STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

i go through phases with stores. i'll be in love with a store, and buy lots of stuff from there, then kind of get sick of it. however i think a lot of it has do with my changing tastes, budget, and proximity. i definitely buy more from stores that are close to me (can we say f21).

 in high school i used to be in love with express. i literally had one of everything they made (they had better sales back then too), then i kind of grew out of it, and don't really shop in express much anymore.

in college i wore a lot of gap, but grew out of that phase (though i still go there for work basics), when i graduated and started working i bought tons of stuff from j.crew and h&m, and was in love with diesel (they still make the best jeans imho) and henri bendel. j.crew is starting to grow on me again, but lately i'm not as enamored with bendel's as i used to be, and since i can't really wear jeans that much i don't go to diesel as often as i used to. h&m i'm mixed about, there were a few seasons when i wasn't really feeling their stuff, but i think it's because i discovered f21 which is h&m but 100x cheaper. now, i'm starting to like their stuff again.

now i'm all about f21 for a quick fix, and when i want something unique i go to the barney's co-op, or this store atrium in soho (though i have to wait for sales to get stuff from both places). i used to be into a lot of other stores (bloomies, some smaller boutiques) but i'm kind of getting bored with their selections b/c a lot of them carry the same type of stuff (coh, seven, c&c) so it gets boring after awhile.

luckylily wrote:

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I go in phases usually.  Last spring I was really hating the whole boho thing, so I hardly shopped at all.  And while I usually adore Anthro, I didn't buy anythere because it seemed like ALL their clothes had either beads or sequins, which just aren't practical for me.  I do know that you mean tho. 

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oh my gosh, you totally captured how i was feeling this spring.  i just was not feeling the clothing this spring so i just bought really nice handbags and shoes.  i also am sick of sequins on everything. 

i have enough chiffon tops from bcbg to last a life time.  while i still love the store (AndreaJulia this is definitely one of his best seasons), i think i am craving classic pieces like cashmere and cardigans that j.crew is offering.  i don't mind that their pieces have gone up as long as the quality is there.  this is probably a phase.  also, from being able to buy such high quality pieces at a good price (i think MOST of bcbg's items are really good quality), i am a snob about quality (it's hard for me to find things at  gap, old navy, and like places now.  .) 

i don't know.  i just feel like it was easy for me to find a million casual pieces earlier this fall that i'm getting so much use out of now (can we say hoodies?? ), and now that i want classic pieces it's becoming such a challenge that i think i might just live in hoodies forever.  i think i'm just going to become an shoes, bag, accessories whore. 

sorry for the rambling, it just makes me glad to know that i'm not the only one that goes through phases. 

ILoveChoo wrote:

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Andrea Julia wrote: I  I actually bought clothes at Ann Taylor today and I never shop there.  I bought a dress from Ann Taylor this past weekend (again, went there looking for something on the more condervative side for a work event) and was surprised that there was so much that I liked! I'm going to have to go back and take another look around- I usually don't even think to shop there.

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I think they may be my new "go-to" store for clothes for work conferences and meetings.  Our office is pretty casual, so whenever I have a meeting that involves people from outside the office or attend a convention, I never feel like I have the right clothes.  However, whenever I decide a store is going to be my go-to store, I always curse myself and never find what I'm looking for there anymore.

shopgirl82, I stopped in to JCrew yesterday and was surprised at how much I wanted, which was not the case earlier this season (or year, for that matter.) I know their quality is supposed to be excellent, but I will still need to wait on most things until they go on sale. (Unfortunately, everyone does the same thing, so when the time comes, everything sells out SO fast!)

I go through phases like this too with stores.  I was totally NOT digging the whole boho trend this spring/summer, so I spent most of my money on home stuff and cc debt instead of shopping, or I shopped at Target, which may be my new strategy for future summers.  I've been impressed with a few things I've seen at JCrew lately, but their prices have gotten absurd.  Ann Taylor and BR are always great for finding conservative work pieces, so I tend to hit those stores up on a fairly regular basis for work clothes.  The malls around here suck though, so I've found I'm doing more and more online shopping to find original pieces that suit my taste. 

In total agreeance - I also wore J.Crew in high school and not since then...and now I want everything!  But the prices do bug me.

I must be the only one who loves sequins - on tanks, sweaters, etc.