Hey Guys!
On the eve of Mail Bombs Friday, I thought I’d do a little post on the Do’s and Dont’s of Mail Bomb Requests. We’ve been solving Mail Bombs (aka Reader Mail) since 2007, and I guess we’ve kind’ve become known for being able to find celeb looks and answer wardrobe queries. As you can imagine we get tons of inquiries, and you wouldn’t believe how many have us shaking our heads.
So, let me break it on down.
Ready?
1. DON’T ask about something from 2009, 2008, or even from this past summer.
Anything from the Rihanna /Chris Brown era or before is unfortunately not in stores anymore. Clothes come in seasons, and once that season is over, they are no longer available for purchase. Keep requests current (i.e. recent pictures or videos), preferably from Fall/Winter 2010 or whatever season we’re in. It’s also true that things fresh off the runway, like Rihanna’s Spring 2011 LAMB jacket, are not available in stores. Rihanna can get a special hook up because she’s a celebrity. Everyone else has to wait!
2. DON’T send in pictures of strangers you saw on Facebook, Twitter, or randomly on the Internet.
Unless a non celebrity submits pictures to be a Bombshell, we generally can’t publish their image without their consent. Also, as far as Mail Bombs are concerned, non celebrities typically wear clothes that are not necessarily ‘in season,’ which means they’re no longer available for purchase in stores. I myself still love wearing my J.Crew down vest from 3 years ago, my two year old Miss Sixty flat boots, and 6 month old Hudson jeans. Others rock vintage, borrowed, or reworked clothing with splashes of current season trends. Bottom line: Items on everyday people can come from anywhere, any season, which means they’re usually too obscure to find.
3. DO include a picture.
A Mail Bomb I recently received said, “The Kardashians were on The View today and I sooo loved the shirt Kourtney had on so hoping and wondering if you can tell me where to find this shirt or something similar reasonably priced.” Turns out I didn’t watch the View, so I’m not quite sure what the shirt in question looks like. Unfortunately the sender didn’t include a screenshot. In the future, please include a picture so I can see the item and launch a search!
4. DO be specific.
I received this request yesterday, “There is a red and white Letterman jacket with an M on the side. I’ve been looking for it for about 2 months no luck, it was in a music video I just can’t remember.” If you can’t remember, neither can I. I really am not a fashion psychic, so include as many details as possible. Also reference #3. A picture is crucial.
5. DO use the search box.
We created the What to Wear and Style Inspiration sections to offer ideas on what to sport for a myriad of events. Still, one of our most common requests is, ‘What Should I Wear to my Birthday Party?” or “What Should I Wear to a Wedding?” We tend to cover the basics, so chances are we’ve already answered your question or something like it. Double check by typing your query into the search box at the top. Ditto for celeb style requests.
6. DON’T keep sending the same request over the course of several months.
I’m not a magician, looking into a crystal ball to find looks. I tend to recognize certain items just from paying attention to the runways and often find them by doing good old google searches. Sometimes I can’t find something, and after about 4 weeks the search is over! If anything I’ll try to find a look for less. If not, keep it to one e-mail per mail bomb request, I really do receive and read everything.
Happy Mail Bombing…
Smootches!
December 2, 2010 9:12 am
I have yet to make any requests yet but the info is informative. Love that dress “the stranger” is wearing, lol!
December 2, 2010 9:25 am
oh this is hilarious! i can only imagine the mail that enters your inbox. AvidAccents.com
December 2, 2010 9:58 am
Hey Claire I emailed you what to wear for my housewarming..I did a topic search it wasnt covered any suggestions?
December 2, 2010 10:22 am
LOL @ this post
I get ticked off at some of the questions and I don’t even have to answer mailbombs like “where can I find winter boots?” or “that plain white t rihanna wore?”
December 2, 2010 10:30 am
I co-sign @jojo, lol
This was much needed; hopefully readers get the hint and we can see more “refined” mail bomb requests.
December 2, 2010 11:05 am
LOL! Get ‘em Claire!
December 2, 2010 11:10 am
Shaking my head at people! Lol I commonly find that many people truly do lack discretion and this post is further proof of that. Lol
December 2, 2010 11:31 am
Ouch! while reading this post I sense attitude from you. Some people are not as bright as others, so be nice. :op
December 2, 2010 11:36 am
@SimplyME Definitely no attitude here! It’s just a Public Service Announcement. I know it’s my job to sift through tons of e-mails and get to them as quickly as I can, BUT it would make my job a lot easier if people would just help me out a bit by including a picture, being descriptive, and knowing that Rihanna’s bikini from 2008 is just not available. I’m just hoping to sort out 30% of the Mail I get…I used to have a FAQ section on the site with all this info, but with the redesign it’s gone. People really may not know that I don’t watch every program on TV and don’t know what shirt so and so was wearing on the View, etc.
