Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Dress Fresh For Less

In this down economy everyone is trying to cut back on their expenses in every area; from the cable bill to the grocery list. One of the first things I did was try to figure out how I could maintain my fashion style, but at a lower expense. I believe in saving for rainy days, but I also believe in enjoying my life and one of my vices is clothes shopping. I like nice things like the next man, but I don’t believe in paying absurd prices for simple things and to me selling clothes is the biggest mark up racket out there.


Why does Tom Ford charge $645 for a dress shirt? Can it really be worth every penny or is it the price that makes us want to buy it? Or is it the price that subliminally persuades us to believe that his shirt feels better than less expensive shirts? It’s not like I’m going out and buying Tom Ford clothes anytime soon, but boy do I love his collection. So how can I get the Tom Ford look on a budget and still receive clothes that are not only nice looking, but comfortable and durable?

You will be surprised at the numerous clothing stores and websites out there that cater to people like me. My first gold mine was finding “thetiebar.com” online after reading about them in my GQ magazine. I was hesitant at first when I saw they were selling ties for $15 bucks, but when I kept seeing them over and over again in GQ I thought; what could 15 green backs on a tie hurt? So I took a chance on them and to my fashion benefit their ties are nice quality. For a quarter of the price of a J Crew and Banana Republic tie I was able to purchase a tie of the same quality and I would put their ties up against them both any day. FYI: they also sell bow ties, tie bars, pocket squares, and cufflinks.

My second come up was when I ran across “uniqlo.com” online. Again, I was perusing through one of men’s fashion magazines and notice their link in an advertisement. They had several items that I liked off the bat, but not knowing the quality of the material and construction made me kind of leery. The only way to find out was to purchase something and hope for the best. I bought a lambs wool cardigan sweater and to my pleasant surprise it not only fit perfect, but has maintained its look and construction for several years now. I can’t say that about some of other sweaters that I paid twice or three times as much for. Unfortunately, they stopped accepting phone orders, but will open their online store this fall. I can’t wait!

These are just a couple of clothing websites I use at this time, but hopefully you might find them beneficial. Another to be on the lookout for is “joefresh.com.” This Canadian store is mainly located in New York and New Jersey, so if you’re in the area check them out. Something tells me the quality of the clothes in their store is impeccable; especially for the price. Hopefully, they will be going to ecommerce soon. Overall, I hope these stores save you some simoleons and keep you looking fresh.

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