These are touch economic times and it seems almost vulgar to shop at the high-end stores when many people are struggling to make ends meet. I know that I will never be able to completely stay away from shopping for clothes and shoes. As an experiment, this fall and winter season, I will avoid shopping at my favorite retailers and designers (au revoir Saks, Neiman's, Barneys, DVF, Nanette Lepore, Karen Millen, etc..) and see if I can maintain my penchant to remain fashionable at a significant fraction of the usual costs.
I've bought summer dresses from Forever 21 before, but I usually wear them to run errands on weekends or as nightgowns. I don't think I have any winter stuff from that store. In preparation for this year's fall and winter season, I've acquired a few pieces at Forever 21 and Zara, in lieu of its high end counterparts. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the workmanship from both designs. The Forever 21 shift dresses, ruched skinny jeans, and leather pants fitted well, had clean finishes and were well-structured. Nothing was bent out of shape nor had frayed edges.The textured biker leather jacket from Zara was a bit tight on the shoulders and chest. I think i would wear it unzipped. But it is a steal for $89 when I compare it with the Karen Millen design (priced at $695) that I originally wanted.
It is only the beginning of September. I hope I can hold out till spring 2010 and maybe teach myself some new wallet-healthy shopping habits.
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