Woman’s photo of hilarious online shopping fail goes viral

It’s the latest case of expectation vs reality when it comes to virtual style

Online shopping is a blessing to those of us who can’t bear the thought of traipsing around clothing stores all day but, as one girl found out, it can also go horribly wrong.

A trend that’s been doing the rounds in the fashion world for some time now, puffer jackets have made a surprisingly chic comeback.

So much so, that Becky Latham, a student from the University of Manchester, decided to invest in one to ward off the unexpected springtime chill.

But, despite purchasing the trendy coat from trusted high street favourite Urban Outfitters, when it arrived a few days later it looked nothing like what she had ordered.

Posting a side-by-side image of the coat worn by a model with one of herself sporting the seriously oversized item, Latham sarcastically wrote: “Thanks Urban Outfitters, it’s exactly like I imagined.”

Described as a “bomber-style” with “feather down lining” the website does state that the genuine vintage item customers receive may vary to the one featured in the photo.

However, the one Latham received was so ridiculously huge that her photo quickly gained more than 15,000 retweets, 32,000 likes and a string of comments from Twitter users mercilessly mocking the design.

People quickly began flooding Latham’s post with hilarious memes of film characters and celebrities they thought she resembled including Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ghostbusters’ Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Disney Big Hero 6’s rotund superhero Baymax.

Others also pointed out just how similar she looked to Jack Whitehall when he donned an oversized puffer jacket in reference to comedy rapper Big Shaq at the Brit Awards.

Alternatively, some Twitter users gave Latham suggestions on how the supersized jacket could actually prove quite useful.

“On the plus side, you can use it as a life jacket” one person wrote.

Another added: “Just imagine all the snacks you could sneak into the movies.”