I made the most random encounter tonight: I was on my way back home walking in the street, and this crazy foreign woman spotted me and started screaming at me in furious tones. I passed by and pretended to not know she was addressing me, but she started following me, continuing her monologue. Seeing how she was twice as big as me, you will believe me when I tell you I have never covered the distance so fast from South Kensington to Parsons Green. I guess she was not happy about the Credit crunch.
I don't get the whole credit crunch drama, every day it makes the first page of all papers in alarmist terms, and yet, everybody keeps going out, spending lots of money on alcohol, club memberships and restaurants. The CEO at Vogue House makes lenghty speeches about the recession that is coming up but keeps flying in private jets all around the world, and if all permanent contracts in Londonese fashion companies have been frozen, people keep spending lots of money on clothes in luxury department stores.
Nevertheless, if the credit crunch starts hitting our shopping habits, here are a few fashionista tips to survive it:
If you buy designer clothes, try to buy on internet. Try the clothes on in store to make sure they fit and what size to order, and then buy them online. Contrary to stores, shopping online websites do not have to pay for a selling staff or the rent of a building, so their retail margin is lower than in shops. You can save quite a few pennies there. Think Net-a-Porter, Browns Fashion, MyWardrobe.com and brand websites like Burberry.com who are offering an amazingly wide collection on an ever sleeker site at the moment.
Do not rush into purchasing something because it is on sale. However tantalizing a label can be when it has an original price crossed in red and a new discounted price under it, you have to know that you will wear what you are about to buy. Over and over again. I am of the mind that I am not rich enough to buy cheap clothes. Buy jeans at Diesel that fit perfectly, they will last you a life time. Buy jeans at Zara for a third of the price, they will end up shapeless after three washes.
Do go on vintage quests to find 20 years ago clothes that look like today's Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana collections: just pretend they are, nobody will know the difference. And keep an ear out for sample sales whispers.
Go through your wardrobe and make a selection of what you wear on a regular basis and what you don't. You are likely to rediscover an amazing skirt or dress you had forgotten about, all tucked in that it was in the corner of a cupboard under a pile of shoes.
Whatever you don't wear can go on ebay: you could make enough money to buy your next party dress. If you buy on ebay, as much as it pains me to say this, deliberatelly type in designer names with spelling mistakes (Channel instead of Chanel). Other clothes hunters will be less likely to find these offers and the bids will be lower than you would expect.
And to finish on a more general note, there are less costly (and timely) ways to go to work than the tube (and I am not just saying that because I hate Transports for London): walk or invest in a bike, not only will it dispense you from suffering a whole tube trip with your nose in a hairy sweaty ugly man's armpit, but it will help you keep this bum and thighs tight and shapely.
By Champagnista V
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment