Where can I find clothing like Roselinlin?
August 13, 2019 5:00 AM Subscribe
I'm new to buying women's clothing and found the online women's clothing seller Roselinlin. I love the look of everything they sell. Alas, too good to be true... I've also found a lot of bad reviews about them (items received aren't in line with pictures and descriptions, poor customer service, difficulties returning items).
Where can I find clothing like this from a reliable site (especially at decent prices)?
Best answer: So good news, there’s a name for this style: lagenlook! And it’s hot right now. Eileen Fisher, CP Shades, Flax...even some Lou and Grey or Madewell stuff, although that’s more difficult. Hopefully that will help.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:09 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:09 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'm new to buying women's clothing and found the online women's clothing seller...
Okay, so what you will find as you go on is that this is just a reseller drop-shipping clothing off Ali Express or whatever. There are hundreds of sites like this and they are all dupes of one another -- like the sites look exactly the same but with different niches of clothing. They all advertise on Facebook and Instagram.
You will encounter hundreds of sites exactly like this on your consumer journey as a woman, and you can usually confirm your suspicion by:
1. Doing a whois -- this domain name belongs to a company in Hong Kong. No surprise.
2. Reading the Privacy Policy -- there is no address listed.
3. Reading the Contact Us page -- there is usually just an email, no phone number and no address.
4. Being wary of implausibly low prices -- these clothes are no just "reasonably priced" they are cheap. And they are cheap because they are made by very poorly paid people working in sweatshop conditions or worse.
Anyway, Eileen Fisher is one retail source with some similar pieces. If it's out of your price range, there's a huge 2nd hand market on Ebay worth investigating.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:16 AM on August 13, 2019 [16 favorites]
Okay, so what you will find as you go on is that this is just a reseller drop-shipping clothing off Ali Express or whatever. There are hundreds of sites like this and they are all dupes of one another -- like the sites look exactly the same but with different niches of clothing. They all advertise on Facebook and Instagram.
You will encounter hundreds of sites exactly like this on your consumer journey as a woman, and you can usually confirm your suspicion by:
1. Doing a whois -- this domain name belongs to a company in Hong Kong. No surprise.
2. Reading the Privacy Policy -- there is no address listed.
3. Reading the Contact Us page -- there is usually just an email, no phone number and no address.
4. Being wary of implausibly low prices -- these clothes are no just "reasonably priced" they are cheap. And they are cheap because they are made by very poorly paid people working in sweatshop conditions or worse.
Anyway, Eileen Fisher is one retail source with some similar pieces. If it's out of your price range, there's a huge 2nd hand market on Ebay worth investigating.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:16 AM on August 13, 2019 [16 favorites]
Best answer: Uniqlo and Muji are both leaning heavily into linen blends. The quality is good and the price is fair, though sizing is restricted. I have pieces from both collections.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:45 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:45 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Agree with Uniqlo linen - definitely on the lower price end, with OK quality and generally along the design aesthetic you're looking for, erring on the side of basics.
I also love 'notperfectlinen' on Etsy. Great styles, good quality. Pricier, but you get to customize color, length, etc. if you want.
posted by rachaelfaith at 5:53 AM on August 13, 2019
I also love 'notperfectlinen' on Etsy. Great styles, good quality. Pricier, but you get to customize color, length, etc. if you want.
posted by rachaelfaith at 5:53 AM on August 13, 2019
Best answer: A lot of the stuff that gets advertised on those sites is using images that are stolen from whatever designer actually designed the item in the first place. They're mostly prior seasons so you won't always be able to find things currently for sale, but doing a Google Image Search on the pictures can help you find more sources. Ignore the ones that are also shitty drop shipping sites -- you can tell because every item they sell is photographed in a different style -- and look for something that might be the original source. Also look at eBay listings because they might list an original manufacturers name if they are selling an authentic product and that'll give you more clues of where to look for things you will like.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:08 AM on August 13, 2019
posted by jacquilynne at 6:08 AM on August 13, 2019
Cos is up there with Eileen Fisher price-wise, but they have some great linen and silk-linen stuff. I've gotten a few of their things in secondhand stores or on eBay. And another vote for Uniqlo and Muji, if the sizing allows, for more affordable alternatives.
also, you may find this Buzzfeed piece about these scam online clothing stores helpful for spotting other deceptive websites; there are a bunch of them operating under different (and changing) names but with the same basic model and possibly the same owners.
posted by karayel at 6:27 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
also, you may find this Buzzfeed piece about these scam online clothing stores helpful for spotting other deceptive websites; there are a bunch of them operating under different (and changing) names but with the same basic model and possibly the same owners.
posted by karayel at 6:27 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: J Jill has the breezy linen look going on. Not sure about sizing or quality.
