Ahh… Victoria’s Secret. What was once a small lingerie store in San Francisco is now a mall staple and a haven for college girls. We love it because of its cute decor, sexy bras and comfy loungewear. Also, if you’re lucky enough or go to a big enough school, PINK’s Collegiate Collection has some awesome school-spirited merchandise that’s much cuter than your average bookstore fare!
However, shopping in a VS store can sometimes be a pain- dressing rooms are often packed and sizes are missing everywhere. Want to avoid those problems? Shopping at VictoriasSecret.com is your solution! Here are three tips to keep in mind when shopping online at Victoria’s Secret:
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Try it On In-Store- Then Buy Online:
While this may not be a tip for Victoria’s Secret online store, this has definitely made my shopping experience at VS more fruitful. Every time I go into VS, I try on at least half a dozen bras, but I can never seem to find any in the color I want!
A few years ago, I’d just buy the last clementine-colored tee-shirt bra and try to ignore how visible it was under a white tee, simply because the store I went to was out-of-stock in the colors I wanted. Now I know to try whatever bra on in the store first, then actually purchase it online! They’ll most likely be in stock in your size and color, so you won’t have to regret your in-store purchase later. Plus, if they are out-of-stock, you’ll be first to know when that particular bra is available to ship!
Wait for Steals and Offers:
I literally get about five emails a week from VS about their latest deals and steals. For the week of the 25th of January, I saw they offered $15 off orders of $100, an offer better than free shipping, as bras at Victoria’s Secret can run $50 each! Also, they often offer deals like 2/$40 bras and 5/$25 panties, so definitely check out the sales+specials page. Basically, if you’re thinking of buying a new bra, sign up for their mailing list and wait for these ‘steals,’ as you’ll end up saving lots of money.
Pay Attention to Sizing:
I, perhaps naively, thought that if I was a 34B at Victoria’s Secret then I would fit into all of their 34B bras. Imagine my surprise when I received two bras of the same size that fit me completely differently!
VS bras have different levels of padding: from “lightly lined,” which has no padding, to Level 5- Ultimate Lift. Different levels of padding definitely affect how a bra fits. If you have the opportunity, figure out what size you are in each of their padding levels- so next time, when you shop for bras online, you’ll be able to order each in the correct size!
What other tips do you have for shopping at Victoria’s Secret online?
What have your experiences been? Tell me everything in the comments!
VS has some issues, namely with putting the wrong sized bras on women. And being pretty pricey, but hit up their semi-annual sell for $20 bras that are regular $50.
What a great post! I have been ordering from the VS catalogue since I was 13 because VS stores in Canada are few and far between. They also have a great return policy, and include all the stuff you need to send it back (although I’d double check what you can send and what you can’t: I imagine they won’t allow returns on bathing suits or panties). Thanks for all the tips, Elizabeth!
I buy most of my lingerie online, but since VS sizing is extremely poor, I never shopped there. They make girls think the smallest band size is 32, while it is actually 28 (and there are some skinny girls that need even the 26 band size which noone produces at the moment). I’m a perfectly ordinary college girl of a size 30F, but at VS they would probably fit me 34C, which would be too small in the cup and too big in the band, riding at my back with every move (how can you fit a girl with 26.4 underbust mesurement a band that is 8 inches wider than her chest and hope that it will hold her breasts in place?!). Duh.
To everyone that mentioned VS’s clothes- I’ve never bought them, therefore didn’t mention them as I’d never endorse anything I hadn’t tried, but I’m so happy that they worked out well for you guys! I’ll definitely give them a try!
@ Paula- FredFlare is definitely in the works, although I’ve never actually bought anything from LuLu’s… yet 🙂 Also, if any of you guys want to request stores, mention them in the comments like Paula did!
@ Lalalina- Thanks for all of your advice!
And definitely get your bra size checked and re-checked… I grew two cup sizes in my junior year- four years after I’d ‘stared’ puberty!
Thanks to everyone else for the great feedback!
Hi.. Just want some advice from you girls.. I’m a Malaysian who will be going on a holiday to Orlando, Florida next month and I’m especially interested in the dresses from the clothing line that victoriasecret.com has. I was just wondering if any of their stores do sell the clothing line or is it purely online? It will be lots of help for me to plan my trip there. Thanks in advance for your help! 🙂
Clothes are only sold online
Great post! It’s true that VS can be tricky with sizing. A lot of stores have the bathing suits in stock now, so I always go to try on different sizes and then buy online!
