"The world is a strange place right now. It's off its axis," a salesman from a Fifth Avenue retailer is quoted in the New York Times. Why? Travesties such as: Barney's of New York has suede booties marked down from $1195 to $720.
Suede booties for only $720? This is the stuff of economic crisis? Well.
I will confess to being a frugal shopper. I'm less interested in "Can I afford it?" and more interested in "Can I live without it?" So how would I spend $720 on clothes? Heh.
Let's see, my tailor is the Harvest Thrift store, my couturier Steve & Barry's, my haberdasher is WalMart, Gabes is my cobbler, and my hatter is the lost and found box at Java Jo's. Yes, $720 will last awhile. How long?
A brief survey of my closets told me thus: The "world off its axis" price of those suede booties will keep me in dress shirts and pants, T-shirts and jeans, sweaters and hoodies, jackets and coats, hats and scarves, shoes and boots for a year. Twice. At least.
Can you wisely spend more money on better quality? Of course. My job doesn't require a pricey wardrobe, and our social life is casual. I dress better for a job interview than I do for church. But I'm not a slob. My favorite fashionista told me I look like a "city sleeker." I think it was a compliment.
So is the world off its axis? Maybe the one that's spinning on a fragile, mortgaged spire atop a house of (credit) cards. The real world, where you earn money, then spend it on things you really need, or dearly love, that world may just be regaining its balance.
Oh, and Naomi, you can stop drooling now :-)
5 comments:
Yes, I was just wishing for that $6000 shopping spree from "What Not to Wear". Then I had to read your (stupid) blog and feel all guilty about it. In reality, I agree with you. All except for shopping in thrift stores.
Mark: What's your email address? I lost it when our computers crashed last month.
Interested parties may contact the author of this blog at jomark1@hotmail.com. But only if they don't harbor delusions of needing fashion advice from Clinton and Stacy.
It's off it's axis in so many ways. "Expensive" or "over-priced" are relative terms, though. Interesting subject, Mark.
I actually privately boycot Wal-Mart because I think they have done serious damage to us all—they suck, basically. But I don't mind being cheap on some things.
"a city sleeker" I like that! I got for quantity...not quality. I love second hand stuff.
Especially my daughter's stuff that she leaves by mistake when she goes back to school!
HAH!
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