Have you ever had that experience where you see a fantastic item in a shop window and yet when you try it on, it just doesn’t look good on you? Most of us have been through that disappointment and it’s one of the things that can make shopping online quite stressful – bad enough to feel the let down when you try something on in the shop, but so much worse to feel it when you’ve ordered something and had it delivered and then have to send it back.

The answer is to put in a bit of research first. There are so many different ways of sizing clothes (even the New York Times can’t work it out) that it’s good try on some of the clothes from major brands to see how they fit you – that helps you choose the right size when you shop online.

Then look for an online retailer who’s been around for a while – there are loads of fly-by-night scamsters, often selling fake clothing, who vanish before any disgruntled customer can get to them to ask for a refund, so companies who have been selling online for several years have normally ironed out their customer service and are able to offer excellent advice: look out for numbers for advisers you can call to talk through your decisions – you may not need to use them but the fact that they exist is a positive sign. Google the company and see what others have said about them – that helps you work out which are the genuine long-term retailers who care about customers and selling really good clothing online.

Check delivery systems carefully, many small sites deliver only within their own national boundaries – and look at the delivery costs because often you can make a substantial saving if you shop with a friend and get a bulk discount or reach the ‘free delivery’ level.

Perfect online clothes shopping is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

In September many little ones will enter school for the first time – and their parents are likely to be counting the pennies more than any year of school-age parents for a generation. Here are some tips that can make the first day easier, and less expensive, than you might be expecting:

•    Stationery – being able to reveal a fantastic set of kit: pens and paper, post-its and erasers from the bowels of a good bag can make the difference, on day one between top of the class popularity-wise and not even achieving mini-geek status. Make sure your kids like what you’re providing and that you can tell what’s fashionable – last year’s Harry Potter is not as good as this year’s Hunger Games!
•    Snacking – today many schools are tough about food – find out what high protein snacks you can include in their bag so they can boost their blood sugar if they start to feel a bit exhausted.
•    Clothing – while there is usually a clothing list, try to see what other kids are wearing on the first day: many items can be incredibly expensive if you buy through the school shop, but identical items are often available online. In addition, looking at what’s being worn by more senior years can help you invest in items that your child will need in future. If you can make a guess at what size your little one will be next year, you can often get clothing like socks and underwear, or even shirts, at an excellent price, especially in online sales.

Preparing for the first day at school is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Knowing what’s happening in the marketplace, and what can be expected to appear over the horizon, is key to keep your business successful.  Events that can help those in the T-shirt, Corporate Clothing and Promotional Wear industries to master the future include:

January 7th – 9th 2009

PSI Düsseldorf

http://www.psionline.de/

Location: Düsseldorf Germany

28 – 29 January 2009

Trade Only National Show – Coventry
Location: Ricoh Stadium, Coventry, UK

17 – 18 February 2009

International PROMOTA Show – Birmingham
Location: NEC, Birmingham, UK

01 – 03 March 2009

Printwear & Promotion 2009 – Birmingham
Location: NEC, Birmingham, UK

http://www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk

24 – 26 March 2009

Promotional Marketing Exhibition 2009 – London
Location: Royal Horticultural Halls, London, UK

http://www.promotionalmarketingexhibition.co.uk

1-2 April 2009

Workwear & Corporate
Clothing Show & Conference
Hall 10 NEC Birmingham,UK

http://www.workwearshow.co.uk

15th – 17th September 2009

PSI Paris

http://www.psi-paris.com

Trade show image courtesy of jasonebaines at flickr under a creative commons licence

Diary Dates for the T-shirt, Corporate Clothing and Promotional Clothing Industries is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

The must-have souvenirs in Washington this week include I love the pope bumper stickers, Property of Benedict XVI T-shirts and mugs emblazoned with the pope’s heavenward gaze, all being snapped up by Roman Catholics who visited the capital ahead of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit. Many hoped that Benedict would bless rosaries and other religious articles at Thursday’s Mass. Merchandise licensed by the archdioceses of Washington and New York will be for sale at Masses and other events and online – some of the proceeds will go to help pay for the pope’s visit, but archdiocese officials say they are not expecting a huge sum. The most popular items from internet sales have been holy cards and polo shirts, which feature Benedict’s personal crest as an archbishop. Also selling well are the Benedict tour T-shirts, listing all the U.S. sites he is visiting, as if it was a concert tour.

And George? Well he’s been the victim of a scam that was nipped in the bud. A pair of Milanese forgers have just been charged with trying to sell a men’s fashion and accessories collection branded as Exclusively GC and designed by George Clooney. While the first response was that this was an April Fool’s Day hoax, police in Milan later found watches and garments that would have gone on sale if the scam hadn’t been stopped. Clooney told reporters in Rome, ‘If someone tries to sell you clothes or watches that are based on me, don’t buy them.’

