I am looking for a different place to shop at. I live in the burbs of Chicago but have no problem with traveling to the city or other burbs to try some new stores. Do you ladies of any suggestions for a place I could try? I am 25 and need some more pieces that I can wear to nice dinners or out in the city to bars. I also have a problem with buying tons of casual tops but I don't really have any "outfits." Here is some info on my style/likes and dislikes....
Likes:
Most of my clothes is from Banana Republic. I absolutely love their classic style and some of the details they have on their tops and dresses. I have lots of summer dresses from them, some jackets and tons of tops to wear for everyday. I also love that although they can be pricey, they have GREAT sales and I always get coupons for discounts from them. The only thing is...I haven't found many "going out" outfits from them lately.
I LOVE BCBG and if I could afford it, would buy so much more clothes from that line. I love ruching (not sure of the spelling?), and the detailing that BCBG has in dresses and tops. Unfortunately, it is WAY too expensive for me and I only have a couple pieces from them.
I love bright colors, girly things, but also very structured with interesting details. I love draping and gathering as well.
I like some things at J. Crew but think it is way overpriced.
Dislikes:
I am not huge on prints....like paisleys. I HATE paisley.
Not a fan of anthro, urban outfitters or free people...and not a fan of Zara (reminds me of a forever 21 but with dark colors only)
I am also staying away from forever 21, express, arden b...etc etc bc I want to get pieces that use better material and that will last longer.
After all that information...can any of you guys still help me? Where can I shop that has a similar price-range, quality of clothing as Banana?
If you have the right eye H&M has lots to offer in terms of Banana-ish clothing that is not so pricey. Also places like Loehmann's always have tons of BCBG.
Do you have a BCBG outlet near you? I buy almost all my BCBG at their outlet and get a lot of stuff for $19-$39. Nice quality. My outlet gets shipments direct from the retail store... so one day, I will be in the regular BCBG store and see something on sale and a few weeks later it will be deeply discounted at the BCBG outlet.
Also, J. Crew has amazing sales online and their outlets offer great prices too. So, if you have an outlet near you, you can get some of the great blouses/dresses for half of what their catalog/regular store prices may be.
Ann Taylor has improved their look/style recently, so you might want to check it out. Before it screamed boxy grandma to me, but their styling is looking much closer to J. Crew since they brought a new designer on board.
Finally, I really like ebay. I find brands I like at Nordstrom, try on tops, etc. and then troll ebay for the things I liked (the bonus is knowing it will fit, etc. before buying). You can also do this with BCBG - ebay has a ton of BCBG.
There's a BCBG outlet (2 actually I think, one had clearance items if I remember correctly) at the Aurora Outlet Mall. They might be worth a trip. If you know how items fit, I've bought some pieces from this ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/jtandcompany
I'd also give Anne Taylor or The Loft a shot. Old Orchard Mall in Skokie has both stores.
And I second H&M. I like the ones on State Street or Michigan Ave but Woodfield Mall has a decent one too.
Martin + Osa is nice too. They remind me of J Crew a bit, but better priced and often have sales. There is a store at Woodfield and at Old Orchard. And they have great customer service.
have you tried stores like marshall's and tjmaxx? they usually have nicer clothes from past seasons at a great price. i've seen BCBG, Calvin Klein, and designer jeans there for cheap.
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"apparently there are more important things in life than fashion... yeah, right."
Sounds like you already have a good amount of clothes and know what you like. If that is the case, I would personally not focus on price so much but rather decide what you like and buy less pieces, of things that you love, rather than going for quantity. Jcrew and BCBG sound like places you love so I'd start there and always look for coupons or sales. Both have great outlet stores if you can find one. Tahari also has good basic pieces that seem like they might fit your style - they also have outlet stores. I like ASOS website too - a little cheaper maybe, but cute stuff too. I'd do salemail - shopittome.com since they scour websites for your favorite brands and notify you when your size goes on sale.