shopping for clothes on Amazon, does it make sense for USVI?
I know this topic may have been beaten to death, but what should a woman in her early 30’s bring with her to wear? She will be looking for work, so I think one or two dresser outfits might be needed. I’m trying to help my wife out, she’s from Nicaragua isn’t fluent in English so I thought I’d get some advice from all of you. We will be arriving on STT in a couple of weeks, (May 3rd, finally) I was thinking about ordering from Amazon, I use Amazon and E-bay and I’m finding some real deals. I just bought some 100% silk Hawaiian shirts that normally sell for $100 each for around $30, and they are also big name brands like, Tommy Bahama and others. I’m just trying to get an idea of what she needs to bring. I’ve read the local shops sell really expensive clothes, we don’t want to buy down there. I guess the shops cater to the tourist. Does anyone have any experience buy clothes on Amazon and having the clothes shipped to USVI? If so, we can pack light and wait till we get there then buy from Amazon or EBay. I guess what we need to know is what kind of basic clothes to buy while we are still here. (Albuquerque)
which island-stt has some pricier options.
i dont think the shops on stx are all that expensive.
if she does not want to buy local / kmart there are plenty of options online. not just ebay and amazon. just do a search on who ships here
Hawiian silk shirts.... oh boy.... may want to reconsider that. A lot of reasons including you'll be new and be sweating your face off, its just going to stick to you and well.... we don't really wear those here so you'll stick out like a sore thumb and will be for sure assumed a tourist. Not necessarily a bad thing. Even in Hawaii we never wore those lol. If you throw on some tevas with socks you'll be really treated like a tourist. 😉 Oh and WATER shoes! HAHAHA! Just don't.
In STT she will find everything she needs including nice clothes, in yacht haven for a price. Most of us just go to Kmart and whatever around. Rainbow is cheap but a lot of their clothes fall apart after a couple washes. You'll find more in STT than STX because of the tourist stores. I went "shopping" last week looking for more conservative clothes for our Morocco trip and well I cant find comfortable loose pants for under $80. Insane. Its all expensive resort were here in STX.
For her I would bring mostly shorts and tank tops - LOTS of swimsuits and LOTS of bras and LOTS of underwear - or go without (underwear and bras) lol. I started buying the $200 swimsuits from the place in Yacht Haven because they just last longer I can get a full year out of them maybe more. My kmart suits - MAYBE 3 months tops but I was in the water every day. The climate ruins elastic so she will go through bras like no tomorrow... unless she can go without a bra... then lucky her!
Comfortable dressy clothes are key. One black tie outfit which will likely just mold in the closet and have to be cleaned before any event and the rest casual dressy. We don't really get glammed up here and most dresses are worn with sandals. I try to wear the only pair of heels I own once a year - I look like newborn giraffe lol. Its not pretty.
Don't overthink it - in STT youll be able to get whatever you need and what you cant, you can then order. Bring minimal things. We brought 3 suitcases and 2 cats.
which island-stt has some pricier options.
i dont think the shops on stx are all that expensive.if she does not want to buy local / kmart there are plenty of options online. not just ebay and amazon. just do a search on who ships here
Haha I totally think the opposite. Any ideas where a girl can get reasonable lose fitting pants - not linen? Wait... you're in STX right Speedy? I went to every store in Csted last week and nothing under $80. FOR PANTS! I was floored. STT has a ton of shops that cater to tourists especially on main street. Of course they're more than amazon or stateside but on average not by too much. If you're venturing into Yacht Haven Grande - well then yea its like LA prices but also all the big name brands.
What sort of work is your wife going to be doing/looking for?
that doesn't require that the candidate be fluent in english.
That would be my main concern.
My wife has ordered a lot of clothes from Amazon. The selection and quality here for professional attire is lacking unless you want to go to FirstBank for a clothing loan and shop at YHG. She has had good success. I haven't bought anything but underwear since I've been here so I can't comment on men's clothing
Depends where you're working.
Law Offices, banks, government offices tend to require more than casual clothes.
High heels? Forget about it! It's rare that she'll need them. Comfortable flats, low heels, sandals. Nice cotton slacks, cotton blouses or shirts, simple day or sun dresses will get the most use as will t-shirts and shorts.
I shop at KMart and when I go to visit friends and family in FL, I stock up and buy nicer quality items at less expensive prices.
Silk and linen, don't even bother! No polyester!
Rare to wear stockings as well unless going to an elegant event which are few and far between.
Good luck.
I used to order clothes online, but after several disappointing purchases because of poor quality, I now shop mostly local.
I have gotten GREAT deals at the Barefoot Buddha Boutique in Havensight. I don't think I paid over $30 for any dress or shoes I've bought there. Many work appropriate pieces.
For loose pants, I always find good deals at KMart. You can also get decent office attire there from time to time. Nothing beats trying on before you buy.
We also have other stores for the professional woman and I guess prices same as online. I usually shop the sale racks.
We went to Sugar Bay Resort Boutique and I got 2 long dresses for $38 and my friend got 2 cute dresses for about $66.
I only buy online when I'm looking for something specific that I haven't seen here. Like a yellow fitted dress I see on ebay.
Rarely order clothes or shoes online unless a specific brand that I know will fit and be comfortable.
