I often face a design versus material&make dilemma while shopping name brands. So much that I almost stopped going into retail shops for more than window shopping.
What is the reason for this? The rough economy or the consumer demands might be an effect in th erecent years and I really think that the situation went worse during the recession. Another reason i can think of is how our information age society operates. I think we're all getting to the quick paste of things with short lifespan. So everything gets adjusted to this expectation.
The most recent example of it was the White House Black Market sweater jacket that I liked very much. I liked the design of this jacket so much during the season that i almost ordered it online full price. Than I decided I'd at least try it in store, but forgot about it until I received a sale notice for it. They didn't have my size online so I had the call the stores around me to see which one had my size. I asked them to put a hold on it and went there to get it that day only to discover that this jacket would fall apart after the firt few wears. The ruffles around the trims were already falling apart (it is the umhemmed cut, but they could find a fabric that doesn't fall apart for this design) or they were stitched uneven. I understand that I shouldn't expect such a fashionable item to last that long, but I expect it to be at its top condition at least for a season or when I buy it. Then I said, it's actually a timeless design except for the ruffles so I could cut the ruffles. When I looked at it, it was impossible to cut the ruffles since the button hooks were sewn on top of the ruffles. So empty-handed I left the store.
I don't feel this way while shopping discount store like Mashalls, TJMaxx, Ross or Loehmans. I feel ike I have more options like a department store and can go either direction, cheap or pricey at a discount rate. What I buy in these stores are either really cheap that I don't worry about how long they'd last or they gave me the feeling of quality at the right price at their discounted rate. My shopping also takes a lot less time since I know about the current trends and can find things that tickle my fancy in a short time without paying seasonal prices. So over the years, I moved from shopping retail to shopping in big discount chains and outlets.
How about you? Do you get dissappointed by the quality of your clothes? How often do you shop retail? Do you have a favorite store and for what reasons?
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