Click and shop

Stephen Richardson of online T-shirt store Parinto. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The internet is an amazing place, where anyone can write about anything and become famous around the world for their views, and where you can purchase something from a fashion designer in Sweden and have it delivered to your door three days later.

It's this part of the internet that I like the most - the access it gives to places and things and people you may not otherwise know about. How else would I have bought a close friend a furry poster printed with an inappropriate saying for her birthday? Where else would I have been able to buy an official Outrageous Fortune T-shirt printed with the word "Tool", another birthday gift? Or the perfect pair of 1950s-inspired saddle shoes, which I have been wanting to buy forever? And that's just what I bought online last week. Whether it's books, shoes, clothes or gifts, I love buying it online.

Part of the attraction of getting it on the net is that it's totally different to the normal shopping experience - no shop girls, no asking for your size, no finding a park. You can never take away the feeling of going into a real life boutique - seeing the clothes, touching the fabrics and trying things on for size or pleasure - but sometimes I just can't be bothered. Buying it on the internet is quicker, easier, and less painful.

There's also the "have it now" aspect that has quickly entered the fashion psyche, due in large part to blogs and the internet. Who wants to wait six months to buy something after seeing it on online? Pre-ordering from collections is common place online now - like you can do at the moment at one of my favourite shopping websites Maximillia, with new season pieces from Twenty-seven Names, Sretsis and Karen Walker which arrive in August.

Burberry offered their loyal customers a unique online shopping experience after their show at London Fashion Week in February. Straight after the clothes were shown on the runway, select garments were offered for order from their website - no waiting six months until it arrives in shops, simply order it right then and there and forget about it.

Most online stores now ship to New Zealand - like Topshop and Sportsgirl. Urban Outfitters are set to start shipping to New Zealand soon, Alexa Chung collaborators Madwell are opening an online store too - and local fashion designer Cybele is offering a small range of pieces available only through her online store. Sometimes shopping online is better than the real thing.

Two new local websites are joining the online shopping community, each with their own unique take on online style.

Once'It is an "invite only, luxury fashion outlet", launched a few weeks ago by Jay Goodey and fiance Catriona Macky, with help from their friends and industry contacts.

Goodey had the idea for the exclusive store about a year and a half ago after visiting another website that listed a variety of designer sales.

"I remember thinking, imagine if you could actually browse the sales or even shop the sales on this site without having to go to the store or some nondescript warehouse somewhere full of manic shoppers ... and so the initial concept of Once'It was born. I wanted to create an experience where people like me could access these high end fashion brands at great prices without the hassle."

They are exciting brands too - the site has already had sales with Twenty-seven Names, Ksubi Eyewear, World and Salasai, and brands like Sabatini, Juliette Hogan and Michelle Yvette are set to appear soon. They're almost like flash sales - three sales per week, starting at midday and lasting only a week.

The idea of an exclusive invitation-only shopping website isn't new - similar ideas have appeared overseas before, but not here in New Zealand and not with such a strong line-up of brands.

Goodey, who has a background in PR and the TV industry, appreciates the power and speed of the internet when it comes to shopping. "For me it's the ability to do it fast _ when I have a spare 10-15 minutes I can browse some things, even make a purchase or decide what I want and purchase it later that day."

"For us at Once'It, we are more like a concierge business, we go to the finest brands, get hand-selected ranges at insider prices, then offer them to our members. We then package them up nicely and deliver them to their home or work. People want someone to present them with something that is easy and convenient."

Not as exclusive but just as covetable are the graphic prints from new T-shirt design store Parinto. The result of a collaboration between designer Stephen Richardson and Rob Ewan, who runs successful online business Mr Vintage, Parinto aims to be more than a website to buy clothes.

"I really wanted to do Parinto because first and foremost I love designing T-shirts but I also wanted to see if could get artists, designers, creatives that I really admire to do some designs as well," explains Richardson, who may be familiar to some with his previous work under the Richard ... son label and store.

"The goal for Parinto was (and is) to make it not just a place to buy T-shirts but a site where you can read interviews with the contributors, be part of a community and also to have a site and brand for that matter, that has a strong, consistent design aesthetic. I want the visitor to the site to feel a part of Parinto and for it to be not just solely a shopping experience."

Visit the site and you do get the sense that's it's more than just an e-store - there's the clean and easy on the eye graphic design for a start, plus the Parinto Tribune (or news section) which has cute Q&As with some of the contributing designers. These designers are all carefully selected by Richardson (who also designs prints), and so far have included artist Max Gimblett, Rufus Dayglo, the current artist behind comic book Tank Girl, photographer Rene Vaile, illustrator Henrietta Harris and many more.

"I have been pretty lucky with my contributors so far; most of them are my friends, who happen to be amazing at what they do. I cold-called a couple of people such as Nathalie Du Pasquier from Memphis Design - I'm a huge fan - and I was lucky enough for her to say yes. Now that the site is running we are getting quite a few people sending in submissions as well. I like the idea of trying to get a mix of known and unknown artists, but everyone's work has to be of a certain standard," explains Richardson.

He had the initial idea for the site in 2008 while still running his previous Richard ... son label.

He perfectly encapsulates the best thing about online shopping: "What I really like about online shopping is you can view something at your own leisure without any of the pressures from sales assistants. Also you can mull over a site as long as you like, drink a cup of coffee and still be in bed."

WHERE ELSE TO SHOP

net-a-porter.com: Where to go if you have lots of money to spend on designer clothes, or to dream about what you'd buy if could.

superette.co.nz: Australasian fashion from designers like Stolen Girlfriends Club, Camilla and Marc and Sass & Bide/ You can pre-order things that are arriving soon too.

lagarconne.com: A focus on subtle French chic, La Garconne lets you shop high-end labels like Chloe, Proenza Schouler and Boy by Band of Outsiders.

postercabaret.com: Posters and prints galore, this is a favourite of Parinto's Stephen Richardson.

maximillia.com: An Australian fashion e-store witha focus on the pretty; think Kara Spetic, Ruby Ellery and Lonely Hearts.

* We have five invitations to Once'It to give away to Viva readers - to enter, email us at viva@nzherald.co.nz, and tell us your favourite shopping website. Entries close June 2.