At first I was not keen on ModCloth when I discovered the website through a "sponsored" search result for one thing or another. I loved the clothes, but the size range was not broad, and only stuck to mainly small through large. As I was closer to a 2x at the time, and ModCloth was not accommodating to the plus size gal, I lost interest. Maybe a year or so later I took a peek at the online retailer again and was very (and pleasantly) surprised to see they seriously upped their plus size game. I was also pleased to see the prices for the plus sized clothes were not any more expensive than the smaller sized clothes. Score!
This began my love affair with ModCloth. It was not without it's trials - but they do have fantastic customer service and a very nice return policy so any issues I had were pretty much taken care of. The biggest issue were (and still are) the prices. I garnered many a raised eyebrow when I shared with others where my clothes came from. It really wasn't that surprising, since the store carries some notoriously expensive brands like Bettie Page (now known as Tatyana), Hell Bunny, Collectif, and Emily and Fin among others. They also experimented with their own labels, with Myrtlewood and Bea and Dot, but eventually merging the two and re-branding to a simple namesake label "ModCloth". Even though they have an in house brand, the price tag is still high; a dress can typically run between $80.00 to $120.00. That is a bit eye watering for a dress with dinosaurs on it.
Along side the other labels and the house brands were some odd ball labels in some of those clothes. The aforementioned purple shirt dress? The label said "Island Wear". What? How? Not that I care about something as arbitrary as labels, but who the hell has ever heard of "Island Wear"? Not surprisingly, the dress like most other items from ModCloth are made in China. Most of the clothes are made in China, even the ones from the name sake label AND the "designer" labels. Another one in probably my favorite easy to wear blouse ever has " " in it. Who? Exactly.
The answers didn't come until years later and I was about three to four sizes smaller and suddenly in need of a new quirky, cute, vintage influenced wardrobe. I decided I wanted a cute skirt or two to start the collection again. I didn't have the money to just replace my beloved garments all at once, and I also didn't want to willy-nilly dive into a spending spree, ending up with clothes I only kind of like. I took to Amazon, remembering a cute skirt with a Frida Kahlo theme print I saw a while ago and wanted to see if it was still there. I searched for "vintage skirt" and found what I was looking for. I also found other skirts that were just as cute - a springy sakura theme, a lemon print perfect for summer, a sweet floral for any time of the year. Then I saw the suggested items, dresses! The dresses took me down a huge rabbit hole of vintage inspired dresses and insanely quirky frocks. I did another search for a pussy bow blouse. Score. I started looking and looking and looking and suddenly my wishlist was filled with dresses, blouses and skirts.
What stopped me in my tracks was when I saw this dress:
Here is the kicker:
ModCloth: $59.00
Amazon: $10.00-$12.00 depending on size
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
I shouldn't have been so surprised, this is how companies work; buy cheap and mark up the price for a profit. But, almost by $50.00? For what is legit a very simple dress. In fact I HAD this dress:
It's made of a thin fabric and no pockets, with no discernibly higher quality than what you can get at Target. It is definitely not fancy dress and definitely not worth the 59 bucks. I paid it, because the print is really super cute and it is a very comfortable dress. I also thought it was a ModCloth exclusive. You never really know what is just for them, unless the item description spells it out. So, I shelled out the cash thinking the dress wasn't available anywhere else. I have not tried out the Amazon one, but I am willing to bet dollars to doughnuts, it is the same exact dress.
So, I did some more digging around and found these other items that are either very similar or exactly the same as a ModCloth item.
The Coach Tour dress
ModCloth:
Amazon:
Same exact dress, except on Amazon it's $24.99 to $26.99 depending on size.
The About The Artist dress
I don't think they carry this dress anymore, but it was super cute dress while they had it. The Amazon version isn't exact, it's missing the trim and has different colors but that is a-okay by me.
ModCloth:
Amazon:
This dress is suuuuper cute in green, FYI
The Charter School cardigan:
Not an exact match, but pretty close. Tons of colors, and made of the same materials - mostly viscose with a smattering of rayon.
ModCloth:
Amazon:
Soda Fountain Dress
Probably one of my favorite dresses, but not availible any longer, which is a shame. This is another one I felt was way over priced, as it ran for around $70.00. Whelp, it's on Amazon for 20.99
ModCloth:
Amazon:
Now, this one is made from a heavier fabric, which could be better for some people. I prefer the lighter cotton as it was just easy to wear and good for warmer weather.
Ahem, I am going to mention that first picture of the ModCloth version, isn't actually from ModCloth, since they don't carry the dress anymore. It is however from a website called Queen of Holloway which is OMGWTF amazing for well priced vintage style dresses. I cannot vouch for them as a company, but the prices are right and the selection is wide. PLUS they carry the original Soda Fountain dress, in most of the colors. They even call it the same thing too, haha!
Speaking of Queen of Holloway!
Bonus Round:
Tatyana's Sailor Dress:
Same dress from Queen of Holloway, but in red:
I think this one makes me the MOST irritated, because the Bettie Paige/Tatyana website will go on and on about their designs being unique. This dress retails for over $100.00, but it can be snapped up from Queen of Holloway for $55.98.
Here are some other ModCloth-esque things I found:
Midi Skirt with Pockets and tons of colors:
A blouse with lips all over it:
This very pretty fit-and-flare floral dress:
A darling button down with a sweet little bow:
I can't vouch for all these products, but I will make a blanket warning - most if not all of this stuff is from China. The sizing typically is, well, Chinese. I am a solid L/12 in most everything and everywhere. I bought this blouse, and this blouse and the aforementioned Frida Kahlo skirt. The first blouse I got in green in a XXL, and it fit perfect. The second one I got in cap sleeves in black, in a XXL. It was much too big, and I could have sized down but truthfully it looks fine, just roomy. I got the Frida skirt in a L. It's a snug fit, to say the least. It does flare out quite a bit at my hips, but I am okay with that.
What about the quality? I was impressed. No weird smells, no loose threads, and fabric and stitching on all the garments feel quite sturdy. I was super impressed that the skirt had TWO buttons at the zipper, so you can make your skirt a smidge bigger if you eat too many tacos. The shirts also came in a super nice heavy duty plastic bag, so that was cool. The stuff is from Amazon, so I wasn't too worried, plus with Prime free returns if it doesn't work out!
Now that I have found an alternative to ModCloth does that mean I won't be shopping there? Of course not. MC still has some very cute things that are pretty much proprietary to them and I love. I am just going to be more judicious on what I buy from there. For example, if ModCloth has a nice polka dot blouse, I might pause before buying and check if I can get something similar at Amazon or even Queen of Holloway. I am trying to keep the cost of the basics low, so I can splurge at ModCloth when I can and not feel guilty. For me, that is what is most important, especially while I am struggling to replace a ton of beloved clothing items. Of course, if I stick to this theory...only time will tell! Haha!
UPDATE:
I tried to make an order from the Queen of Halloway site and was met with a bit of roadblock. I couldn't seem to pay. They only accept PayPal and for some weird reason it looked like their PayPal link was dead or missing or something. Really super weird, which kind of put me off the website.
-GG
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