresses on the website that are larger than a size 6, but often when I am looking around at dresses, I find that I consistently fit in a large and sometimes I can't even fit in a large based on their measurement chart. Even this dress is bulging at the buttons and I will probably end up wearing it open and layered over other dresses because of this.
I realize that my size gives me some privilege over other women. I am able to buy styles that some women don't have access to. This does not make me happy, in fact it makes me sad. When I wear an item on this blog, I am promoting it to a certain degree and it upsets me that this could exclude some of my readers from purchasing those items if they wanted to. So, I'm done with Modcloth. Now the question remains how to handle the clothing I already own. I like the pieces I have and I've already purchased them, but when I wear them, it's is an advertisement for Modcloth. What do you think?
Let me tell you, my list of unacceptable stores to shop at is getting longer. I think I'm being pushed more and more into buying secondhand. If only secondhand weren't so hard to buy online.
*I know my dress is a wrinkled mess. Ah, high-maintenance fabrics. Grrr.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Those leggings are great.
I'd wear the dresses that you've already purchased, since I think they are too cute to donate. You can always use posting them on your blog as an opportunity to discuss sizing, etc.
I don't think there is anything wrong with continuing to wear them. Or you could donate them to a program like Dress for Success or some other great cause.
Well, you certainly look cute and fantastic! I just adore the leggings with this look.
And you are right: size large is ridiculous. It is silly when stores don't offer a variety of sizes. It is really their loss...financially, that is.
As for wearing the dresses or not...I know I would still wear them. Maybe instead of simply not wearing the modcloth dresses as a protest you could put a link up for online stores that DO carry a variety of sizes when you wear them?
It is a dilemma. But I totally agree with what you are saying.
heart: Kimberellie
Hi Fia,
We’re sorry you were unhappy with the fit of our dress. We work with a number of small, independent designers, which leads to variance in our sizing. By providing measurements under every product description we hope to better assist you in determining fit. We also encourage customers to leave honest opinions in our “Review” section. That way you can hear what previous purchasers have to say about the item. I think your idea of leaving it unbuttoned and layering it is great! That will definitely come in handy for Fall. It’s a really resourceful way to “make it work”. We appreciate customer feedback and take that into consideration when working with each and every designer. We’d like to extend you the offer of returning this particular dress. Just email us at support@modcloth.com.
With Regard,
Elisa at ModCloth
Hi Elisa,
Thank you for contacting me. I plan to keep the dress and make it work. My critique isn't necessarily with the dress. I understand that you work with small, independent designers and this plays a part in your selection of items and sizes. However, it is concerning to me that consistently waist measurements for large dresses are in the 15-17 range. Yes, some extend beyond that, but if the average woman is a size 12-14, then your large dresses are not truly large. I realize that there will be a cutoff point in sizing for any clothing retailer, but I think Modcloth sets that bar too low and therefore excludes many women, women who I respect too much to exclude. I would be interested if you have any plans to address this issue in the future.
Hi Fia,
We definitely understand your concern and frustration, and want to assure you there is no "cut-off point" with our sizing. Unfortunately, for now, we're at the mercy of how our designers size items, and today there is a lot of variability in that sizing and how a "large" (as well as all the other sizes) is defined. Please know that our buyers are always on the lookout for designers our customers want to see and want to support, and so this is where we need your help. Please let us know of any designers that you respect and would like to see us support and carry. You can email us at press@modcloth.com and we'll make sure your recommendations are passed along to our buying team. In the meantime, thank you for speaking up about this on your blog. We can't improve if our customers don't let us know how they'd like to see us grow; we hope to hear from you soon. :)
Aire @ModCloth
I find that when an online boutique consistently offers clothing that seems to run small from different labels that I've never heard of, they're stocking pieces designed and made in China...where the population generally skews smaller.
That's an interesting point. I'll have to check the labels on the pieces I own. Thank you for bringing it up.
Fia,
I am in the same boat as you. I love so many items modcloth carries but the sizing is very off. I am not a size large either but anything I've ordered from there I ordered a size large. Half of the items I've bought I had to return because they were too small.
On the upside, you look beautiful.
Fia, Awesome leggings :) Check me out if you have time! Becca http://dansmonboudoir.com I'm in SF too :)
Post a Comment
Thanks for visiting my blog and joining the discussion. I appreciate every comment.
♥ Fia