Since fashion was invented, there has always been the battle between the material girls vs. budget babes. Those who spend their time shopping on 5th Avenue versus those who you might find at your local mall or discount store, scouring the racks. Both contribute to the billion dollar fashion industry, but for some reason there has always been tension between the two groups.
Even when we have featured pieces here at both the low and high ends of the market, there are always the comments of “I would never shop at Forever 21″ or “Who do you expect to buy a $2000 Bottega Veneta bag?”. Both brands have a legion of followers and for very good reason because they both cater to the needs of different types of shoppers. Even so, I find that certain people will always make a fuss when it comes to women who have no problem spending $1000 on a handbag, as well as those who turn up their noses at anything that doesn’t have a comma in the price tag.
I think every fashion-minded woman no matter what her budget can appreciate a beautiful design. We all know that spending tons of money on your wardrobe doesn’t make you the best dressed or give you style, but we also know that quality always trumps quantity and splurges are a necessity when purchasing investment pieces.
My solution? Let’s end the beef. Who cares if Tiffany spent on the new Louis bag what most spend on rent? Or if Michelle only shops at Rainbow because she doesn’t believe in spending over a certain amount? If it isn’t coming out of your pockets, isn’t it none of your business?
Another solution is to create a list of five of your favorite brands whether they be contemporary or high-end. Sign up for their newsletters and keep your eyes peeled on deal sites like Gilt, Hautelook and Ideeli for when they are going on sale. Even the wealthiest shoppers use these sites for deals. Once you’ve shopped in-store and know your size, you can then stick to online shopping which saves you time and where the best deals can be found. Sample sales are also something to look out for and are great ways to get great pieces at great prices, no matter what your budget.
What do you think of material girls vs. budget babes? Can we just put it behind us or will women always be interested in what other women are spending?
-Faith Cummings
I didn’t know there was a beef…
This forever 21 shopper can get with the best of them #pleasebelievethat! Lol.
If I like it, can fit it, and can afford it, I’ll buy it. End of story
DIDO.
A true fashionista will appreciate an item regardless where it came from. I find that women who: have no style, no fashion sense, no guide, no understanding of who they are AND are evil, vicious, rude, sleep w/married men, talk about you behind your back, don’t appreciate culture, refuse to accept criticism, and generally hate other women….are the label whores.
Tell ‘em why you mad son!
LMAO! I do have serious issues w/ this but thanks for the laugh…
dang!!! Nuff said!!!! lol
You hit the nail on the head with label whores. I’ve got a friend JUST like that. If I get a new purse, if it’s impressive and classy-looking, she has to touch it because she MUST know if it’s real leather. Looking good is not enough for a sincere compliment. It has to COST ALOT TOO! One thing you forgot to mention, they are also back-stabbers and self-centered. No wonder I cancelled hanging out with her anymore.
Are you sure she is a friend? Because she sure does not sound like one. SMH
i feel you on this…snakes in the grass
Awesome comment!
No beef here, I gets it in the best of both worlds.
Yes,it’s true.Some women like to judge other women because their thrifty.I ‘ve got a few relatives like that.But I don’t bother with them.
I’m all for sale prices and budget shopping BUT it is about QUALITY especially for those of us who are full figured women. Budget shopping at Torrid or Forever 21 are for those seasonal trendy pieces or a night out with the girls NOT your wear to work attire. The next step up is at least a TJ Maxx or Marshalls where I’m all for budget shopping and finding good staples for a wardrobe.