Pope Benedict courtesy of Beyond Forgetting

Who’s the polo-shirt daddy? George Clooney versus the Pope! is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

To overcome Vista’s somewhat negative public perception issues, Microsoft Australia has put together an online Fact or Fiction quiz about Windows Vista. Everyone who enters gets a certificate of completion and, if you are an OEM system builder, you get Windows Vista Advisor polo-shirts too. The catch here? You may have to move to Australia and become an OEM system builder to qualify ….

Crew make embroidered linen T-shirts for women as well as polo shirts and short sleeved rugby shirts – they came into being in 1993, selling yachting kit to the rich, famous, deck-shoe wearing hordes who arrive on the Isle of Wight every Cowes week. To get your free polo shirts, all you have to do is join the England polo team, because Crew are the team sponsor. Where’s the catch? Well buying a couple of ponies and having enough airfare to fly around the world to play, right?

The Greg Norman Collection, which features golf shirts, polo shirts and other top of the line golfing apparel is sponsoring Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club Golf League. The first two hundred league members to enter a score in the 2008 competition ‘won’ GNC items while this year’s finalists will receive shirts from GNC’s Spring/Summer range. The league is open to all European and US based Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members and the season highlight will be a competition at St Regis Monarch Beach, California, in September. Now that actually might be something that many of us can attain to! So for more info, visit: www.flyingclubgolfleague.com.

Greg Norman image courtesy of DanPerry.com

Free polo-shirts (but there are catches!) is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

The annual Printwear and Promotion Awards are designed to recognise outstanding garment industry achievements in the following areas:

1. Technical Innovation Award
2. Customer Service Award
3. Environmental/Energy Saving Award
4. Promotional Product of the Year
5. Garment Decorator of the Year
6. Manufacturer of the Year
7. Distributor of the Year

The Quayside Group was established in 1995 and since then the business has become a leading supplier of wholesale clothing. All the business’s operations run on e-commerce-enabled express clothing platforms. The Quayside Group is proud to announce that it is a finalist in two categories in the Printwear & Promotion Awards.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

(sponsored by: Screen Process & Digital Imaging magazine)

The judges noted that www.polo-shirts.co.uk uses its online Satisfaction Monitoring System (SMS) to understand its customer’s views on the service and the products it supplies. Customers are sent a post delivery online questionnaire to complete and upon its return, SMS gives www.polo-shirts.co.uk a unique understanding of its customers’ feelings. It provides the company with vital information and helps ensure Quayside is constantly offering an unbeatable product range and service.

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR

The Judges noted that Quayside Clothing has used the power of the internet to offer total convenience, easy ordering and outstanding customer service through its web platforms, which distribute products from JHK, Fruit of the Loom, Stedman, Fanshirt, SAF Organic Clothing, and print materials from Grafityp. Its web ordering systems www.tradetag.co.uk and www.polo-shirts.co.uk both use sophisticated search technology to ensure customers are able to find and order the products they need – fast.

The Awards will be announced on Monday 3rd March at the NEC Birmingham.

Printwear & Promotion Awards – double finalists is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

It used to be just the ladies who felt inadequate at Christmas: all those perfume adverts with impossibly slim blonde females running around catching balloons or the hearts of men, all those slinky brunettes who received anonymous gifts from a man who parachuted into a wolf-infested mountain range just to drop off a box of chocolates … but now the tables are turning. And that was without the coathanger girls on the catwalk who made any woman with curves feel like a barrage balloon.

But now the tables are turning – the world’s top designers have taken to hiring Dynamite Hosts, a group of British male models who turn up at fashion events to hand out champagne and get the party moving.  Their founder, Anthony Lowther, saw a gap in the market and rounded up a few of his male model friends: so far they’ve taken to the floor at parties given by Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Selfridges. Even Lenny Kravitz (yes, hard-rock hall of fame entrant, Lenny Kravitz ) hired them for a recent event.  Sometimes they turn up as waiters, wearing tuxedos, other times they are topless and dancing to get people in the party mood.

And if that leaves you feeling a little less than adequate, our Christmas tips for hiding your jellyroll (what a six pack turns into when you don’t concentrate on your sit-ups) are:

• Wear a loose shirt or polo-shirt and trousers that flare at the bottom, this draws the eye down

• Vertical patterns, stripes or central long designs, on a shirt make you look slimmer, horizontal stripes, circles and checks make you look fatter

• Wear a T-shirt under your shirt and unbutton the shirt to chest level, it adds height and slimness.

male model by udyath

Fashion tips from the six-pack brigade is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

We recently emailed all customers who are opted in to our mailing list with the Google checkout promotion. At the same time we also advised customers of the change to mailing policy. The reason for this is that where an exceptional offer arises we believe it would be in our customers interest to notify them straight away. Some of these offers are extremely time sensitive. Take for example the Google checkout promotion which allowed all customers who signed up for a Google checkout account and then paid using this method. These customers were able to save £10 on orders over £30. The expected duration of the promotion was approximately 10 days on our site. Accordingly we felt it necessary to notify customers straight away.

We do not share our mailing list and you can opt out at any time.

Changes to our E mail Policy is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog