This is a great idea. I've asked attractive female friends who I think have a good sense of style to spend a couple hours shopping with me and pick out clothes. They're usually flattered and it's fun. Note: I only ask when I know their boyfriend as well - so its clear that they're helping me as a charity case (most girls love to "fix up" a guy's fashion)/not trying to date them. I don't do this as much now since I've learned what fits and what looks good on me.
Fashion tip for skinny, nerdy guys: Dark sport coat, dark jeans, button down shirt with a splash of color/texture
You talk to a real woman about your taste and needs in clothing. She picks out a selection and sends it to you. You keep what you like and send the rest back.
This is interesting from a couple of points. First, I live 1 hour from the nearest clothing stores and 2 hours from the likes of Macy's, plus I dont like shopping for clothes. I have a live-in SO who probably wouldnt like another woman shopping for me, or maybe she would be OK with it. I'm sure she wouldn't like my paying full retail.
The second point is that this is an interesting business model, the customer service of interacting with a sales person and the ease of shopping on the internet. I could see the working with high end products like cameras and electronics, maybe even furniture. Probably not with dog food.
Incentives. The whole point of a wife isn't "commitment," it's monogamy. It has benefits for both parties, but because she wants a monopsony on your sperm, she doesn't want you looking good to other women.
I got my wife's abilities quite by accident. Like most things that accompanied marriage, it mostly took me by surprise...yeah, men are the dumber sex ;).
Maybe (ha!) I'm weird, but I really enjoy shopping for clothes. No-one'd call me handsome or dapper, but there's something really satisfying about putting a look together.
I like the shopping but figuring out how to piece together a look that fits my style is hard on me. I'm curious to see what options I get from them so I can learn to do the same for myself some day.
This is pretty neat. It's like Amazons Mechanical Turk except for clothes shopping. Maybe I missed it, but how do they make money? Do they just take a cut off the top of the clothes they send?
They sell it to you at full retail. They order just-in-time, so they dont have any inventory. The article didnt mention how they handle returns. The cynic in me says that the returned items go at the top of the recommendations.
Although it sounds kind of cool, I'd be a little nervous trusting people working on commission for advice on whether a shirt looks good on me or not.
It seems like it wouldn't be hard to have some sort of follow-up survey to unlock the commission (things like "did you feel comfortable wearing the clothes recommended" / "did you feel pressured" etc.), but as is, I'd feel a bit nervous about the advice.
That, and my girlfriend loves shopping. I think she'd kill me if I ever used this service.
I thought it was a great idea, until I washed their intro video. Highlights:
- A lime green tie with an ill fitting shirt on generic
businessman.
- Striped shirt on a man over 19.
When creating a business based on style and taste, it helps to have some. The advice to take a girlfriend shopping is good. or just try to develop taste yourself.
Fashion tip for skinny, nerdy guys: Dark sport coat, dark jeans, button down shirt with a splash of color/texture
http://yoox.com for fashionable close-outs