Nobody knows what I pay for anything unless I tell them anyway. People who (barely) shop high end & turn their noses up at something based on price usually have no style anyway.
i like nice things and i do shop. i do not tell myself i can’t afford a particular store – unless of course it’s outlandishly expensive – $1000 handbags. i do set my own budget and i know what i will and will not pay.
i buy things on sale and on sale from stores that sell quality i would be satisfied with – that means jcrew, nordstrom, cole haan, etc.
i keep my eye on certain pieces and wait for them to go on sale. for instance, i just purchased a $400 skirt from jcrew for $60. yep. $60. it’s almost criminal.
and i got a $300 lace dress for $50. yep. can’t believe it myself.
they are having this 40% off sale sale plus free shipping.
now, out of that i got great quality. a deal is only a deal when i’m paying for good quality.
i don’t go to marshall’s or ross cuz i’m not a digger and i’ve got no patience. in fact, most of the clothes shopping i do is online.
i emphasize quality first b/c i buy things to last. not interested in one-offs so much. i even prefer clothes i can mostly wear year round.
having said that, i’ve got no problem buy a tshirt or workout clothes from target or kohls.
i’ve bought something on gilt – there’s a certain brand they sometimes carry i’ve just discovered and i love it.
Is gilt worth the sign-up.
i like gilt. but, i think gilt has more expensive merchandise, on average, than haute look, rue la la, etc.
but, i’ve also seen $5,000 hermes handbags on sale at rue la la.
gilt sells tucker sometimes and the prices are almost always lower than any place online – piperlime, revolve, shopbop – and there is a lot of variety.
you don’t have anything to lose by signing up. they also don’t send you tons of emails. rue la la sends lots of emails. gilt also has a waitlist you can sign up for on sold out items. unlike rue la la, you don’t have to agree to be automatically charged when you elect that.
i haven’t ordered from them, but my habitat is new – i believe it’s from amazon and it looks nice and the prices are good on a lot of items. their merchandise is what you’d find at gilt, rue… there is a bob hale sale now with a few cute (silk) things for under $100.
daily candy also has something and they have the lowest prices of the sites i mentioned. never ordered anything. their merchandise tends not to be as highend as rue la la, haute look, and gilt.
htw.
thank u. that helps.
Also check out ruelala.com. It is a website built like Gilt but they have more of a variety of items and price range!
I prefer quality and have been able to find affordable items, that are both stylish and high quality. My mainstays are Ann Taylor and their Loft. I’ve got a few other favs, but my budget doesn’t go beyond this price range. I love clothes and the adventure of shopping for great deals.
However, the problem with an extreme love of fashion, whether designer or dept. store, is that budgets are often blown without regard to financial consequences – see future wealth article. It is this glaring issue that lacks the attention it deserves. It’s increasingly harder to save or recover from emergencies when the cashflow is limited by frivolous spending. Too often women succumb to financial hardship resulting from failed attempts at the glamorous life. The shop til you drop mentality is widely condoned and gives false reassurance that it’s ok to max a cc or blow a paycheck because “you’re worth it.”
I learned my lesson about buying quality rather than quality. In college I would buy my clothes and shoes from places like forever 21 because it was cheap and cute but they wouldn’t last more than a season. I remember buying these really cute boots from forever 21 and only paid $30(got a lot of compliments) but it didn’t even last the whole year…I was so sad.
After that I decided to pay for quality clothes for cheaper. Sales at higher end clothes are my friend. I love places like Gilt and Hautelook. I Love going to store when they have massive sales where I can get clothes and 50% or 60%. I go to H&M, UrbanOutfitters, and Zara(fyi BIG sale).
I don’t know about H&M. I don’t often GET to shop there but I’m noticing, as they would say on Project Runway, “fit issues”. This ballet-style skirt I just HAD to get with my gift card (otherwise I might have skipped that item) has a hem that is longer in the front – honestly it’s not due to a butt (I’m well-proportioned between front and back, sadly, and skirts never usually fit like this one).
When my craft room is back in commission after we move (well, new craft room then) I can cut some off the front to see if that’ll do it. (It’s tulle.)
Anyway, I notice their tops can sit on my hips funny, too. Their clothes seem cheaply made, like Wal-Mart.
I’d rather invest in the kind of quality clothes that help clothes FIT me and flatter better.
