Off the Cuff - Carson Kressley [57]
4. Mix it up. There are so many places to get a wardrobe together, from Target, T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls to Barneys and Neiman Marcus. They all have great things and oftentimes the more interesting looks come from mixing and matching. Don’t forget the Internet. There’s a vast world of clothing available to you by just browsing. And then you don’t even have to leave home! Just avoid whosmydaddy.com, will you?
5. Don’t become a sale slut. You shouldn’t just buy stuff because it’s inexpensive or on sale. If you don’t ever wear that sale item, or you have to dispose of it wearing a haz mat suit, it’s not a bargain.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Carson’s Secrets of Bargain Shopping
Looking good is not about the price tag. But I won’t lie: Shopping on a shoestring is not as easy as shopping on an endless budget; you just have to be smart about it.
Here’s my theory about bargain shopping. You can find deals in any area of your wardrobe. If you want a bargain suit or shoes, you can find them. But I’d rather see you buy good quality brands and materials, even if you have to hunt for them on sale, rather than buy cheap things at full retail.
If you’ve got the time—perhaps you’re unemployed and have nothing else to fill up your day—you can dig around and find good things almost anywhere, even at those cheesy mall stores with shiny double-breasted lavender suits in the window. But in my opinion, you would be better served to go to a store where you know they have clothes that are well constructed, well made, and flattering. Finding bargains
TIP
Fairy Godstylist Carson
There are two important times of the year to hit stores for great sales:
1. After Memorial Day for summer clothes
2. After Christmas for winter and ski clothes
can sometimes be a little bit like a scavenger hunt, and you have to be more of an expert to know what you’re looking for. You’re going to spend less money, but you’re also going to spend more time and effort looking. The luxury of spending more money is that it doesn’t take as much time to walk into a place like Bergdorf Goodman and say, “I’ll take that, that and, oh!, that.” Money for time is a totally viable trade-off. God, I sound like an economics major.
There are some stores with a reputation for having good quality clothes at seriously discounted prices: national chains like T.J.Maxx, Marshalls, Filene’s, Loehmann’s, or New York’s gem, Century 21. Here are three quick tips for shopping at places like these:
1. Go early in the day, when the store is organized and the merchandise is fresh.
2. Shop when you have time and won’t be distracted.
3. Be mindful of final sale items that cannot be returned.
Another great resource not to be overlooked is consignment shops and resale places, where they have designer clothing that may be a season or two old. Shhh! No one’s going to know. You can get a great deal, like a Gucci jacket half off. They’re only lightly worn. Don’t worry. You won’t find Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress. That’s over at the Gap world headquarters.
Thrift stores can also be a gold mine—as much as it pains me to use the word thrift. Just know that there’s a difference between vintage clothing and thrift. At a thrift store like a Goodwill, you’re going to have to wade through mounds of skanky clothing to find those hidden treasures. But at a more upscale vintage clothing store, they’ve already waded through the junk and narrowed it down for you. Obviously prices will be higher at a vintage store than at a thrift store.
What’s in a Name?
You might be surprised to hear this coming from me, but it’s not that important that your clothes bear a designer label. What’s most important is the look, fit, and quality of the clothes. The designer label isn’t important in and of itself, but it can help clue you in to a lot of information about construction and quality before you make the purchase. You might know a designer whose clothes have a reputation for being super high quality that lasts forever. Or maybe you