If you’ve ever stumbled onto the COS website looking for high-quality women’s clothing, and hoping that shopping there would somehow make you Danish, you are me, 2 years ago. I had a lot of questions before I took a gamble on COS, namely, is COS worth the price? So today, here’s a COS review of all my favorite (and least favorite) clothing, plus my tips for finding COS on sale.
What COS does best
I think COS’s strong suit is slightly weird business casual clothes. Items that are asymmetric, oversized, or have a little design detail that makes them less ordinary. COS clothes aren’t for everyone, and I’ve heard some people say that they think their stuff is boring. But as someone who loves minimalist with a twist items, they’re just right for my style!
They also offer many lovely natural fabrics, especially 100% linen, cotton, and silk. This is where I would spend my money if I were browsing a COS sale, while leaving any viscose or polyester behind.
Finally, they make an incredible t shirt. Is it spendy? Yes. Does it look awesome? Yes. Very substantial. Perfect if you want to wear a tee to work but not look sloppy. I have the short and long sleeve versions.
Is COS actually good quality?
COS is owned by H&M, so it’s natural to wonder if their clothes are actually nice quality. In my experience, everything they make is leagues ahead of any H&M staples. Everything I own from COS has held up quite well, and I haven’t babied any of it–it goes straight into the wash with everything else.
COS sizing
The last important thing to note! COS clothing tends to run large and long. A dream come true, if you are a tall woman like me! But probably annoying if you’re petite. In general, they style things to look loose. I pick my true size (6/medium) if I want a flowy item, but I have also sized down, especially in t-shirts, tops, and flowy dresses, because those things will be really flowy. Case in point: this blue dress, which I bought in a medium, is ginormous. I got it tailored to remove a bit of the volume because I bought it on final sale!
Does COS have sales?
I’m pretty sure I googled this and ended up on a Reddit thread once because dang, COS prices are steep. Now that I’ve shopped there for a couple of years, I can tell you they have 2 big sales: Black Friday (through right after Christmas) and the end of June. This is the only time you’ll see a “sale” button on the COS website, and many items will be 50% off if they’re from the previous season.
But! There’s a trick! Sign up for emails around this time, and they will usually email you an additional percentage off sale. They also add this to the website later in the sale (in the summer, that means the sale starts at the end of June, and there is an additional percentage off at the beginning of July).
I usually wait for that extra markdown, unless there are very few sizes left of something I have been coveting for months.
COS sale picks
So, it’s the end of June! Here are my favorite items in the COS sale right now.
Brown linen vest (I would guess this is a size down situation)
Pleated dress (this is one of those things that looks just fine on the website that I bet is much better in person based on my experience with COS dresses)
Paperbag skirt (I bought this! I think it will look lovely with a silk tank and strappy sandals)
That’s my COS review! What do you think? Have you shopped with them before?
PS more interesting workwear right over here!
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