And @FashionBum82 like #6 states, I received your e-mail and will try to get to it…!
December 2, 2010 11:45 am
You go Claire! Its ur site and u make the rules! Boom
December 2, 2010 11:54 am
Hilarious
December 2, 2010 1:12 pm
Claire ur site ur rules!!!
that dress the “unknown” girl is wearing is cute lolll
December 2, 2010 1:23 pm
Claire! Where’s Halle’s dress from in that last pic? LOL
Kidding! (Kinda.) ;D
December 2, 2010 1:38 pm
I have to agree with @SimplyME. No matter how bad it gets, you made this site and have to be appreciative of your readers! You came off extremely rude and condescending in this post.
Your rules came about BECAUSE you have fanbase, one you did NOT have when you first started.
I think you should be more respectful because truly WITHOUT them you will NOT have had a leg to stand on in the 1st place. THINK!
December 2, 2010 1:55 pm
i was reading a post and now its gone….
December 2, 2010 2:12 pm
Haha! Thanks for the tips!
December 2, 2010 3:43 pm
@ClaireRichards Great name!
I didn’t mean for this post to be condescending or rude, just informative. I don’t think asking people to include a picture is impolite…it’s just a request.
I am very grateful to Fashion Bomb readers, you keep the site running! If you think the header should be tweaked, I’ll tweak it! If you want holiday ideas, you got it! I was just asking for you guys to help me help you by being descriptive, keeping requests current, and searching the site…that’s all.
December 2, 2010 3:54 pm
Claire your tips are common sensical. If anyone is offended, welllll…
lmao.
December 2, 2010 4:14 pm
This post was funny because I’ve always wondered what the request are like for you?
December 2, 2010 4:17 pm
LOL Good post!
December 2, 2010 5:20 pm
wow! it’s crazy that you even had to do this! LOL
December 2, 2010 5:41 pm
Claire, I don’t think you were rude in this post, but we can definitely tell this was written out of frustration lol.
December 2, 2010 5:42 pm
Clearly this post was necessary. Claire cannot be responsible for some of her readers who may completely lack common sense/discretion. Furthermore, if those readers would simply follow the advice in this post, not only would they be more successful in finding items, they’d also spare their sensitive little feelings…
December 2, 2010 5:58 pm
Imagine receiving over a hundred emails in a day all of them entailing exhaustive searches to find a skirt, a pair of shoes etc, while doing a million other things. We the fans have to understand that Claire and co, are human not super beings and a little advice on how to make their jobs easier is welcome. Hopefully you will get on point mail bombs now Claire
December 2, 2010 6:36 pm
Clair I so see your point theirs nothing wrong with you giving us guidelines to go by. It makes our life easier to
December 2, 2010 7:37 pm
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December 2, 2010 7:58 pm
I love seeing you answer other people’s requests, but I can admit that I never thought of how difficult it must be!
December 2, 2010 8:06 pm
Folks shouldn’t be so sensitive. Claire’s just keeping it real.
December 2, 2010 8:55 pm
I read the post & saw it as informative. If you thought something was wrong with the post the WORSE thing to DO is reply in the SAME condescending manner YOU just accused someone else of using. It’s a blog, a collection of one’s PERSONAL opinion…we read, follow, and confer bc we CHOOSE to. Get my drift???
But in other news….Thanks Claire for even providing the FREE service that saves READERS time ;)
December 2, 2010 9:43 pm
Claire, I love this site and you do an amazing job. Your rules make absolute sense and I was not the least bit offended. I totally agree with what you said. Makes sense.
Looking forward to another year with the Fashion Bomb. Hugs and kisses.
December 3, 2010 7:12 am
@claire I expressed how I felt as a Fashion Bomb Reader when I read this post. Some people might not agree which is fair enough.
Your site is good but at the end of the day you’re providing a service and as we all know in that sector, some people would satisfied and some wouldn’t.
Keep up the good work anyway.
Claire R
December 3, 2010 8:34 am
Way to go Claire…Sometimes you get sick and tired of being sick and tired.
December 3, 2010 10:54 am
Claire YOU are awesome thank YOU for YOUR blog! lol i love caps lock!
December 3, 2010 1:21 pm
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