STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Andrea Julia · Coach

RE: How do you all afford great clothes?

honey · Gucci

Andrea Julia wrote:

I have a benefactor.

LOL!

Alegria · Kate Spade

halleybird wrote:

I don't own a lot of nice things -- I live in suburbia and have a teacher's salary, so mall brands are about all I have, but I post anyway. I actually like that this forum isn't snobby about brands. Most of the posts in thread style are from people who live on a budget, like me, or do a great job of mixing high-end items with budget and vintage stuff.

"Ditto"

Well, put HB

pixie · BCBG

RyanJ wrote:

I still live @ home and my parents pay for everything. Another reason why I am never moving out.

This cracked me up! LOL.

I am going back to school and can't afford a lot so I usually just shop sales. But I have a great mom for the expensive stuff. I am a spoiled brat and proud of it. hehehe

bex · Chanel

this past year i landed a super job and that has allowed me a lot of little luxuries that i wasn't able to afford previously. i still like to bargain shop and ebay is my source most of the time. i do like the hot trendy items and do impulse buy a lot. by posting items on ST, i have been able to save myself from buyers remorse plenty of times! thanks STers!

berryahou35 · Dooney & Bourke

halleybird wrote:

I don't own a lot of nice things -- I live in suburbia and have a teacher's salary, so mall brands are about all I have, but I post anyway. I actually like that this forum isn't snobby about brands. Most of the posts in thread style are from people who live on a budget, like me, or do a great job of mixing high-end items with budget and vintage stuff.

Wow, you're doing a pretty good job at that. You've got great style!

honey · Gucci

halleybird, you have lots of great things. your style kicks a**!

as far as affording things, i think the key is striking the balance b/t what you want, what you can afford, and what you need. i don't make a ton of money, but i have an okay wardrobe in terms of brands and quantity. but since clothing is my passion, and shopping is a hobby i make compromises so i can afford the things that i really want. for example i rarely eat out (i'd rather drop $60 on a top than on a meal) and i don't live in the coolest neighborhood (i'd rather bridge & tunnel it and look great on the train, than live in manhattan and okay walking the streets.)

i'm a very strategic shopper which helps a lot. i try not to buy a ton of stuff at the start of the season and instead choose to augment my wardrobe with stuff from places like f21 and then wait until the sales for pricier pieces. in march/april a lot of stores started showing spring stuff. but for me it doesn't make sense to buy things then since i couldn't wear them immediately. sure there were lots of great sandals and tank tops in the stores, but i waited until now, when it finally got hot to buy things, and most of the stuff i wanted is now on sale.

i also stalk things. if i want a pricey item i'll try and find every place that carries it, then i keep mental notes so when i finally can afford it, i'll know where to look. it also helps me in terms of figuring out where to get the best deals. i know that the macy's in my area carries a lot of bcbg stuff and they routinely have good sales. so if there's a bcbg item i'm coveting, i'll try and pick it up from there, b/c i know i can get it cheaper than at the bcbg store. (i'm currently watching a cardiwrap.)

ebay and discount stores are your friends. it helps if you don't mind picking things up out of season or a couple of seasons behing which i don't. i love kors shoes, but can't really justify paying $200+ for shoes. however i have kors saved as one of my favorite searches on ebay, and i scored 3 pairs for under $60. most of them were from last spring or last fall, but the beauty of my shoes doesn't fade after a season.

carmenb513 · Coach

Cortney1982 wrote:

I don't have money to buy whatever I want, thats why you won't see me posting outfits on the threads here. All my stuff isn't fancy. I've only ever bought one Coach bag. The finer things in my closet is only Gap, Banana Republic, J Crew, Tommy, and Ralph. I also wouldn't be surprised if the ones here who gloat all about what they wear and have, actually have terrible credit card debt! I won't be going down that road ever!

I don't have money to buy whatever I want, because if that was the case I'd be living in Beverly Hills in a big a** mansion or something driving a $100,000 car.Anyway I did go to college and have a decent job making decent money.I'm not in tons of CC debt because I if I don't have the cash then I don't need it.I probably have 20 Coach bags along with LV's and many other designer bags.Hey a girl has gotta choose her poison! I think that like all the other girls here said, you have to find a balance. Furthermore IF there were girls here in tons of CC debt do to their shopping habits, I ,FRANKLY, could care less! I don't get paid to monitor how much debt people are in or how many designer labels they own. I haven't figured out why it would matter to me or to anyone else how they acquire their "threads"!

-- Edited by carmenb513 at 13:49, 2005-06-11

miss t · Dooney & Bourke

For me, thankfully I have a good job and work for major retailer where I get an awesome discount. Plus I swear by stores like H&M, F21, clearance section of stores, and designer boutiques when they have end of season clearance sales to get by. Once in while I splurge on an exspensive bag or shoes after I save up, pay my bills way of ahead of time, or sell my old stuff on ebay. I stay away from credit cards, it is kicking my ass now from my mistakes in college. My thinking is if I can't pay with cash now, It will have to wait until I have the cash, lol.

