Stephanie Phair, MD of The Outnet, the discounted little sister of Net-A-Porter, tells us what savvy online shoppers should add to their basket this summer
You might expect the party line from The Outnet, the discounted previous-season little sister of Net‑A-Porter, to be that women want classic, timeless pieces. Quite the contrary: what Stephanie Phair has learned from the site's success is that "trends stick around longer than you'd think. When a good idea comes along, designers will play with it for several seasons."
Right now, soft pink is hot news. "Anything in that colour is flying," Phair says. "And that's a key colour for next season." Occasion dressing "for weekends away, and wedding guest outfits" is how many Outnet customers shop. "And the benefit of coming to a multibrand retailer is that you might start by viewing a brand you know, but end up finding something fantastic by a label you'd never have thought to look at." Phair's number one tip for online shopping: always filter by size. "In particular, on our site, which doesn't have every size in every item, this really speeds things up, so your hit rate is much better."
Sketch out a capsule wardrobe for summer 2013? "I'd start with a dress, because it's a ready-made outfit. A jacket that works with summery dresses is important, so you can wear it in the office and take it off for after-work drinks. We've got an Iris & Ink tailored cotton twill blazer." Your summer sandals may need an update because "this year's version is less embellished, and has a little blocky heel, instead of being flat."
In a holiday suitcase, Phair packs plenty of bikinis. "I take about five, which seems a lot, but it's the one time you can do an outfit change during the day, which is fun."