THRIFTY CHIC: February 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Color of the Season

Color is very important in the fashion industry. It serves as both a design and aesthetic quality in a garment. Like the seasons, colors change, and designers make adjustments in their lines to fit the current color trends. The color trends are forecasted by specialists and then handed down to designers, usually about a year in advance. The main company that is responsible for color forecasting is Pantone. For every season, Pantone creates a color forecasting report, which is used by designers as color guidelines for their collections.
Pantone creates a fashion color report for every season, and it usually consists of about 10 colors. Among the colors that are listed for the Spring 2012 report, the most popular one by far is Tangerine Tango.

This color is a mixture of orange and coral, with a high intensity. This is a great color because it is not only very wearable in spring, but it is also perfect for summer. Adding a few pieces of Tangerine Tango to your wardrobe is a great way to brighten up your closet.
Tangerine Tango has been a major success among many designer collections for Spring 2012. Fortunately for us barganistas, fast-fashion retailers such as Zara, H&M and Forever 21, have also created garments utilizing the same color trends, but with a more affordable price tag! I have found some great pieces that are readily available.Check out some of them below:

Forever 21 $17.80

Forever 21 $22.80

Zara $49.90

Heritage $22.90

Forever 21 $17.80

H & M $24.95

H & M $17.95

Forever 21 $24.90

Happy Shopping! :)

-Olivia W.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Bargain Shopster

As discussed last week, staple items (the classics) are items you invest in. The fashion fad items that consist of fringe, sequins, neon colors, and other aesthetics that are only popular for a season are items you want to buy at a bargain price. These are the items that you hunt and scavenge for in thrift stores, lower price point stores like Forever 21, and discount stores like TJMaxx and Marshalls. Bargain hunting often takes time and effort but gives you a feeling of “frugal fever” because you saved so much money and found a great item.

Couponing, the latest trend among grocery stores, is also becoming a trend for retail stores. Since the recession hit, retailers and businesses have had to get creative to lure customers in. Couponing is becoming even more widespread through the reach of technology. Retailers are able to post online discount codes on their facebook pages or even email or text a consumer coupons directly. Sometimes promotions and couponing will entice you (the customer) and make you want to shop at a store you rarely go to. I recently signed up for AE rewards and got a $10.00 coupon for a pair of jeans. I hardly ever shop at AE and this $10.00 coupon influenced me to go and try to find something. I left the store with two pairs of jeans so clearly the promotional coupon worked on me!

Here are some of the many items that are currently trendy available at a bargain online.

A-Line Mini Skirts

Nordstrom $38

Venus $17/Originally $24

Boucle Blazers

Oasis $45.00/Originally $60.00

Asos $39.39/Originally $98.48

Pointed-Toe Shoes

RSVP $27.60

RSVP $13.80

Cat-Eye Sunglasses

Sunglass Warehouse $12.76

Cropped Pants

Sierra Trading Post $19.95/Originally $56

Venus $15/Originally $29

Keep checking back for upcoming bargain fashion trends!!!
-Kellie M.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

When To Invest

Oh, the life of a starving college student. I can barely fill my gas tank... I definitely can’t afford to shop for the same item 20 times over after my $10 Mossimo cardigan unravels off my body.

Mossimo

Nordstrom


Anthropologie

That being said, today I’m going to convince you that, while bargains are a beautiful thing, investing is a very necessary part of being a thrifty shopper. The best example I have is my all-too-loved cardigans. I’ve got many, but most notably: one from Zara-Italy, one from H&M, and one from J. Crew. Guess which one I’ve had since I was 14? (I’m now nearly 22).

Answer: J. Crew

My sweater has lasted me for 8 years. The others? Well for starters, they don’t feel as nice against my skin or look as beautiful and my first H&M sweater I purchased was discolored and faded after a dozen washes.

J. Crew

At $120.00, I’ve worn the J. Crew cardigan at least 600 times. No kidding. Now I'm going to explain something called "cost-of-wear." When you purchase an item, you pay a set amount. Every time you wear that garment, you divide the garment price by the days or number of times you wear it. That means that for my J. Crew sweater, the cost-of-wear (so far) is approximately $0.20. Needless to say…I’m definitely getting my money’s worth. If I only purchased H & M cardigans, I would need to purchase them more frequently because of the cheaper quality. I would most likely end up spending more money in the long run.

Now the other thing to keep in mind when investing is…buy CLASSIC garments. What’s the point in splurging on some weird cut-out, shredded top that will look more homeless than fashionable after the month’s fad is over. No point. Exactly. Cardigans, coats, staple shoes (tennis shoes, flats, boots, round-toed pumps), and jeans are just a few of the items worth investing in.