I wish we had a LOFT Outlet closer to us – that’s more my clothing budget since I choose to spend most of my shopping money on shoes and sometimes bags (I have more bags than shoes, so – I’ve also gotten pickier with purses). LOFT is my favorite though (for clothes). Funny thing is I returned a top there that had its own issue with hem evenness! Grr. Longer in the front, for which there’s no excuse on my body.
I def will mix more expensive things with lower cost finds. I believe if its just a trend I probably won’t spend a lot on it. I’ll go somewhere like F21 and cop it for $14.50! If it’s something I want to really last (like jeans for example) I don’t have an issue shelling out the extra money because I know I’ll get every dollar out of it. There’s no beef. It’s more like “spending your hard earned money wisely” =) On the other hand if I love it I love it, and finding it on the low gives me more money to spend on something else fab =)
I like quality too but I find that you can find those designer items with cheaper brands. I love burlington coat factory. They have nice dresses and suits for decent prices. I love filenes basement for suits and blouses. I like to look polished every day even if I have on a pair of jeans. Ladies, do not ignore dress barn for dresses. I thought it was an old lady store (nothing against older women) but they are stepping their game up with feminine quality dresses for different occasions. Their sizes range from a size 4 to 24. All women can look good without spending too much. You can get a nice dress for $25 to $40 in dress barn. I love nine west shoes, especially when they have their 60% off sales.
Like others have said… It’s the QUALITY of the pieces that matter most. Yep. In my area, we have one of the BEST TJ Maxx’s in the country. I hit them up all the time for quality staple pieces for work. Got one of my fave Alice+Olivia dresses for $50. It was originally $400.
You don’t have to spend tons of money to look classic.
I’m all for buying seasonal or trendy things at a low cost and spending more on my basics or for things I want to last a long time.
I shop at a variety of places. Sometimes I’ll splurge and other times I’m like, “I cannot justify paying x amount for this.”
The biggest things I ask myself are how many times will I wear it and what pieces do I already own that can go well with it.
I didn’t know there was beef. But I’ve done both. I’ve shopped like there’s no tomorrow and I’ve also watched my pockets. For me it depends on what it is and how much I like it more so than buying it because it cost a certain price.
sorry but i could care less what another women is spending fund wise on fashion if she wants to do it whatever.her prerogative,more power to her.
Shopped at Forever 21 for the first time a few months back and I LOVE the pieces I got! I’ve been known to drop a few bills on bags and shoes every now and then, but for the most part I’m a proud Budget Babe!
I’m in the middle even though I used to afford that place better, haha. I’ll be back up there someday, but anyway… I am fine with a $1,000 purse (well, taking a little period during the recession to avoid it) or at least close to it these days. I love my $700 shoes, too.
For myself, I have certain pickiness and I like the really nice stuff, even when I can’t have it. I dream of being a 5th Ave -type diva, but I’m not there yet.
For others, well if a girl has a CUTE, cheap bag (for example, not copycat) I wouldn’t judge. I don’t judge based on shoes, either, because there’s often a comfort requirement. To each her own, I totally get that. (Personally, I put Foot Petals in all my flats.)
No, I don’t get the judgement. I do get swearing off stores based on morals or quality, for OURSELVES, but that’s it.
i feel like if you’re a person that’s stuck on how much something cost you are very insecure and you’re letting the material things make you. i buy anything that has a good price tag on it. you can always find high-end stuff for low prices if you know how to look for sales, i am a true witness to this. thrift stores, tjmaxx, ross, vintage stores, forever21, it doesnt matter i love em all if they got something cute for me to wear….and even if i was filthy rich, i would STILL be shopping discount lol
Agreed, I don’t know what kind of $$ you’re bringing home, but $700 on some shoes is really extreme for most people. Perhaps, you’ve got it like that and if so, more power to you. Unfortunately, I’ve seen far too many young women pretending to be Carrie Bradshaw blowing a rent check and maxing a cc on Louis V, just to turn around and file bankruptcy. It ain’t real.