Men’s Undie Awards

This post complements yesterday’s “Sports Bras in Action,” because the guys need support as well.

HisRoom.com, the men’s version of HerRoom.com, also shows off its undergarments in action. But they also have something a little extra-the HisRoom.com Annual Undie Awards!! What better way to pick THE perfect boxer brief, trunk, or even man thong? Learn more about the styling, stitching and seams, materials (vital for wicking ability), and other outstanding features of men’s undergarments. The Undie Awards chooses winners from several categories in addition to the aforementioned ones, including favorite woven boxer, knit boxer, brief, and t-shirt to name a few.

If the above video’s action was too brief (pun intended), check out more underwear in motion in the Valentine’s Skivvy Shimmy below (warning-you might blush!):

Personal shopper delivered to your inbox every morning

Who has the time to research all their favorite designers on a daily basis? Or to constantly prowl through different websites for killer sales? Yeah, I don’t either. I used to wish I had the money to throw at someone to do the dirty work for me – until I found ShopItToMe.com.

Basically, the site does what it says. It shops. It sends. All to my inbox every morning. It’s like opening a present every time I see my “sale mail” inbox from them. (If you’re not a fan of daily gifts, you can pick which days of the week you want to be emailed.) And the best part? The website knows me. It knows everything about my personal shopping needs from my shoe size to my bra size. It knows which designers I like and which clothing types I’m browsing for.

ShopItToMe.com delivers men's, women's, and/or children's clothes to your inbox according to your size and style

When you sign up at ShopItToMe it gives you dozens of options to completely personalize your profile so the only items you get in your inbox are the ones you’re looking for. And always in your size! How heart breaking is it to find the perfect summer wedges on sale and then clicking the drop-down size menu only to find infant sizes 5.5 and 6 available? Problem no more.

Your personalized email is called personal for a reason. Your sizes, your brands. Two weeks ago I was salivating for chic white jeans. I changed my preferences and was willingly bombarded with options until I found my perfect pair (obviously on sale and in my size). ShopItToMe isn’t just for women either. Men’s and children’s clothing are also available to choose from too – although only the women’s section is blessed with accessories and shoes. Sorry, guys. I really just can’t get enough of this website. They even show you “brands you’ll love” based on your preferences and “brands of the moment”. Way to cater to the customer.

Now I can always be a cutting edge shopper. Oh, I forgot – a “latest-markdown-knowing, promotion-code-using, VIP- sales-event going” cutting edge kind of shopper (thanks to my “sale mail”, of course). And if this isn’t enough to wet your whistle, there is even more on their blog (blog.shopittome.com). I loved their latest post in lieu of the World Cup on the fashionable WAGS (wives and girlfriends) of England’s soccer elite. So whether your thing is stalking the queen bee of WAGS (Victoria Beckham) or simply having a personal deals of the day email sent to your inbox – I strongly recommend looking into ShopItToMe. Trust me on this one.

Dressing Rooms of the Future

It’s difficult to know if something will fit you by seeing a 2-D representation of it. Perhaps that is why only 10% of all apparel is purchased online.¹ Obviously, there is no way to try on clothing you see on a website. No matter how many product images, videos, or demos there are, there’s always the intangible aspect of shopping for clothes online.

Or is there?

I recently saw the video above that really blew me away. Is this the future of online shopping? After all, online retailers lose large amounts of money with returned apparel, since by the time the product is returned, inspected, and put back on the shelves, it is likely out of season. Customers lose money when they have to pay for return shipping, resulting in a net loss even if they receive full credit on the item (another reason to shop at stores with free returns!) Virtual dressing rooms would reduce the need for costly returns and exchanges.

While the video above is, at the moment, conceptual and not yet implemented, there are currently a few virtual dressing rooms online that are less advanced and interactive. Fits.me is a virtual fitting room for online retailers of apparel. Consumers can input their measurements and see a pre-figured 3-D image of how different sizes would appear on them. Tobi.com has a virtual dressing room in which users upload copied-and pasted images that link up to a live image of themselves through a webcam; however these images are also pre-figured and don’t give a true sense of what the product looks like on the user.

Is this the future of online shopping?  Surely virtual dressing rooms get us one stop closer to translating the virtual world of online shopping to mimic the experience of a physical store.

¹http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/14/news/economy/online_retailing/

Free Underwear Mailed To Your Door? Yes Please!

Try not to judge, but I’ve done laundry twice since the SuperBowl. The first thing I run out of? Washcloths and underwear. Thus, I was super excited to find that right now, AmericanApparel.com is offering to mail a free pair of underwear to anyone who signs up for their email newsletter. No coupon and no visit to store necessary! You can go right to the sign-up page here. They even let you choose your size, so you won’t end up with a pair like the ones below:)

Now, if only I could turn my washcloths inside-out…

Gap.com $7 Flat-Rate Shipping Every Day

No matter how much you spend, shipping is always $7 for all purchases made on Gap.com. You can even shop all 5 of their stores (Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta) for one comprehensive $7 shipping fee! Gap’s classic American styles are viewable through seamless navigation on the website. The product reviews are available for most of the products sold and are incredibly helpful and elaborate.