I haven’t done an online vs in person clothing comparison post in a while, so I figured now is the perfect time! I found a fun Eileen Fisher linen dress on Poshmark, so I took a chance and ordered it.
And by “took a chance” I mean, did a bunch of research and then took an educated guess.
When it comes to Poshmark deals, you can’t return them. So, when ordering something sight unseen, there are a couple tricks I use to determine if I’m getting the best deal and if the item will work for me.
Trick #1: I hunt it down on the brand’s website to see if there are fit reviews. This is usually super easy for Anthropologie items, since you can just google the item name and “Anthropologie” and the listing will typically come right up. For other brands, it can be hit and miss. In this case, I googled “Eileen Fisher Delave Dress” and found it on their website in a different color.
Trick #2: Look for the same item on different Poshmark postings. You may need to get a little creative with the search terms to find them all. I tried “Eileen Fisher Delave dress”, “Eileen Fisher linen dress” and by searching the brand “Eileen Fisher” and then searching for “midi dress” and “maxi dress.” Once you find all the identical postings, “like” them all and then wait a few hours. This allows the sellers to send you their sale prices and you can choose the one with the best price. It also gives you a chance to see how the dress looks in different light and photographed differently, so you can make sure you really like it. Last, if the measurements are not included on the main brand website, many sellers will include them in their listings.
The one I found was new with tags (retail tags: $248) and I purchased it for $110.
Here is the online photo from the Eileen Fisher website:
And here is one of the listing photos from my Poshmark purchase:
I decided to go with a size large so that I could make sure it had a little extra room in the bust and fits flowy everywhere else. The only drawback is that it doesn’t have pockets (as was mentioned in various reviews), so I went into the purchase already knowing that.
And here is it in-person, on me:
I’m 5’7” and typically a size 12-ish. The only thing I don’t love about the dress is that the straps (which attach with a button to the back and have two settings) make it so I need to wear a strappy bra. So, I’m thinking I may add some shoulder strap retainers (like these on Amazon) to keep my bra hidden and the shoulder straps up.
Another way to get around the strap situation is by layering the dress. I plan to throw on a cardigan for work and for home I’ve already worn it layered over a tank top. It allowed me to wear my regular racer-back bra and I wore stripes, so it was a fun pop of pattern!
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