Windsor was founded by the Zekaria brothers in 1937. The original concept for the store was to sell hosiery and lingerie. The store’s concept evolved in 1957 when it started selling special occasion dresses. The shift put the store on the map. The brand has expanded their product line to include casual attire. In 2019, the brand opened its 200th store.
Aside from Windsor, here are other brand alternatives that are akin to it.
Lulus
Lulus is a popular fashion store that sells dresses, bridal gowns, casual wear, accessories, and shoes. Their target market are girls in their 20s. Lulus was created by mother-daughter team Debra Cannon and Colleen Winter in 1996. Their online store sells clothes that are affordable yet fashionable. Formal dresses are priced anywhere between USD 60 to 110. Buyers can also buy a classic LBD for as low as USD 35. They sell in-house brands but also carry external brands like Free People.
A’gaci
Founded in 1971 by brothers David and John Won, A’gaci is a clothing store that caters to fashionable and glamorous girls. Their curated fashion pieces are for girls who are not afraid to bring out her sexy side. Girls would normally see A’gaci fashion featured in popular fashion magazines like Cosmo Girl, People Style Watch, Teen Vogue, and Lucky. They carry clothes for various special occasions, casual wear, accessories, and shoes. And to help young fashionistas more, they created lookbooks as pegs and invite shoppers to tag their photos for a chance to be featured on A’gaci’s Instagram posts. Crop tops go for as low as USD 8, leggings are a steal at USD 6, and party gowns for USD 70.
GoJane
Launched in 1999, GoJane, a subsidiary of Aeropostale, is an online fashion retailer that targets trendsetting girls. It is very easy to navigate their site and look for fashion pieces. Shoppers can select from basic wear, casual wear, special occasion dresses, and for going out. They can also choose the kind of silhouette they are aiming for. Crop tops start at USD 12, jeans start at USD 23, and special occasion dresses start at USD 24. They also carry swimwear, shoes, and accessories.
Torrid
Torrid started in April 2001 and they specifically cater to plus-sized women (sizes 10 to 30). It is owned by Sycamore Partners (Hot Topic was the founder and co-owner) and is headquartered in Industry, California. It has around 400 outlets all over the USA and Canada. They carry casual wear, active and swim wear, intimates, and dresses. Basic shirts start at USD 20, skinny jeans start at USD 45, swimwear start at USD 20, special occasion dresses start at USD 78. Torrid keeps close tabs with fashion trends and offers fashion pieces based on the latest fashions.
ModCloth
Modcloth was started by Eric Koger and Susan Gregg-Koger in 2002. They started it as an online store selling used vintage clothing. In 2017, Modcloth was owned and operated by Jet.com. Modcloth has evolved since it started in 2002. It has a team of designers and stylists and expanded their reach to plus-sized women. They invite shoppers to post their own photos and they also use their own staff to model swimwear. They also made a commitment to never photoshop photos, endorsing the Truth in Advertising Act. Shirts start at USD 6, skinny jeans start at USD 24, and formal dresses start at USD 28.
If you are looking for a more bohemian chique vibe you can also check out stores similar to Free People.
