eBay: Discerning the Disorder from the Discount

Ad-Vice Ad-Lib: eBay Examination; Volume 1: Searching out the Steals

So people often ask me, how I manage to keep up my incredible shopping addiction, when I have so very little "funding."  Aside from the use of flash sales that I have discussed before, I often respond that I got whatever I'm wearing for much much less on eBay.  For many people eBay is a place they don't want to venture to for several reasons.  To start with, eBay can seem scary because it can seem next to impossible to navigate the plethora of pantsuits, pocket-watches and paraphernalia that live in the massive market that is eBay's online store.  Even worse, eBay is full of fakers, schemers and counterfeit producers of the beloved brand name clothing we often search for.  Moreover, many people don't want to deal with haggling with the hacks that run rampant all over the ebay site.  However, all these cons can be minimized to create a relatively satisfying spending experience if you know how to skillfully surf the site.

So in order to tackle troublesome eBay trait number one, you need to know how to conduct a proper search.  I'm not sure if it's the attorney in me that somehow steered me to using my investigating instincts for more pleasant pursuits, but there's a certain skill involved in tracking down your desired duds.  Because most people don't list too many descriptive terms in the title, aside from the brand, size and sometimes the color, the best way to hunt down an item on eBay is to have a specific brand in mind that you are looking to score.  You can run many different searches with all different brands if there a few you are thinking might be right for the piece you are daydreaming about.  eBay even suggests a few that are similar to the initial brand you selected if you have trouble thinking of several at a time.  Start with the brand name and then choose the style(s) you are looking for (i.e. Women's Clothing -> Dresses or Dresses and Tops).  Then you can narrow the search down even further by specific size, color, style, price, etc.  The key though is to get the broadest search to encompass any specific item you are looking for that will exclude the primary amount of riff-raff rejects that you do not want, while still making sure not to accidentally exclude something that you do really want.

So, to illustrate step one, let's say you are looking for an awesome yet agile day-to-night work dress, you might want to look at brands like Black Halo, Diane von Furstenberg.  You can enter the brand and see what shows up.  You should end up with a screen like the one snapped below.

First, note that the aforementioned suggested brands will appear under your search box, so even though you are searching by brand, eBay will give you suggestions to broaden your search to other equally delightful designers.  Now, Black Halo is not as widely produced as DVF, so 452 results is actually relatively manageable compared to some search turnouts, but it still helps to eliminate irrelevant items.  From the box on the right you can click on, let's say, sizes and maybe also item condition and drastically diminish worthless results.  You get down to 196 just by size alone (selecting 5 different potential sizes I could fit into) which is less than half, and selecting only new items gets you down to 165.

This makes it easy to sort through what you're really looking for instead of spending hours sifting through the overabundance of outfit options available on eBay.  Now if you start with a more widely produced brand, like DVF, you are going to get results in the thousands.  Sometimes its worth sifting through these because you can find some really amazing finds.  But for most people, this tedious chore can turn you off from online shopping completely.  So if you're one of those types, try looking at department store sites or other retailers regularly and take note of the style names that you like.  Take Shopbop, for example.  You can "heart" items that are your favorites and keep a running tab of all the dresses and styles that you like on that site.  They will have names you can use to identify the specific clothing style.

Look under the designer style and you'll see the dress has a "name" or title.  You can save these dresses in your hearts and buy them from Shopbop when they go on sale (or when you've saved up enough).  What if, however, Shopbop has run out of your size, or the item isn't on sale and you can't quite afford to pay full retail for it.  Then you can run searches for the dress and style on eBay itself.  You can additionally try searches in Shopstyle or at popular department stores like Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue and most of those sites include the style name in reference to a piece of clothing they have as well.  The above dresses are called the Rachel style and the Naira style (often styles are women's names).  You can take that title to eBay and search DVF Rachel for example (to get the style on the left) and you wind up with the search results below:

About 5 results show up for this particular style and all of them are for less than half of retail.  If that's still too much, or you can't still can't find your size, eBay has the option to save searches.  Under the search box will be a blue "save search" option.  These saved searches will be located under the My eBay menu on your eBay home page.  That way you can check back regularly to see if new styles have been added that are more to your liking.  Also, there's an option to email new items daily that match your search.  On really specific searches (like say you're hunting for those out of stock Christian Louboutin Pigalle pumps you missed out on, or maybe it's a Malandrino maxi that's got your attention), then I suggest testing out the daily mail because they only come if something new is added so as to avoid inundating your inbox, but they prevent you from missing out on an outfit you're looking for.

Conducting this searching process can also lead you to consistently find sellers that you like.  For example, I really like the prices at a consignment store on eBay called Linda's Stuff.  She gets things shipped from resellers all over the country, so if you don't mind used goods (and often even new goods), her online shop is a great place to go if you're trying to limit your wide search.  If her store isn't your style, you can also just start following sellers you consistently see or start developing good relationships with, then you can search the items they have for to sidestep having to pick a brand every time you start a search and to additional avoid any worries of having a negative exchange on eBay.

While this may seem like just another large online shopping commitment, if you learn the tricks of the trade you will find its possible to streamline your searching skills to stylize yourself at a steal while simultaneously slimming the slogging typically associated with rummaging through reduced-price goods.