Well she is from Nicaragua so she understands the climate here. I would go to Target or what ever store she likes in the states and get a few pair of shorts, a few bathing suits, some tank tops, t shirts, flipflops for casual wear. For formal or work clothes get some things that she can mix or match to make different outfits. Skirts, blouses, lightweight dresses with at least short sleeves for office attire. Some sandals for going out and some flat or heeled closed toed shoes for work. Maybe a couple of light weight jackets or sweaters for airconditioned building or cool nights. Most of these clothes will be very light weight and you can roll them for packing in a small, if not carryon suitcase. My daughters are all in their 30s and when they come to visit they can fit all their clothes in a carry on bag. Maybe over sharing but 2 or 3 bras might be enough as I only put one on my body when I am going out, other wise totally braless here. Too hot.
For you some short sleeved button down shirts that are easy wash and no iron wear. A bunch of T shirts like from Old Navy that are light weight. My guys like going to a sporting goods store and getting pants that are summer weight Columbia or Northface that have zip off legs so they can wear them as slacks or shorts. Those pants are nice enough to wear dressy with a button down shirt or casual with a T shirt. I also buy my guys a plain pack of white or grey T shirts just to wear around the house or work in because they can be easily bleached to get stains out. Also bring socks to wear with the sneakers. I can pack about 2 weeks of these lightweight clothes in a carry on for each of my guys by rolling the clothes. For shoes I buy my guys a nice pair of sneakers, some hiking sandals that can double as water shoes if we are in water around rocks with things like sea urchins.
Finally you can order from some stateside stores and with a minimum order get free shipping. I would bring what I suggested to start with and you will know after a month if you need to get more.
Good luck
Tammy
You want to wash, dry, hang it up and no ironing.
(tu)
I think Land's End was on the list of stores that ship to USVI
I order a lot from Old Navy for my family. Actually, I joke that St. John often looks like a walking commercial for Old Navy. They have lots of basics for decent prices and they ship here. I also order from 6pm.com for myself. The islands are very casual. Over dressing will make you stick out. I tend to over dress quite a lot. As a seamstress, I just really like structured clothing. It can be done here without being too hot, but it's definitely not the norm unless you have a government or bank job. Silk clothing, while breathable, is not very practical because it is pretty fragile. If the moths don't get it, the environment will. Cotton blends hold up better, but they can be hot too. You won't need a whole closet full of clothes. Start small, replace when worn out. I've never once heard someone say "Oh! She worn that yesterday! How awful!" As long as you are clean, we don't care if you wear something two or three times in a week. Sun dresses are easy and comfortable to wear. AandA2VI has a point about bathing suits. Get something that is better quality so it will hold up better. And if you find one you really like buy two of them. And ditto on bras and underwear. All three of these things are hard to buy online unless you know exactly what you are looking for.
did you go to trends? or hot heads or gecko? they usually have nice things and some good sales? the gecko used to be next to baci, i think they moved somewhere else.
what about joanna banana
When I was last in PR we bought a lot of clothing stuff from REI. I ordered a backpack cooler from them online and total with shipping was about $30 and it came quickly. I'll definitely order from them again.
I order clothes regularly from Dillard's, Macy's and Nordstrom's. I've ordered many things from Amazon, but, never thought of ordering clothes from them. I check it out. I do try an buy locally to support the local economy, but, selection here on STX I've found to be slim.
On-island thrift stores (loads of local retailers donate unsold good clothes) and eBay ...
Thanks to you and everyone else for the helpful information, with all the suggestions I think we'll do fine I like the idea of going to PR, that slipped my mind. When I told my wife about the heat, she did fire back to me that she lived there her whole life and knows more about living in a hot climate than I do.
As far as fashion goes, I’m not a "dedicated follower of fashion" (The Kink)s or just because “the head monkey in Paris has a new hat, everyone else must do the same”.(Thoreau) I’m just joking, but I really don’t care about fashion. Also, I have to wear a compressed stocking for health reasons. Like you I learned something about clothes. Some time ago, I was with a girlfriend in Newport Beach, CA, we were on our way to Samoa so she bought me a couple of Hawaiian shirt for $50 each at Fashion Island, this was 1995. I would have never spent $50 for a shirt, Hawaiian or otherwise. However, after 5 years those $50 Hawaiian shirts looked just as good as the day they were bought. That’s when I thought differently about spending money on clothes. Your $200 bathing suit is proof of that. I’ll bet you’d go through a couple of dozen K-Mart swimsuits to get the same length of wear as your $200 bathing suit is giving you, and costing more money.
Also, I think I am over thinking it, thanks for reeling me in. We'll be there in a couple of weeks (SST) and I'm getting stress out about having everything ready.
L.L. Bean and Lands End both ship here. Their spring and summer catalogues have appropriate clothing.
Ok BUT what about single guys(47) like myself? I would rather jump off a cliff before I go shopping. Especially at KMart. I just don't wanna go. I order everything from Amazon.
Is Amazon not an option anymore? Is there no prime or free shipping to VI?
I would pay someone to go shop for me.
I usually trounce around in shorts and flip flops. Sometimes a shirt if I "must" go into a store.
Now I'm curious about Amazon shipping issues.
... Is Amazon not an option anymore? Is there no prime or free shipping to VI? ...
... Now I'm curious about Amazon shipping issues.
Already asked and answered:
Re: STORES THAT SHIP TO THE VIRGIN iSLANDS
OldTart [ PM ]
April 15, 2016 07:00PM
Registered: 4 years ago
Posts: 5,427
Quote
Don1923
Wait, I thought Amazon was free shipping???
Everything you need to know about Amazon free shipping is contained in this thread and was repeated several times over for the benefit of those who couldn't absorb it the first time around!
[www.vimovingcenter.com
Message Removed: Please revisit board rules
I will happily shop for you or anyone else either online or local. I bought a phablet for a friend today, and someone who saw something else I ordered online wants me to buy one for her.
Just PM me.
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