Online Fashion - Without having to get dressed to see it! (fashionunion.co.uk)

Member Name: ChemicalRomance

Product:	fashionunion.co.uk
Date:	16/06/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Fashion, great clearance sections..

Disadvantages: 2nd Class post takes a week to arrive..

I have a problem the majority of the time finding clothes I like on the high street whether that is because I am far too picky or just the fact that everyone who buys on the high street is wearing the same thing.. There is nothing worse than going out and seeing more than one person in the same clothes as you, that has been a killer with Primark's opening up all over the country..

So one day a catalogue for this site came through and I liked what I saw and grabbing my laptop I logged on to see what other fashion goodies I could get my hands on..

The site url is http://www.fashionunion.co.uk

~*~ Who does Fashion Union cater for? ~*~

Men and women, it is a fairly young site with some of the younger styles that perhaps older ladies or men wouldn't imagine themselves wearing, but there is also a great range of items such as accessories which are good for any age from early teen to any age you feel like really.. I am not going to discriminate against older people because there are a lot of items that are for any age range so if you fancy it, why not go for it!

~*~ How is the site laid out? ~*~

When you first log onto the site, it automatically brings you onto the women's section of the site, which leads me to think very few men use it.. However on the left hand side of the page there is a section to click on which will take you to the men's section - which looks similar to the women's only with male models instead of female ones! On each section there are recommendations for clothes that you might like, admittedly not all the time are the clothes all that nice but still it's meant to be the best sellers they show..
There is a section to request catalogue, and one when you can join them and become a fan on Facebook.. Everything is getting on Facebook!!!
Not forgetting the clearance sections split in men and women across the bottom of the home page..

The clothes come in ten separate categories.. Those are..
Tees/Vest, Tops, Knits, Jeans/Trousers, Sweats, Shorts, Dresses, Jackets, Shoes/Accessories, Swimwear..

You might notice there is no mention of skirts, don't worry they are in the dresses section they are tucked in amongst those at the moment!

The categories do change for the men's section..
T-shirts/Tops, Polos, Shirts, Sweats & Hoodies, Jeans & Trousers, Jackets, Shorts & Swim..
So the categories for men really are slim compared to the women's but that is the same wherever you go..

~*~ The Clothes ~*~

As I said the clothes are mainly young fashions, with skinny jeans and leggings for under short skirts, which there are plenty of on this site.. The majority of the women's clothes are quite boho in fashion styles at the moment so all the tops are floaty and the dresses are long and flowery, but come autumn that will change and be replaced with warmer looking clothes, and the knits section is expanded, and when winter arrives they have some really nice coats. One of which I bought in the clearance sale, from £30, to £9.. Which is a big of a bargain..

The men's clothes are not to dissimilar from anything you would find in Burtons or Officers Club, the jeans are just as baggy and the t-shirts are still printed with various patterns as you would find on the high street.. The prices of them are not that different to the prices in the shops either, it is just the benefit of not having to leave the house to buy them. They do have a lot of t-shirts on sale a lot of the time, dropping them from £15 to £3 which is a complete bargain!

~*~ Prices ~*~

For women the clothes vary in price especially if you are buying out of the clearance section, normally in the tops, they start at £4 for some brightly coloured vest tops, and around £15 - £30 for the jeans, which is similar prices to the high street and you don't have to worry about getting dressed to buy them! Shoes vary dramatically depending on what kind you are buying on average they are around £15 - £20 which like I say is similar to high street stores..
The men's prices are the same really, they vary but the jeans and t-shirts and the same as most high street stores, they do feel to be a little better quality but that is no way making the items more expensive in the first place.. Jeans for £30 or less and t-shirts that are £15, but reduced to £3 are quite frequent!

~*~ Delivery ~*~

There are a few choices when it comes to delivery, they offer first or second class delivery in the UK..
First class is £4.95 if you spend less than £100, but free if you spend over £100..
Second class is £3.95..
Next day delivery is available at £5.95 providing your order is placed by 12pm Monday - Thursday..
They also offer European delivery for £5.95..
Worldwide delivery is £.9.95 which is a lot less than some American sites charge to post items here!

I placed my order on second class for the cheapest delivery, which took exactly a week to get here.. I ordered the item, late last Tuesday and it arrived with my postman first thing this morning!

~*~ Overall ~*~

This site is great for women who want something a little bit different to what is on offer on the high street, with the sizes that you will find on hangers in any shop, unlike some online stores that take the normal sizes and change them for other numbers, because that is mighty confusing! When their clearance things are available there are a lot of bargains to be had, but be quick else you really will miss out, things that are nice will go pretty quickly..
The male sections are very similar to the high street but again offer some deals in the clearance section which are well worth a look, the postage is the same for both sections and the quality of the clothes are actually really good, for a mail order site, they appear to last a decent amount of time..
The postage in second class for me is enough, I don't think waiting a week is bad for something that I don't need in a hurry, £5.95 is not bad for next day delivery either given some sites would charge in excess of £10 for the same luxury..
Customer service is brilliant, I e-mailed them and asked about my jacket when it would be delivered and various other questions, and I received an e-mail back in the same day, the staff are pleasant and the item arrived this morning so I can't complain..
All this just because a catalogue came through my letter box.. If only all mail order companies were this good!

Summary: Great online shop, easily navigated with friendly staff!