Also, Garnet Hill and Sundance Catalog might be worth checking out.
posted by loveandhappiness at 6:46 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Also, Garnet Hill and Sundance Catalog might be worth checking out.
posted by loveandhappiness at 6:46 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I just got something from notperfectlinen! You'll just want to know that they run 4-6 weeks to produce, plus another 2-3 to ship to the US. So plan ahead.
I've also ordered and like linenfox, which has a slightly lower price point than notperfectlinen. They also recently renamed an objectionable piece (kimono) and are starting to be more inclusive in the models they use, like using women of color and plus-size women.
And I also like Elizabeth Suzann and Smoking Lily. I pretty much live in the Elsbeth trousers.
As a side note -- if you're not used to wearing linen, you should know that straight-up linen doesn't have any stretch. There's a reason that over-the-head linen tops tend to be cut pretty big. It's no fun trying to climb into a linen top that's a tight squeeze. Also, linen wrinkles as easily as a ripe peach bruises. Basically, I just look at it, and it wrinkles. Which is fine if you're looking for something casual to wear to the park or the beach, but a lot of the pretty images online have models wearing clothing .35 seconds after it's been heavily ironed.
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:58 AM on August 13, 2019 [7 favorites]
I've also ordered and like linenfox, which has a slightly lower price point than notperfectlinen. They also recently renamed an objectionable piece (kimono) and are starting to be more inclusive in the models they use, like using women of color and plus-size women.
And I also like Elizabeth Suzann and Smoking Lily. I pretty much live in the Elsbeth trousers.
As a side note -- if you're not used to wearing linen, you should know that straight-up linen doesn't have any stretch. There's a reason that over-the-head linen tops tend to be cut pretty big. It's no fun trying to climb into a linen top that's a tight squeeze. Also, linen wrinkles as easily as a ripe peach bruises. Basically, I just look at it, and it wrinkles. Which is fine if you're looking for something casual to wear to the park or the beach, but a lot of the pretty images online have models wearing clothing .35 seconds after it's been heavily ironed.
posted by joyceanmachine at 6:58 AM on August 13, 2019 [7 favorites]
Hard agree on the wrinkling. If linen is your aesthetic then wrinkled had also better be your aesthetic unless your aesthetic is also being followed around by someone with a garment steamer. (I like the wrinkling.)
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:02 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:02 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Also, linen wrinkles as easily as a ripe peach bruises. Basically, I just look at it, and it wrinkles.
This a million times. I love the look of linen, but I quit buying it because it's so much trouble. You might not mind, but I'd suggest starting out with one piece and seeing how you feel about the time investment and the wrinkled look you can't avoid.
I find that ironing works better if you don't dry it first. When I was wearing it, I ironed it while it was still damp, basically using the iron to get it mostly dry, then hanging it up until it was completely dry.
posted by FencingGal at 7:05 AM on August 13, 2019
This a million times. I love the look of linen, but I quit buying it because it's so much trouble. You might not mind, but I'd suggest starting out with one piece and seeing how you feel about the time investment and the wrinkled look you can't avoid.
I find that ironing works better if you don't dry it first. When I was wearing it, I ironed it while it was still damp, basically using the iron to get it mostly dry, then hanging it up until it was completely dry.
posted by FencingGal at 7:05 AM on August 13, 2019
Best answer: I've had a good experience with Vivid Linen. Based somewhere - not sure where - the quality was decent and the fit was very true to size. Not alot of pockets sadly.
Also - while their products are cotton not linen - I really like the quality at Anokhi. I have a few tops and caftans from them.
