Rating: 
STORE HISTORY & BACKGROUND
Since opening its first London store doors more than 20 years ago, Matches has established 14 stores across London’s fashionable villages, an international online store Matchesfashion.com, a loyal, fashion-literate following, and a reputation in service that’s second to none. (Which we got a taste of when we made a special visit to the Matches Marylebone flagship store).
Across womenswear and menswear, you’ll find an award-winning edit of the international luxury designer collections and cool contemporary brands.
The ‘Matches Man’ is certainly well versed in European fashion designers, with the store stocking a wide collection by designers including: Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Balmain, Burberry Prorsum, Dolce & Gabbana, Acne, Rake, Gucci, Hardy Amies, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Moncler, YSL, A. Sauvage, E. Tautz, John Varvatos, Bottega Veneta and Belstaff. Next year they will also be introducing 11 new-to-Matches menswear brands. Stay tuned for more info on that.
Matches tend to buy designer collections very thoroughly – if you have seen fashion show pictures and are wanting to buy that particular garment, there is a good chance Matches will have it in stock, which is something they should be highly commended for.
WEBSITE, PRODUCT AND RANGE REVIEW
The free online MyStylist service takes personal shopping to another level, giving online customers a comparable deluxe experience to Matches’ in-person Private Shopping service. Customers can receive personalised styling tips, gift-buying advice, product help and be notified the moment their most-wanted pieces arrive in the business, so they can stay ahead of the fashion curve.
Matches also provides an online Lookbook, giving customers an exclusive preview of its upcoming collections every season. Check it out now to see some of the most covetable pre S/S 12 pieces arriving at Matches over the coming months with hot-off-the-press photos shot by their buyers during their international-showroom appointments. Sign up at Lookbook online, noting your favourite pieces and you’ll receive email alerts as soon as they arrive. It’s all you need to get ahead on the new season.
You can also sign up to Matches newsletters to receive personalised emails about deliveries from your favourite designers, in your size. What more could you ask for to ensure you don’t miss out?
Personal note: I would like to see Matches introduce some more ‘extended sizes’ within their menswear, e.g. XS and XXLs, size 6 and size 12 shoes (where the designer makes these sizes available) to cater to those who fall outside the standard Small, Medium, Large size range.
ORDER PROCESS
The order process is simple, with shipping available to over 50 countries worldwide. You can get items delivered to your home or office, and – if you’d like something delivered within central London – you can even arrange same-day delivery, when you order before 1pm.
DELIVERY
£8 for UK orders
€25 for Europe (EU)
€30 for Europe (non EU)
$45 for USA and Canada
$50 Central and South America
£30 Rest of the world
RETURNS PROCESS
14 days
14 days return policy, including free returns within the UK.
If you’re in the UK, you can return the item for free using the DHL collection service, arranging a collection time suitable for you.
OVERALL
Rating:
Absolutely love this store and the online shopping experience too.
Matches has 2 sales a year (Summer sales and post-Christmas sales) and discounts are quite generous.
We also like the ‘alert’ system which means you are notified when new stock comes in from your favourite designer.
The only reason we did not award Matches 5/5, is that, as always we reserve this rating for retailers who offer all customers free international shipping, wherever they are in the world. This is a minor point though, and we highly recommend shopping at MatchesFashion.com.
MATCHES FASHION - Shop online.