RyanJ · Coach

pixie wrote:

RyanJ wrote:
I still live @ home and my parents pay for everything. Another reason why I am never moving out.

This cracked me up! LOL.
I am going back to school and can't afford a lot so I usually just shop sales. But I have a great mom for the expensive stuff. I am a spoiled brat and proud of it. hehehe

Good I am glad to see another fellow brat on the board.

RyanJ · Coach

Cortney1982 wrote:

I don't have money to buy whatever I want, thats why you won't see me posting outfits on the threads here. All my stuff isn't fancy. I've only ever bought one Coach bag. The finer things in my closet is only Gap, Banana Republic, J Crew, Tommy, and Ralph. I also wouldn't be surprised if the ones here who gloat all about what they wear and have, actually have terrible credit card debt! I won't be going down that road ever!

I have never seen anyone "gloat" about what they have. I have read excited post about girls who have purchased cool items that they want to share w/ people that will appriciate them. I can't think of one snob on this board and everyone seems to have the attitude that it doesn't matter if you are wearing Old Navy or Prada- if they like it they will buy it.

Vanessa · Kate Spade

Well, I love to shop and don't think twice about spending money on something nice so I should probably answer this one.

As far as work, I'm pretty lucky to work in an industry that pays well. I work in research/development & work hard everyday. Also, I don't have many other expenses. I don't have credit card debt. I don't have a car payment, my utilities are low, etc. etc. I put away money in savings and my 401k every month. I'm aggressively saving for a home. When I go out, I don't usually spend a lot of money.

I also make the choice to spend quite a bit of my disposable income on fashion. It's my thing; I don't spend a lot elsewhere. I save on groceries and get books from my local library. I also have a part-time job in retail. I mostly do it for the discount but all the money I make there goes to clothes, shoes, etc. I don't buy things every week. And most of all, I'm a very careful shopper. I take note of what I like and find it at a discount. I use coupon codes and wait for things to go on sale. I look for what I want on ebay. I also sell stuff I no longer use. It's all a matter of priority I think. I'm very grateful for this forum because the girls here are so knowledgeable and stylish and they constantly help me find what I'm looking for at better prices or else offer cheaper alternatives. It is great!

MissMee · Kate Spade

I hit major sales (never under 40% off, usually 75% off), consignment shops for the really big brands I couldn't afford otherwise, ebay, and sometimes thrift stores. I don't have much luck at places like Marshall's or TJs, but I've foudn a couple of bargains (like my $5 PaperDenim jeans). I also really like Target. When that stuff is on sale, it's extra cheap! I'll never spend my money (or should I say my hubby's since I'm a SAHM) on some uber-expensive luxury bag. I wish I could, but I'd much rather buy several items with that same amount of money. I'm a shop-a-holic, but I'm also a cheap-a-holic.

ViViDogWear · Kate Spade

Ahhha - you girls are all soo great! I want to be as disciplined as y'all! As Ryan J said stay at home and let the folks pay it all! hehhe - I have to admit up til a few years ago I was this girl!

I forutnately have had parents who probably regret handing me my first credit card at age 15. I have always maintained good credit. When I worked FT I could support my own standard of living, splitting half the rent.

It was only recently, when I went back to school (fashion school nonetheless) that I inccurred a debt on my credit cards (my loan was $32K and I still have nightmares bout it).

That being said, I am now back in the work force and slowly paying off the cc debt I built while I went back. I still want to shop, I just try to keep myself in check. I shop 95% on sale heavily discounted, or at places like Loehamann's Nordstrom Rack, Marshall's and TJMaxx. Even when I worked at Nordstrom, I would rather buy at the Rack to save more $.

Side note: I love how the girls here love to bargain shop as much as I do and pull off looking uber chic and like million bucks all the time!

MissMee · Kate Spade

I'm a self-confessed shopaholic and am constantly on the prowl for great finds and even greater deals. Unfortunately, my hubby is the one footing the bill; but bless him, he never really complains! He'll say, "You need to stop spending money." But, inevitably, I find more cute stuff and can't resist! I have to say, though, that I am a freak about sales. I could probably count on one hand the times I've ever shopped non-sale racks. I'm terrible w/ money, thanks to never really having to pay attention to it a whole lot, so I always justify my purchases by saying "it was 90% off!" I wouldn't be at all surprised if I was the one the saying was made for: Men will overpay for something they need; women will pay less for something they never really wanted in the first place.

So, in short, like Vanessa I'm probably not the best one to answer this topic; however, I'm a firm believer that ANYONE can look like a million bucks without spending a ton of money on it. And if I gloat, I apologize. I'm like a jumpy, yappy dog sometimes and just can't control my mouth!