Every holiday season, shopping kicks into full gear.
Whether you’re shopping for yourself, your friends, your family or your significant other, there’s a store stocked with the newest holiday goodies. This also means that during the holiday season, malls become crowded and shopping centers are stuffed.
Online shopping is a great alternative to get all your holiday needs filled without having to change out of your pajamas or leave your bed.
Option one: Etsy
Price range: cheap to expensive
Whether you’re looking for last minute decorations for your holiday party or for that one-of-a-kind gift for a relative, Etsy is the perfect option. Etsy is an online shopping center that allows merchants to create shops that cater to vintage or handmade items. Shoppers can type anything they need into the search bar, such as “charm bracelet,” “LSU scarf” or “pink stationery,” and merchants who specialize in those items will pop up, offering different styles, prices and shipping procedures. Etsy makes buying little bits and bobs much easier than running from flea market to flea market. Plus, the items are much more personal when they’re handmade and not picked off the shelves of HomeGoods.
Option two: ModCloth
Price range: moderate to expensive
For women’s clothing inspired by past decades, ModCloth is the best option. ModCloth offers tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories and shoes that can work for a causal Thanksgiving dinner or a black-tie holiday event. One of the best things about ModCloth is that its clothes don’t look like what you typically find at the mall. Instead, the boutique’s merchandise has a vintage flair. This is prominent in its dresses section, which has has items ranging from ’50s-style sundresses to ’80s-esque party dresses. While ModCloth sells new designs that look old, they sell vintage pieces as well, making the shopping experience that much better.
Option three: ASOS
Price range: moderate to expensive
Whether you’re shopping for women or men, Britain-based ASOS can help. The company has expanded to a U.S. website, making it easy to convert from European to American prices and sizes. ASOS offers clothing and accessories from a variety of different brands, and some are causal brands while others are designer names. The website also has its own vintage section. Even better, the ASOS shopping experience doesn’t focus on one style of clothing. No matter what your personal style or the style of the person you’re shopping for, there is something to purchase.
Option four: Karmaloop
Price range: moderate to expensive
Karmaloop offers men’s and women’s streetwear, footwear and accessories. The brands the website carries range from Nike SB to Oakley to Levi’s. Streetwear merchandise can make great gifts for your friends or significant other who you know loves graphic T-shirts, canvas backpacks and standout sneakers. Shopping at Karmaloop can also help you find an outfit for the holidays if dressing up in a dress or suit isn’t your cup of tea.