I can speak for a majority of the privileged female population when I say that online shopping is a sweet escape from the harsh realities of life, especially when you can’t be bothered to pay attention in class. With a virtually limitless catalog of clothes and accessories, and the absence of uncomfortable interpersonal interactions, what is there not to love? In addition to investing into cute new looks for the spring season, now is the perfect time to look into potential dresses as the semi-formal and prom season fast approaches. Allow me to take you on a tour of several (reputable!) online shopping sites so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.

Boohoo

Trust me when I say that this website has every type of clothing beneath the sun, especially trendy new pieces, like animal print and asymmetric sleeves. Not only that, but the store typically marks down a majority of their products, so your wallet certainly will not take a beating after visiting Boohoo. While I have never personally ordered anything from this website, many social media influencers praise its clothing’s fit and quality. That being said, I will admit that Boohoo comes off as *slightly* ratchet, but not to the point where it is off-putting. In fact, this site is a great source of specific outfit pieces and you will not be disappointed in its wide array of options, especially because they offer an entire line of plus-size clothing, ensuring that every customer will be satisfied with her shopping cart.

Brandy Melville

At this point, everyone is familiar with the unique style of Brandy Melville. Solid tees, blocks of color, and just generally basic looks. These simple clothes are perfect for pairing with just about anything, and the fabric quality is fantastic for what it’s worth. If you are wishing to avoid bold statement pieces and dramatic outfits, I would highly recommend this website for you. I know that it is often frustrating to find your size while shopping online, because every store has a different definition of measurements, but Brandy offers a simple solution: One Size Fits All. A majority of their tops follow this guideline. While it is a blessing, it is also a curse: this company typically tailors their products towards the petite population of women, therefore some of their clothes can be unforgiving for curvier customers.

Cupshe

If I know anything, it’s that this website is THE place for swimsuits. I will forever sing the praises of Cupshe, because they have always pulled through for me in my time of need. Especially now that it is 75°F in February, it’s definitely time to start looking into new suits to show off at the beach. They have a varied range of styles, and their bikini sets typically run under $30 (such a steal). Admittedly, the shipping time does take a while; in the past, I have waited up to 3 weeks for my order to come in the mail. The wait was worth it, though, as the bikinis are high quality and are exactly what I paid for. That being said, if you’re interested in buying some new suits, it’s better to start now rather than later.

Forever 21

You know what this place is. While I have never ordered anything from their online store, I think we can all agree that their prices are undeniably alluring. Who can possibly resist 50% off of a cute black dress? H&M also fits into this same category, but they absorb much less of the spotlight, which is totally understandable.

Lulu’s

This is it, ladies. If you are looking for a prom dress, or a cocktail dress for semi-formal season, this is the go-to website. Lulu’s is notorious across the Charleston female population for being the hypothalamus of trendy dress shopping. Sure, this site provides cute tops and pants, but what the customers really come here for are the dresses. The quality of their fabrics are top-notch, and while some seams may contain stray stitching here and there, you truly cannot deny the affordable costs that Lulu’s provides for its shoppers. If you have a nagging fear that another girl will wear the same Lulu’s dress as you to a function (because the chances are pretty high!), then I would recommend checking out my favorite alternative: Tobi.

Nasty Gal

Nasty Gal, first and foremost, is so appealing. I am a huge advocate for their products— everything is so trendy, clean, and organized. I feel like a refined adult as I scroll through their virtually endless supply of clothing. Without a doubt, you will leave this website with a substantial amount of items in your cart or in your wishlist. Even though their prices are great, especially for the quality of their clothes, they often provide discount sales for all customers to use! I am so thankful for this shopping site, and I highly recommend it for finding fashionable tops and bottoms. Their dress department isn’t the *best* out there, but it will certainly do you justice nonetheless.

Nordstrom Rack

Regular Nordstrom is admittedly quite expensive, and you can’t just expect to throw hundreds of dollars away on an outfit that you could get at Nordstrom Rack for a fraction of the cost! While this website is fantastic for discovering good shopping steals, it feels very unorganized and it can often be difficult to search for particular pieces you have in mind. If you have a thin wallet and a ton of patience, then this is the place for you.

Poshmark

Now, I have only just recently discovered this shopping site, but it seems to check out. If you are looking for fun, used t-shirts, then I would highly recommend Poshmark. Acting almost as an eBay strictly for clothes, Poshmark allows customers to buy and sell already-owned clothes for a fraction of their market value. I have definitely looked into this website for unique tees that cannot be bought in stores, such as outdated Greek Life shirts that I can comfortably lounge in. However, I have never ordered anything from Poshmark, so I cannot confirm or reject their reliability.

PrettyLittleThing

Similar to Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing is a little *ratchet*, but they provide wonderful options for bored shoppers. Personally, I have ordered a maxi dress from here and loved the product that came into the mail. The fabric was slightly too sheer, but otherwise I found it very appealing. PrettyLittleThing lists clothing pieces for super cheap prices, which I know is exactly what everyone is looking for. To the right, you will see a couple items that I have added to my wishlist, all of which are super affordable and trendy.

Revolve

To be fully honest with you, I have 25 items from this website saved in my wishlist, all of which accumulated within a single sitting. Yes, I was able to scroll through pages and pages of trendy clothes listed with much cheaper prices. And, because I’m a philanthropist, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: this website is the best place to find top bikini name-brands (Boys and Arrows, Vitamin A, etc.) that are marked way down. If you’re tired of LasOlas robbing you off the sidewalk, please do yourself and visit Revolve’s swimsuit category.

Honorable Mentions:

• Steve Madden
• Showpo
• Urban Outfitters
• Princess Polly
• Princie
• Shopbop