Ladies and gents.... here is the deal. I have a husband who is really terrif. The problem is... he generously buys me gifts and does the shopping himself - that would be fine if the items came from somewhere that I could easily make returns, but he seems to find hole-in-the-wall places where patchouli oil emanates from every pore and they have terrible return policies. (also, he thinks I am a size 2 but in fact am an easy 8 - awkward to ALWAYS have to return for a noticeably larger size!!)

Do any of you have good ideas of websites where I can gently steer him this holiday season where he can buy but I can return??? I know the usual suspects (netaporter / neimans / etc...) but am looking for something more interesting and chic. Thoughts?

C

Hi Chris,

For starters, I would point him in the direction of Aedes de Venustas. It's an amazing fragrance and home store here in the West Village, but they also have a website: http://www.aedes.com/home.php. They carry some very special items, and would also be great should you need to pick up some holiday gifts yourself.

I'd also suggest Aloharag.com. Aloha Rag is a boutique that started in Hawaii, and recently opened a store in NY. They carry a ton of great designers, and always have an interesting edit.

You should also point him in the direction of Brown's website, brownsfashion.com. Browns is based in England, of course, but they do ship to the states. Not exactly an inexpensive enterprise, but they carry some really special things, so it may be worth it.

Finally, you should check out archivevintage.com. It's a company based out of Dallas, run by a former buyer/manager of Resurrection, that carries some really incredible vintage pieces.

And, of course, the great thing about shopping online is that the return policies are always pretty flexible!
J

Hi Chris-

Two websites I think you would love that have good return/exchange policies:

Intermix: Intermixonline.com

La Garconne: Lagarconne.com - I have recently become obsessed with this one. They have a great selection of hard-to-find designers (at least online) such as Vanessa Bruno and Cacharel.

Hope that helps!

Hey Chris,

These are some of my favorite sites that have good return policies:

Activeendeavors.com- They carry a great range of designers and they have free return shipping, which is also awesome.

Endless.com- If you're looking for shoes and want an alternative to Zappos, this is the place to go. You can return anything within a year and their customer service reps are very helpful.

Revolveclothing.com- They carry a lot of designers but they have a boutique section that makes it easy to find something chic.

You can try www.topshop.com or www.asos.com. They have some really cute things.

xx
Rosi

Such helpful answers, thanks so much. Keep them coming, I think this is good info for all of us. Thanks! Chris

Another one is www.acnejeans.com. Kinda pricey though. Really cute stuff!!

xx
Rosi

love lagarconne! eluxury.com has a great selection as does tobi.com, oaknyc.com, www.matchesfashiononline.com has been my secret british fave!

and yoox.com

steer him towards notcouture.com perhaps. they have so much fabulous stuff it'd be hard to go wrong! all sorts of stuff from all sorts of stores, and links to buy lots of the items!

I have found a way to get exactly what I want. I find something I love and then either have them hold it or I put it on lay away and all he has to do is go there and get it. It's good both ways I get exactly what I want and know it fits and it's easier for him!

cruel as it may sound, you need to tell him not to buy you a gift you won't use, it's thoughtless! men need to be trained