Reader Question - Shopping for Classics
I recently received a question from a reader named Melanie.
Hi there! I love love love your blog. Where are your favorite places to shop? I’m a size 12 and sometimes have a tough time shopping. Do you have a favorite store for classics (such as a button town oxford, trench, etc.)? Keep up the great work! Your confidence is an inspiration.
Thanks, Melanie, for reading and for the kind words. This is a great question, but I’d first like to start off by explaining my shopping philosophy.
1. Quality over quantity, always. My great-grandmother, an expert seamstress, taught my mom to sew, and she in turn passed on knowledge of high quality clothing to me. Sorry, Forever 21, but I like to wear my clothes more than once before they’re dunzo.
2. Try things on before buying, always. I put a lot of effort into finding clothes I like, and I hate returning things. I want to make sure that what I’m buying looks just as great as it does on the website (in fit, in fabric quality, and in construction), so unfortunately the majority of online shopping is out. Even in stores where I return again and again, my size can vary between different silhouettes. This goes hand-in-hand with #3…
3. Feel good in it. We all have small closets. If I’m buying another dress or blouse or pair of shoes which gets to take up precious space in my apartment, I should love it and love how I look in it. Never let your friends (or yourself) convince you to get something you’re not loving in the dressing room.
4. Never Rarely pay full price. Everything goes on sale at some point. There have been a few occasions where I just couldn’t wait for a markdown, but these were all reasonably priced items to begin with.
5. Patience. Shopping in this way might mean a little extra time, but think back to my small closet comment in #3. There are too many shopping options out there to settle.
That being said, if you’ve been reading Preppy with a Twist for awhile, you probably noticed my unhealthy addiction to J Crew. Over half of my closet is from J Crew, I save every article about Jenna Lyons or Mickey Drexler, I want my future kids to model for Crewcuts…I’ve got it bad. Their aesthetic is just me - and many of their clothes work for curvier girls. (Sizes go up to 14, including some items in petite and tall.)
Many of the places where I find clothes are typical young-professional-on-a-budget stores - LOFT, Banana Republic, NY & Company, Target, TJ Maxx (where I find most of my Ralph Lauren and my favorite jeans)…plus all of my favorite thrift stores and consignment shops. And I’ve gotten to be a pro-remixer.
Hope that points you in the right direction, Melanie!