Nice article, I’d love to see one on LuLus or FredFlare!
Nice article, but dont forget, victorias secrets also has great clothing and shoes on their website…their shoes are affordable and their clothing always comes in tons of great colors! they run small though, so i would go up a size..
Last year I bought a swimsuit from VS online, bad idea. The top was cut really weird and I had ordered the right size and everything. Since most of their swimsuits are only available online I would be very very careful about what cut/type of swimsuit you order.
Hi,
Does anyone know of a good source where I can measure my cup and band size at home?
I’m a bit squeamish about asking a VS sales rep to do it, although I’m sure they would love to!
Sarah- I was not offended by your comments at all because you are right, I was never taught about sizes above or below what we carry. I was unsure about the 30F because that is a typical letter used for foreign sizes. That being said, while it may not be true of every VS, though is should be, I would never force a women into a bra at our store just to sell a product. VS employees do not work on commission and are, therefore, not faced with the pressure of making personal sales goals. I have no issue telling a client that we do not carry a bra that will accommodate her. Yes, I will try her in what we have but if we do not have something that will suit her I will not pretend what she is wearing looks good.
An important thing to realize about retail, like sororities, is that every store by that name is not alike. Yes, the company tries to maintain a universal conformity, but with different markets and employees that is never going to be absolute. I am not saying go to multiple VS’s until you have a good experience, but as with any store, if that store doesn’t assist you, whether or not there products work for you, it is always good to give feedback on your experience. That is just something I have learned from being in retail. I will not stand to have a bad experience where ever I go, and if I do, I politely inform the management that my experience left more to be desired.
So i am shopping for dresses to wear to a wedding. This group of girls are very catty, also dressed to the nines (even to the hole in the wall bars) and are always trying to make me jealous. So for this wedding i am going to and my boyfriend is in, I want to look sexy, elegant and outshine them all. Except the bride of course. So then i though of VS which i honestly dont shop at because I’m a 34A soo.. Well i called my local store and they do not stock any clothing. I’m very worried about purchasing a dress online when 9 times out of ten, when i try on something in my size, it doesn’t fit. So does anyone have much experience with online dress purchases here. I really like the dresses but cant spend a lot so i dont want to have to buy 15 dresses in order to fine 1 or have to buy one and return it every other week because it doesn’t fit or look right. Thanks in advance! I appreciate any advice!
Hi everyone,
I know this thread was started forever ago, but I am back with more info. I am now a store manager with VS and there are a lot of new things going on with us and bras in general.
Lamlam- we have hundreds of stores that carry our swimwear now. Going into the store to try things on is my best advice for determining your size.
Other new things, you can now do online returns and exchanges in stores. We are still separate companies though.
We have extended our sizes! Some stores now carry DDD’S. Now we still do not have products for those who wear smaller than a 30 band, larger than a 40 band, or fuller than a DDD.
For non- traditional sizes, go to www.figleaves.com.
Like I said in my past posts, we are their to help. If you have a bad experience, let us know. We strive to give every client great service. Happy shopping ladies!
hey im really interested in buying a VS bathing suit online. however, im a bit confused regarding the sizing. according to the size chart im a 34B so i fit into S top. i want a bandeau top. im worried it might be too tight. i have a skinny frame but some good breast tissue (a C fits me comfortably well). shu i go for M? as for the bottoms i wear a size 25 for pants so an XS for swim bottoms, im also worried these would be too skinny and tight. i dont want them big but comfortably fitting. please help!
Hey there! I have a question that I’m hoping lalalina or perhaps anyone else can answer – I’m looking to buy a few dresses off of the VS website, and I’ve never purchased anything from VS before, and am unsure of what size to get.
I usually wear a medium, and I’m 5″9, 145 pounds, which usually puts me at a size 8 (in pants), although I have 6s and 10s because sizing is, I find, very irregular from store to store (along the same lines, while I usually wear a medium, I can and have also worn smalls and larges, sometimes from the same store). If it helps at all, my measurements are 39B/C – 29 – 39 (I know those sound big, but remember I am tall!).
Sorry for such a long post, I would just really like to get it right the first try, and not have to return products!
Thank you so much!