redoute.co.uk

La Redoute is a French, chic, stylish company with a fantastic website for online shopping that claims to be France's No1 fashion collection. The brand primarily focuses upon women's fashion, however its other departments are just as successful and incorporate; Women, Shoes and accessories, Lingerie, Plus-Size, Children, Sport, Men, Homeware, Verbaudet and a continuous Sale section.

DEPARTMENTS

The women's section alongside the usual categories also includes swimwear and mum-to-be. The mum-to-be section seems to be popular as I've been told how hard it is to find stylish maternity wear, and that La Redoute is the answer! The women's collection has many high fashion and unique pieces, but also stocks classic pieces that one always needs which is great as it suits all ages. Nearly everything has an option for other colours which is fab if you're as fussy as me! The website also includes a range of designer items.

The children's section is particularly charming and I tend to buy my nieces and nephews lovely items of clothing when I'm stuck for a present idea. I paticularly like the fact that you can buy clothes for girls that aren't too 'sexy', clothes that retain that 'little girl' style which is sometimes hard to find even for 8 year olds. I also look at the sale section for children as you can often get some amazing bargains.

The Shoes section includes children's and men's shoes, and accessories for men and women including everything from hats, belts, jewellry and handbags. The range is good, although I've found cheap prices less easy to find in the shoe sections.

The lingerie section has a vast range of items, and includes nightwear, stocking & socks, mum-to-be, sexy, bras, knickers and tops. There is such a range that everybody could find something, I haven't bought anything however as I prefer to try lingerie before buying.

The Plus-Size range is called Taillisime and gives great choice as does the sports section which seems to have every item of sportswear you could possibly need! There is also a Men's section which includes everything from suits to swimwear.

The homeware section has a French chic style to it which is very fashionable. The range is large and includes products such as beautifully crafted children's furniture, Garden planters, health and beauty products, general furniture and décor, and textiles. Verbaudet is a sister company speicalising in children's clothing, most of which is really lovely.

WEBSITE AND NAVIGATION

Each page includes the bar which links to every department so navigation is very easy. There is also a menu bar at the very top which includes; view recent items, First visit?, Can we Help?, Email sign -up, Catalogue request and My Account. The shopping basket is also present on each page and the website adds the total of the items as you shop.

When shopping you can filter what you're looking for by using filter boxes such as price range, price from high to low/low to high and also how many items you want to view per page. You can also use the search box to type a keyword. The website provides a link to the catalogue by being able to search for an item using the catalogue reference number. A good feature of the website is when you have a page full of items, you merely need to hover the mouse over a picture and it'll enlarge, saving you time in not having to click on each individual item you think you may like.

There are really clear photographs of the clothes at different angles, and a zoom option. I also love that the items are described in so much detail, for example how many cms a sole on a pair of shoes is, or the different materials and stitches used on a dress.

ORDERING & PAYING

Ordering is very simple and you don't need to register first. After placing your first order you can apply for a Personal Account and have up to 52 days to pay from the date of purchase. You can also spread payments if you're shopping on a budget. Payment options are; debit/credit card, telephone, cheque, internet banking, Post Office or Bank. After your first order you can change your delivery address if you may be out during the day which I've found useful. Delivery charge is £3.99 which is on the expensive side, however you can usually find a free delivery code.

La Redoute is very good at giving discounts for loyalty and the regular free gifts are varied and of good quality. Exchanges are free of post and packing charge and I have successfully returned items.

The downsides..

Delivery is often slow, usually its within a week however I've experienced 10 or 12 days, and when you've ordered something new, waiting can be an annoying part of the process. But if you're prepared to wait a little longer, the quality and style of the clothes do make up for this. Also after ordering you're pretty much guaranteed to have regular leaflets about various offers which can be a nuisance.

However overall, the quality and taste in the style of La Redoute teamed with very low prices and so much choice, makes it for me, the best option in catalogue or online clothes shopping.

If you have any suggestions on how I might improve the reivew, please leave them in the comment section.

Thanks for reading!