"Tribal" in Paradise

OBSESSION OF THE MOMENT: Tribal Treasures

Last year, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend a year abroad in Italy.  While the year was a struggle for me, it also was one of the best experiences of my life.  My time there was challenging for the same reason it was life-changing; because I had to learn to adapt to a new and different culture.  This time was trying for me (as it would be for most people) because we become so dependent on the quirks and conveniences of the culture in which we were raised that forcing ourselves to mold our minds around another way of doing things requires practicing a lot more patience than we are accustomed.  Yet, living in another culture can be a beautiful experience when you let it open your eyes to the myriad modes of living one's life.

The tribal trend that's recently raged it's way through the runway scene represents that fabulous fusion of culture and clothing.  The bold bright colors and geometric shapes mirror the melodic mismatch that takes place when a culture clash collides.  The pieces make dissonance desirable by combining zealous zigzags, tempting triangles, and genius geos with color patterns as simply subdued as black and white, as audaciously ostentatious as orange, blue and red; or even as rambunctious as rainbow.

These funky fusions scream sizzling summer heat with a look that's as brazen as the sun is bright but appropriate for an array of occasions.  Whether you're strolling your local streets on your own stay-cation safari or skipping town in a resort-ready look, this ethnic-inspired craze is sure to elevate your fashion footprint.  Wherever you dare to wear your tribal choice, you're sure to make a splash that says trendy, yet tolerant of cultural customs across the globe.

From maxis to mid-calf styles, I love wearing my summer selections in sundress form.  This Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent print below is a great way to wear the style from head to toe.

Though this print is a flashier way to flaunt the fad, the feminine silhouette of the dress keeps the look from being overboard.  The leather trim ties on the maxi version add some sexy edge to the dress by emphasizing the bared back.  The ruffle hem dress is still available in select sizes on Gilt at steal of a price for $199 down at over 50% off from its $425 retail.  The maxi version of the print is available at retail on Zappos if you're searching to splurge.

For a more muted maxi try on tribal with downplayed dissonance by picking colors that are more cohesive.

I love this Parker maxi which plays up the fad with a geometric pattern, but combines colors that blend more harmoniously.  Available now on Shopbop for 30% off of $198 for only $138.60, pick this piece to wear on that upcoming adventurous vacation to take your tribal tropical.

Wearing one of your tribal treats to an elegant excursion screams beautiful but slightly bad-ass, and the dress below is a perfect way to wear the trend in a more refined way.

This bustier print dress by Monrow shows off the tribal trend on an understated outline and a soft hue which makes it more appropriate for those fancier functions.  Now available on Shopbop at 30% off of its original price of $162 for only $113.40.  Pair the dress with nude pumps to elevate the elegance or pair with black sandals to display the dress all day (although I would avoid an ankle strap number like the one pictured above to prevent shortening the leg).  As mentioned in prior articles, I like to customize a craze with thoughtful tailoring.  Being a shorter woman myself, I often take up hems in order to elongate the leg, and with the boxy shape of the skirt, I would recommend doing the same with this piece for those less vertically inclined.

For a piece that parties from day to night, I love Rachel Pally's consistently comfortable couture.

This dress was recently available on Gilt for only $99 but can still be found on Shopbop for slightly more at $144.90 down from its original price of $207.  This dress, while simple in terms of color pattern, uses the print to flatter the figure in a really beautiful way.  I also love that this piece is perfect for everything from daytime festivals to a girl's night out.  The quieter color scheme also makes the dress ideal for combining with this season's popular pops of color by donning a showy shoe or bright bag.

If you're looking for a more fashion-forward way to wear the trend, try combining a tribal print with a bolder body shape like the raucous romper below.

This Dolce Vita Kelsey Romper is available today on Gilt for a mere $45 down from $88.  Belt this dress and wear it with sky high black sandals for a night out on the town or pair it with a cross-body and flats to turn your day-time look dreamy on that next vacation.

Another one of my favorite things about this trend is its talent to turn typically-arid errand-running into an exotic excursion.

Both of these pieces are easy to throw on but have the ability to up your outfit in an instant.  The Current Elliot "The Boyfriend Shorts" to the left in multi-arrow print can be paired with a plain white tank and flip flops to prevent tribal from turning tacky.  These are available now on Shopbop for 30% off original retail at $96.60.   The Free People Knit Cropped Tribal Tank on the right makes tribal tempting with its sheer mesh front.  Available now for only $35 on Gilt and can be accessed by using this link.

To ancestrally accessorize an otherwise fad-free ensemble, try selecting a statement necklace like those pictured below.

The Giles & Brother Trove Ray Necklace is available on the Giles & Brother site for $160 down from $250 and is still available on Gilt for even less at only $128!  The Joanna Laura Constantine Zig-Zag bib necklace was featured in a recent flash sale on Ideeli.

If you prefer to accessorize from the ground up, you'll see the tribal trend works from top to toe as well, as demonstrated by these gorgeous summer-appropriate Mark + James wedges shown below.

The shoes, pictured in Vanilla and Black Raffia, also came in a sage blue color and I quite frankly love each color selection.  Currently on sale for $159.99 down from $265 in the vanilla color on Zappos or in both colors for $199.99 on 6pm's website, these shoes give your feet a sexy silhouette not to be missed this summer season.

The culture clash exuded by this tribal trend is anything but conflicting, creating instead a smooth synergy between styles from several societies across the globe.  Whether or not you've had the opportunity to globe-trot from place to place, make your wardrobe worldly with your favorite tribal treasure.  This sizzling summer season, let out your inner ethnic elegance for a trouble-free tribal paradise.  Who knew panache could be so politically proper?