Like it or not, e-commerce is quickly replacing brick-and-mortar shops, and this holiday season, even the long-hidden gems of the fashion industry can’t afford to eschew the virtual shopping game. Right and left, formerly hard-to-track-down labels and boutiques are finally wising up and opening cyber shops, and we love it! Here our five of our favorite new online shopping destinations.
FOR HER:
Farfetch.com
Perfect for: Global-minded indie shoppers in search of the Next Big Thing
Have you ever wished you could sweep the back alley boutiques of London, Paris, Copenhagen, Milan, and beyond? Now, thanks to the conceptual pioneers behind Farfetch.com, you can — right from the comfort of your own boudoir. Cult boutiques like London’s Feathers and Paris’s Maria Luisa are just two of the standout cyber shopping destinations. Aside from boasting a dynamic blend of the best of the European luxury labels — Ann Demeulemeester, Lanvin, Balenciaga, McQueen, all present and accounted for — Farfetch also retails hard-to-locate cult and regional lines like Bernhard Willhelm, April77, Emma Cook, Eley Kishimoto, La Petite S*****, and more.
Lindestore.com
Perfect For: Tracking down those collections that seem to only exist on the runway or in European editorials
Where can you actually purchase Rodarte, Wunderkind, Thomas Wylde, and other brilliant, yet largely intangible designers? At Bologna’s L’inde Des Palais, one of Europe’s leading fine retailers. In a welcome brainstorming coup, the owners recently launched Lindestore.com, and the e-commerce site has quickly caught on as an international luxury customer favorite. Personally, we just love visiting Rodarte’s section to vicariously experience the painfully remote enticement of their cobwebby cardigans and dresses. At $3,000, they give new irony to the term “shabby chic”.
LutzandPatmos.com
Perfect For: Those who expect their sweaters to convey the eye-popping swagger of a leather jacket.
Quirky knit aficionados depend on Lutz & Patmos for high quality basics and deconstructed sweaters. Already popular at Barney’s, Saks, and indie retailers, the company now runs their own e-boutique, which gives us a second chance to track down their incredible fringe shawl, which epitomizes grungy glamour and is long sold-out elsewhere.
FOR HIM:
OdinNewYork.com
Perfect for: Existing fans of the NYC downtown style mecca; aspiring minimalists; your boyfriend, the grad student.
Since its inception in 2004, male millennial Manhattanites have flocked to the East Village’s Odin for effortless, starkly chic ensembles from designers like Rag & Bone, Shipley & Halmos, and Band of Outsiders. Finally, after extremely popular demand, Odin has launched their e-commerce site — just in time to rack in international holiday sales, no doubt. Fans of permanent pop-up “sister”/surrogate store Den will also enjoy the benefits of e-commerce in the near future. And don’t worry, ladies: Odin recently opened their second, womenswear-focused location Pas de Deux; and their online equivalent should soon follow.
The-Corner.com
Perfect for: Men who decisively invest in their wardrobes (which they view as budding works of art); your boyfriend, the media professional.
Earlier this year, Yoox launched the-corner.com: a one-stop shopping utopia for virtually every edgy and obscure menswear collection under the sun. Rick Owens? Check. Margiela? Of course. Raf Simmons? Absolutely! The menswear equivalent of Farfetch.com, this online retail tour de force should satisfy and exceed even the pickiest Renaissance Man‘s whims.
