The acronymn As Seen on Screen is not somehing that has ever drawn me in but then again as with so many things, I’m in the minority because ASOS has been reaping in the ker-ching ker-ching, since it started back in 2000. Perhaps I’m just not too interested in things that are ‘in the style of Lindsay Lohan/Mischa Barton/Paris Hilton/some B-List British celeb’ (those names are in regular rotation on ASOS…), since I don’t consciously stalk celeb outfits. It has slowly been taking it up an notch by stocking labels like Manoush, Georgina Goodman, Scorah Pattullo and even Eley Kishimoto. But they’ve now gone one step further and will be launching their ASOS Luxe range of dresses and accessories that promise to have all the bells and whistles – satin, silks, embellishments, beading – i.e. the stuff you pay a bit more dough for in stores.
It doesn’t officially launch until the 18th but Grazia mag readers have a sneak preview to three of the dresses. Fine and dandy. So ASOS have FINALLY shelled out for soem ad quality, semi-decent photoshoots with their frocks looking ….well, enticing! By golly, these dresses aren’t actually making me think of drunken sweaty faced girls with smeared make-up with their skirts riding up their arse cracks and falling out of Boujis.
Body con and gem stones combined with oodles of black. Like it. Shoes could have been more on the aggressive side and less pretty/girly but overall it works. The delicate chiffon in a strong canary yellow, again with the ever present gems (I know it’s a passing trend but I just love the tactile quality!) works and when paired with the gladiator wrap sandals, it’s a little more complex than a ‘Girls Aloud’ type dress.
But then oh dear. You click on the dresses and it’s back to the ‘drunken B-list celeb’ feardom again. When will ASOS learn that Next/Freemans catalogue posing just doesn’t cut it? Without the luxury of seeing any of this in person (ASOS is a pure e-retailer), there is a very strong reliance on these pictures and having gone from the above to these, immediately makes me want to tuck my ¬£75 (which is a hefty sum in ASOS-land) right away…
In particular, I’m quite confused by my instincts with this peach covered slik bead dress with a keyhole back. The image in Grazia magazine has some great light diffusing through it which gets the vote from me but then once again you click on it getting all excited about purchasing this beauty and the word ‘tacky’ immediately comes to mind. Shoes and bag really not helping the cause. So in short, I could just take the chance, buy it and return it later if my suspicions indeed are confirmed but as a plea to ASOS: why not make our lives a lot easier and just cut out the bad styling and cheap poses.
That pink dress has lovely detailing! Can’t wait to see more.
so many e-shops don’t realise that when it comes down to it, a good photograph of the item sells it.
i’m not fond of asos atall. when browsing through the site the clickable images are too small to get a jist of what the item is actually like before clicking on it. which just takes far too long!
I just don’t get how somebody can be willing to pay that money for ASOS clothes, seriously, they should get a personality!
😉
Agreed, agreed! I also don’t know how Chloe and Balenciaga are selling to Asos. Don’t they have an image to protect?
I don’t like asos either. Everytime I get tempted to buy something from them I actually end up selling it again on eBay. Their clothes are not well made and way too expensive. But I guess that’s it with e-shops and mail order, you have an image of what the garment will look in your head, but it turns out to be far less glamourous in real life…
I dont mind Asos actually. I got a really nice pair of stirrup leggings from them a while back and they are not that bad quality. I must admit though I loved the pink dress when I saw it in Grazia but when I clicked onto the site it looked less luxe and more wag which is so not me. I really really really want those gladiator sandals that feature in the yellow dress shot though!
3 months ago we had some very preliminary discussions with ASOS about them taking on some of our t-shirts…never again. What especially suprised me was that they would encourage a supplier to seek out “cheaper” materials in order to push costs down.
That didn’t really appeal to us and the way we do things but it does make me suspect that they way they promote on their site is entirely in keeping with their overall ethos.
You are so right – in the magazine pictures the pieces look great but on the ASOS models, they are in Girls Aloud territory – never a good thing. Just because something is at the lower-end of the market, that’s no reason to make it look deliberately cheap.
i really like asos! i don’t shop there too often because as a student i’m always a bit strapped for cash.. but when i do i’m generally quite pleased with the standard.
+ you’re all slating a site for selling clothes at cheaper prices, but would you say the same thing about Primark and New Look?
I really have mixed feelings about asos.com. The majority off it is not my taste. The overall look and feel of the site is just plain tacky. The models look like footballers wives, the music accompanying the videos is usually something eurotrash and the styling and photography is uninspired. But now and then, there are some real gems to be found there, like the YSL “inspired” star heels or an asymmetrical jacket.
Personally, I really love ASOS.com. Although I do agree with some of what you say about the clothes looking cheap, however, the majority of them do not. I love love love it. And it’s getting better by the minute!