How to Navigate Amazon Fashion
A complete guide of how to shop for *actually* cute things on Amazon
by MARGARET MCCAAN ★ OCTOBER 10, 2021
Amazon Shopping. Your mom loves it because those Lily Pulitzer knock-offs are oh-so-cute, and your dad loves it because that 10-dollar t-shirt is so practical! For the average college girl, though, Amazon isn’t exactly our first thought when it comes to shopping for our next look. But, as we all know, the average college girl is also B-R-O-K-E (Broke!) and likely in need of some cheap clothes, ASAP. Scrolling through pages and pages of clothes that look like they came out of a Pinterest board from 2012 isn’t too fun and honestly, won’t get you anywhere. But be sure to get your credit card ready because I’m here to tell you how to avoid this.
Key Words
One of the quickest ways to find cute clothes or accessories on Amazon is adding a few quick keywords that focus on the kinds of things you want. For example, adding “Y2K” after any clothing item will bring up super trendy pieces that you’ll want to wear everywhere (Including those not-so-fab 8 ams). I find that this keyword gives you more of a going-to-class vibe. It’s full of pieces that you’ll actually want to pull out of your closet even at the crack of dawn. Another one of my favorite keywords is pretty self-explanatory: “going out”. This is literally my go-to hack for finding cheap party clothes that I first, am okay with ruining, and second, am comfortable wearing. Finally, including “trendy” in your search never fails to show stylish clothes, even when added to searches for sweatshirts. Suddenly, that Drew House sweatshirt you’ve been wanting is only 30 bucks. BRB! I’m going to be a few minutes late to class ordering my new sweatshirt!
Amazon Storefronts
A lot of your favorite influencers have Amazon Storefronts, as well. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 5 years or so, storefronts are digital spaces on the Amazon website where influencers can gather their favorite products and styles to share with their followers in one cohesive space. Not only do these storefronts advertise super cute clothes, but they often sell trendy jewelry and other cheap accessories, too. One influencer whose page I LOVE is @hannahbucknam on Instagram. A New Jersey native, Hannah successfully incorporates all different kinds of styles and tastes in her storefront. Amazon storefronts are a great option for quick-shopping and everything you could want is all gathered on one page, without having to scroll through endless options to find them. Like, could it be any more convenient?!
Reviews
It can be hard to guarantee the quality of a product on any online site, and Amazon is no different. It’s definitely risky to order cheap clothes online, so reading reviews are a crucial part of the process. A good trick is to look at customer photos. Reading the reviews is also super important because returning items on Amazon can be such a hassle. The site makes it easy though and provides its own photos along with videos and product details concerning sizing (depending on the product). This is a great way to make sure that you, a broke college student, won't waste your money on a top that’s going to fall apart in two uses. We definitely don’t want that negativity in our lives!
Vendors/Brands
When all else fails, be sure to search up certain vendors and stores. When it comes to trendy sweatshirts and loungewear, I love Cactus Trails for that “I just rolled out of bed but I look cool as f**k” look”. The brands Mieeyali, Sundro, and HnuanLui are great for trendy, Y2K, stylish clothes that you can wear for pretty much anything (Seriously, anything!). They have everything and with their variety, you seriously need to check them out. For going-out tops and more basic pieces, try the brand GEMBIRA because they have super cute stuff that lasts a long time. Say less!
Shopping at Princess Polly and Free People is great, but not for my wallet. Luckily though, we can all look good on an Amazon-Prime-friendly budget. Time to spend all my savings!