J Crew’s stores only offer a small percentage of it stock. The website on the other hand has the full array as well as a great permanent sale section (NB always filter by size first!). The imagery on the site is great for a bit of uplifting, all-American cheer. Note, returns are not free, nor straightforward but have been extended to 60 days.
Joan the Store
Achingly cool Joan the Store digitally embodies the spirit of East London. The gritty imagery offsets the sometimes kitsch selection of pieces and a tight, concise edit means there isn’t masses to trawl through. Come here for offbeat but beautiful investment purchases
Kitri
One of the pioneers in ‘direct to consumer’ digital shopping, Kitri has swiftly become a secret weapon for the fashion world. It offers great dresses, limited runs of products and new drops every week. Free 2-3 day delivery and free returns are available on orders over £45, because “life is stressful enough”.
KJ’s Laundry
With a very clear aesthetic – grown-up bohemian, but not too ‘incense sticks’ – KJ’s Laundry can be a Marmite store. We love it. With a mix of hard to come by brands, its own label and a large selection of the enormously popular Samantha Sung shirt dresses, if this is your bag, you’ll be adding everything to basket.
KOI Bird
A store with a sense of humour, Koi Bird aims to bring an element of international discovery and joy back into shopping. With themed edits that change seasonally (from its ‘core’ ski and swim, it has also shone a spotlight on California and Korea, while currently championing ‘Lagos Fashion Week’), Koi Bird is anything but boring. Even if you’re not in need of anything, it’s worth checking out as the edit is sure to bring a smile to your face. For London-based customers, KOI Bird is offering a home courier delivery service or stylists can do video personal shopping calls showing you products you are interested in.
La Double J
After a burst of sunshine in your wardrobe? Look no further than La Double J. Founded by journalist JJ Martin, the Milan-based brand is all about print, pattern and positivity. The collection which started off just as dresses and skirts now includes knitwear, some fabulous swimwear and great homeware to boot.
La Redoute
French powerhouse La Redoute can sometimes go forgotten but you’ve got time to trawl there are some real gems there. Its collection designed by Vanessa Seward (the second drop is currently online) is wonderful and the homewares and children’s clothes are worth look. too.
LNCC
Try to imagine an online, fashion- and design-led concept store, and you’ll come somewhere close to LNCC. Offering quirky, cult designer brands – think Rick Owens, Martine Rose and Off-White – this is the site for those searching for key designer pieces.
Madewell
Many Americans swear by Madewell for its denim and the website has a great guide to buying jeans. Most come in sizes 23-37 and with clear measurement and stretch-guidance for each style. The site – refreshingly, and sadly unusually – shows most pairs of jeans on 3 different model sizes. Similar to J Crew (part of the same parent company), returns are not as easy as one would hope.
Mango
The jewel in the crown on the high street at the moment, but Mango’s brick-and-mortar stores leave a lot to be desired. The website, on the other hand, has the full range of product, and is currently offering free delivery or orders over £30 and a 60 day returns window. Its sale site (mangooutlet.com) is also worth a peruse.
Matchesfashion.com
Another of the luxury “biggies”, Matchesfashion.com stocks over 450 brands and ships to 176 countries. Originally a bricks-and-mortar store, the owners were quick to adopt e-commerce in 2007. Now over 95% of Matchesfashion.com’s sales are done online; not altogether surprising as the online styling service is faultless, items arrive in beautiful marbled packaging and for some postcodes you can receive your order within 90 minutes. Returns are done through DHL so no need to leave the house.
Miista
Miista, and its sister brand E8, fills a gap in the footwear market. With just enough ‘design’ that they feel like something special, but not to the extent that you can only wear them for special occasions. They’re the type of shoe that people will stop you and ask where they’re from (which is how I learnt about the brand). In light of Covid-19, it is extending its return period by 28 days.
MyTheresa
Germany’s answer to Net-a-Porter, MyTheresa stocks many of the same designers as its UK competitors. The difference? Their ‘buy’ (ie the items they choose to stock from each brand) is quite different from Net-a-Porter and Matches, so you can snap up something different to everyone else. For items stocked across many of the multi-brand retailers, it is worthwhile cross-referincing prices with international counterparts as they can vary quite substantially. MyTheresa offers 2-3 business shipping for £10 (free to orders over £500).
Net a Porter
Net a Porter is the original luxury online retailer. It offers every designer label you can think of, plus plenty of smaller brands and a huge selection of items covering “It” bags, fine jewellery, beauty and a large sustainability capsule collection. It is currently offering 15% off new-season styles and same day delivery (on orders placed before 2pm) for London postcodes.
