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Forget the days of "Clueless" when a fashionista's mecca was the nearest shopping mall.

Now it's her computer.

Some of Tucson's best-dressed women are spending a lot of their time — and dollars — shopping online.

The Wall Street Journal reported in November that online apparel sales in 2005 were projected to reach $12.5 billion, a 23 percent increase from 2004, according to Forrester Research Inc. Online sales are the fasting-growing sales segment for many retailers, such as the Gap, whose online sales have increased 41 percent in two years.

Local fashionistas — high-fashion devotees who spend a lot of their time shopping — seek elusive and high-demand accessories and clothing online for the convenience and the infinite options.

Kinsey Rosene discovered vintage-clothing boutiques online a few years ago. She surfed the Web for cool clothes when she was bored at her former job, and now at least half the vintage clothing in her closet is from shopping online.

She heads to the Web for clothes because she can find rare vintage pieces in good condition from cities all over the world. She doesn't want her wardrobe to be limited to just the old digs found in local thrift shops.

"There's some stuff online that you would never find anywhere else," said Rosene, who at one time browsed for clothing online daily. Her persistence helps her snag hard-to-find vintage items, like an undamaged flapper dress from the 1920s.

The self-proclaimed "shopaholic" now goes online only when she's looking for a piece of clothing from a specific era. She logs on with a keen eye for what she wants.

Her best find? A 1950s hoop skirt with a matching jacket and belt, for $60.

"It's really hard to find a whole set like that, especially with the belt," said the 21-year-old Pima Community College fashion design student.

She doesn't mind forking out extra dough for shipping because her vintage score is usually worth the extra money, "and there's no sales tax most of the time, so it all evens out," she said.

While Rosene is busy bulking up her closet online, Amy Nehls is cleaning hers out.

The 37-year-old mom, who works in a fashion boutique, hawks her high-fashion handbags and designer items on eBay about once a year.

"I am a spender, and I tend to get stuff and get tired of it. This allows me to get some of my money back and buy more stuff," she said.

In some cases, she's sold very expensive Prada handbags online and earned almost all of her money back.

Each year, she sells about 10 high-end designer items, including leather jackets, formal gowns and designer clothing. She's unloaded her collection of Tiffany & Co. silver jewelry along with a few watches and a Cartier ring.

"It can be kind of a hassle, to take pictures and correspond with people, so I only sell the high-end stuff and usually do it all at once," Nehls said.

The money she makes goes back into building up her wardrobe for a new season. And she does buy hard-to-find accessories, makeup and apparel online when she can't find it in Tucson stores.

"Sometimes it's just more convenient to go online to find something," Nehls said. "And it's fun to get a package in the mail."

While Nehls and Rosene sell and buy online, other women are just dabbling in the online fashion industry — by renting.

Bag, Borrow or Steal is an online handbag rental service that allows members to borrow bags as often as they like for a monthly membership fee. It's often called "Netflix for handbags" and offers three types of membership with a variety of purses and handbags available. (See the accompanying story for details.)

The company's founders are men — not typical handbag fanatics — who noticed the phenomenon among women to share, borrow and lust over each other's handbags.

"Stylists, celebrities, fashion editors and socialites all have this unique access (to designer handbags) that everyone else doesn't have, but it seems every woman wants," said Julie Kouhia, the company's marketing vice president.

Sharon Boland, 60, of Scottsdale loves going online and selecting new bags from bagborroworsteal.com and she's borrowed one per month since she became a member in August.

She describes her style as "conservative" and usually selects classic styles from Coach or Dooney & Burke, but she once broadened her fashion horizons by borrowing a zebra-print bag.

"It was not like me at all, but it was fun. This affords me the opportunity to do things like that," Boland says.

She finds Bag, Borrow or Steal's Web site easy to use and loves to browse the site for her next pick.

Boland isn't a full-fledged Web fashionista: She doesn't purchase clothes for herself online, but she's getting there.

"I love to use the Web for this service — the handbags — and I buy gifts online, too."