I also love the look of Toast but their sizing isn't so great for me. Pricing is on par with and maybe a little more affordable than, Eileen Fisher.
posted by rdnnyc at 7:29 AM on August 13, 2019
Also - while their products are cotton not linen - I really like the quality at Anokhi. I have a few tops and caftans from them.
I also love the look of Toast but their sizing isn't so great for me. Pricing is on par with and maybe a little more affordable than, Eileen Fisher.
posted by rdnnyc at 7:29 AM on August 13, 2019
If you want to just dip a toe in, Old Navy has super comfy linen pants. They're not investment pieces, in fact they sometimes go on sale for $12/pair. They have several linen/linen blend tops as well.
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:56 AM on August 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:56 AM on August 13, 2019 [3 favorites]
I'd go to a fancy department store and try on lots of Eileen Fisher stuff to figure out your sizes, and then do a deep dive on Ebay to actually purchase the pieces you want at much lower prices.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:22 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:22 AM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
I wear linen, wash, and use the dryer. Once the sizing washes out, it develops an all-over patina that I like, which is good, because I seldom iron.
Jjill has lots of linen and comfortable sizing.
posted by theora55 at 9:21 AM on August 13, 2019
Jjill has lots of linen and comfortable sizing.
posted by theora55 at 9:21 AM on August 13, 2019
Best answer: Agree with a lot of the brand suggestions above, you're getting great recs for brands to consider!
Linen does tend to look a bit more rumpled and skew casual, although not definitely so. That said, I would like to clear up the misconception that linen turns into a heaping mess of creases the moment you put it on.
Like many things, this is more often the case with lower-quality linen. Heftier linen will wear better throughout the day and be more resistant to the type of creases most of us are looking to avoid.
I wouldn't want people to be turned off to linen because they are afraid by default linen=sloppy. Linen is a lovely and environmentally sustainable fabric, and feels great to wear in warm weather.
For full disclosure, I'm personally okay with a bit of wrinkle and I never iron my cotton, linen, or silk items. I like the character it gives and, honestly, don't care to create more work for myself.
Consider buying one of the brands listed above secondhand on a site like Poshmark or similar and save some coin in the process.
tl;dr: not all linen is equal. There is nice linen that wears well and looks classy to boot.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 4:53 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
Linen does tend to look a bit more rumpled and skew casual, although not definitely so. That said, I would like to clear up the misconception that linen turns into a heaping mess of creases the moment you put it on.
Like many things, this is more often the case with lower-quality linen. Heftier linen will wear better throughout the day and be more resistant to the type of creases most of us are looking to avoid.
I wouldn't want people to be turned off to linen because they are afraid by default linen=sloppy. Linen is a lovely and environmentally sustainable fabric, and feels great to wear in warm weather.
For full disclosure, I'm personally okay with a bit of wrinkle and I never iron my cotton, linen, or silk items. I like the character it gives and, honestly, don't care to create more work for myself.
Consider buying one of the brands listed above secondhand on a site like Poshmark or similar and save some coin in the process.
tl;dr: not all linen is equal. There is nice linen that wears well and looks classy to boot.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 4:53 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
A nice alternative to linen is cotton gauze - you get the drape but not the wrinkling. I have some pieces from Oh My Gauze that have held up well with frequent wear.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:42 PM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:42 PM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]
These Amazon Essentials linen crop pants are great and 1/4 of the price of Eileen Fisher. I had a medical procedure which requires wearing loose clothing until stuff heals up and I have 2 pairs. They also come in full-length.
posted by matildaben at 5:55 PM on August 13, 2019
posted by matildaben at 5:55 PM on August 13, 2019
Nthing Muji and Uniqlo. Everlane also offers linen pants, now, and Banana Republic has a whole linen line this summer.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 11:26 PM on August 13, 2019
posted by Miss T.Horn at 11:26 PM on August 13, 2019
I have a Muji double-gauze shirt that does look very linen-y and as Sweetie Darling says it's more "rumpled" than "wrinkled." Creases tend to fall out with wearing and it just looks comfy all the time. It's also more of a cooler weather weight, but as the season is coming soon that might be a good direction to look too.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:17 AM on August 14, 2019
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:17 AM on August 14, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:08 AM on August 13, 2019 [2 favorites]