& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt
& Other Stories sweater and mini skirt

An oversized knit with a fitted mini skirt is one of my favorite combinations. The proportions are super-flattering and you can show a little skin without going overboard. I recently picked up this cozy chocolate turtleneck and couldn’t wait to style it with a fuzzy blue mini skirt I’ve had forever and white ankle boots for maximum mod vibes.

Where did the beautiful Gucci bag come from, you ask? Well my mom was kind enough to lend it to me from her enviable purse collection. She doesn’t shop as often as I do, but when she does, she researches first and gets a bunch of things all in one go. She spent this past year looking at handbags to go with a variety of outfits. By the end of the summer, she had acquired a great selection of high-low options from everywhere from Tradesy to Etsy to the usual high-end stores. What surprised me was how much she leveraged influencers to make her decisions about which bags to get. She doesn’t have an instagram account, but she used the browser version to see what bags my fellow bloggers were wearing and how they were styling them. By the time she was ready to buy, she knew exactly what brands, styles, and colors she wanted and never once talked a salesperson.

Being an “influencer” myself (and a marketer by day), I find this sort of stuff fascinating. Spending a large portion of my time looking at other influencers on social media, there’s no question it plays a large part in my buying decisions. But seeing a non-social media participant like my mom use it as a shopping tool is like a retail marketing case study. And she’s not the first person I’ve heard this from. My friends buy skincare products off facebook and use instagram to find everything from swimwear to jewelry.

So what’s the key takeaway? Some influence is trackable, but a lot of it isn’t. A large portion of instagram buyers don’t use the LiketoKnowIt app or click affiliate links, but they’re still using social media to influence their buying decisions. This isn’t great for marketers (like myself) who need to be able track the success of social media campaigns, but it’s still important for brands to recognize a lot of influence simply isn’t going to be trackable. Going forward, I hope to see brands put more value on the social media influence they can’t see.

& Other Stories sweater (c/o)
Topshop mini skirt
Dorateymur boots (more Dorateymur)
Gucci bag

Shop the Look

10 comments

Reply

That sweater looks so cozy! And love the texture of the skirt too.
And that’s very interesting to learn about your mom. She has good taste 😉 It’s not something we as social media addicts think about but plenty of people out there don’t have social media accounts (my parents and aunts/uncles included) so they use other means to research what they want to buy, or just search without accounts. I’m definitely influenced by others on social media as well but sometimes it takes weeks or months for me to purchase something I saw them wear. Marketing is definitely a very hard thing to master and track when we think about all the ways people search and shop.
https://www.closet-fashionista.com/

Reply

Exactly! I’m totally a “research now, buy later” type of shopper and with browsers killing cookies after 30 days now, whatever blogger originally influenced me might not get the credit. Also true if I were to use a different browser to buy. It’s a tricky thing!

Reply

Very great post… I’m agree with you! So amazing look. Have a beautiful day!
https://chicchedimamma.com/

Reply

Yes I agree with you! I’ve seen other bloggers and even non bloggers comment that they bought what I was wearing and I never see the sale! I hardly use the LTK app! I preferred the emails! Love your sweater!!

Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated

Reply

It’s very frustrating. Also a dirty secret that affiliate programs can be highly unreliable when it comes to tracking and you’re basically at their mercy to “keep things honest.”

Reply

I really like your outfit, that’s such a cute skirt! 🙂

Since I use affiliate links I try to be good with going back to the original source of inspiration for my shopping, but in the past I’d do what your mum did, I’d research and watch videos and read reviews and then splurge on a bag – not necessarily within the cookie window from the original sharer of the link! I’m moving more to in-store purchases too which have no way of giving any credit back to the original person who made me think about whatever I’ve been buying – I think that will still be a big chunk of purchases that can’t be tied back to any one influence.

Hope that you are having a good week and you have a nice weekend ahead of you 🙂

Away From The Blue Blog | Baby Hamper Giveaway

Reply

You look so adorable and cozy with this turtleneck. I love the skirt as well. This is something I would definitely wear.

http://www.fashionradi.com

Reply

This is such a pretty color combo dear! Looks so chic and cozy on you.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com

Reply

This is such a pretty color combo dear! Looks so chic and cozy on you, the gorgeous heeled boots really elevates the look too.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com

Reply

So very thought provoking !very true, somethings cannot be tracked.
lovely combo, that skirt is lovely.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *