I don’t just recycle paper goods (my building doesn’t recycle plastic or glass bottles, how effed up is that?…I mean, not that I have a lot of empty wine bottles laying around…wait what) – I use the three Rs to recycle my clothing too. Sometimes I sell stuff to Beacon’s for store credit. Sometimes I [...]

[Note: MAILBAG is copied and pasted directly from cheapjap@gmail.com's inbox and is therefore exempt from any and all grammatical, capitalization and/or spelling errors.]
Subject: question about taming an inner label whore
I moved from Florida to Seattle, WA. So all of my summer wear has been shut up and no longer in style since last summer. Your [...]

Now, I was under the impression that designers collaborated with budget chain stores like Target, Kohl’s, etc. in order to market and sell affordable versions of their high-end (i.e. overpriced) lines. So I was understandably puzzled when Urban Outfitters – a chain that pretends to be a whole lot cheaper than it is – [...]

Yesterday, after extensive iPhone camera-snapping and note-taking, I came to the following conclusion: Century 21 is a Cheap JAP’s dream…provided she has the shoppers’ stamina to survive the experience (and I thought I wasn’t an athlete!). The Top Five Reasons that make this store worth your while – read on.
1. The Denim
After observing the dynamic [...]

I’ll say it. I spent two hours in Century 21 and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. Siiiike, it’s a C&C California Striped Classic Tank which usually retails for $48, which is disgusting. Mine was $15.97. Word.
It’s okay that I only ended up with one item after two exhausting hours of trekking and scouring. [...]

Part of being a Cheap JAP is rejecting the notion that labels define an article of clothing as good, bad or ugly. Where tops, bottoms, jumpers and dresses are concerned, I’ve pretty much kicked my inner label whore’s ass; she doesn’t blink at the amount of F21 and H&M in my closet, and even concedes [...]

Yesterday, I fell in love. With a handbag. I’ll explain.
A week or so ago, I was strolling down my block when I noticed a new addition to the neighborhood. Like Athena from Zeus’s head, a bag shop had sprung unexpectedly from a deserted storefront. And not just any bag shop – a Petticoat Lane. I [...]

In general, high-waisted bottoms should always be paired with a tucked-in top. It’s not a total faux pas to wear them with an untucked shirt, but then you can’t see the high waist, so really, what’s the point of rocking the style at all?
The sartorial snag occurs when you tuck your shirt into your awesome [...]

As far as sample sales go, Botkier’s was remarkably well-executed; there was minimal insanity and an abundance of bags at 50-70% off. Had I been on the hunt for a clutch or a small going-out bag, I would have been positively gleeful, as this category of leather goods boasted fab options ranging from $100-$175.
But [...]

If shoes are to you what handbags are to me, I highly recommend getting your tush to Loehmanns, ASAP. Because in the shoe section – amidst the Steve Maddens, Michael Kors, Calvin Kleins and other usual suspects – are some kickass designer heels. Like these Celines.
Both pairs retail for $500 and were on sale for [...]

I’ve never been one of those girls who needs a matching, lacy bra and thong set to feel hot. While I admit that a great bra is occasionally a worthy splurge, I just can’t rationalize spending $40 on one pair of Hanky Panky Boyshorts, cute as they might be. But when I realized I’d been [...]

It goes without saying that sample sales are scary as fuck. Why? Because the likelihood of taking an “accidental” elbow to the eye from a fellow female shopper increases in direct proportion to the awesomeness of the brand in question. Alas, there are too many JAPtastic labels at 30-70% off this week to ignore the [...]

I kid you not – South Jersey boasts the kind of JAPtastic boutiques that rival the best of Soho. Like my fellow hometown JAPs, I once used the, “What, there’s no sales tax!” excuse to rationalize shopping at such places. My friend Sarah still does. When she mentioned she’d hit Knit Wit – probs the [...]

I’ve probably gone through sixty or so assorted James Perse, Splendid, Three Dot and Michael Stars shirts throughout the course of my JAPpy existence. Only when I found myself without Daddy’s plastic did I realize the absurdity of the $50 t-shirt. Still, I wasn’t initially sure that the fabulous fit and quality reminiscent of my [...]

For me, shopping’s all about instant gratification; nothing kills a consumer’s buzz like the buy-it-now, wear-it-later factor. When I first saw these black-and-purple-suede, over-the-knee boots at Monkey Whistles and Motorbikes (my latest Brooklyn thrift obsession), I immediately tried them on. The fit and the price were right, but I couldn’t possibly get away with suede [...]

Anyone eagerly anticipating the July 20 release of the Botkier for Target handbag line needs to take a good, hard look at these photos. Witness Exhibit A:

It’s not just painfully obvious that the sparkling, buttery, buckled beauty at left is the real thing; it’s fucking insulting that the gold, stiff, pleather disaster at [...]

I usually trek to and from my serving job in BoCoCa in ripped jean shorts and Havaianas; the last thing I want to do after a shift is change into any shoe that requires blister endurance. But it’s so effing hot out. Too hot for my usual I-Don’t-Give-A-Shit-About-My-Outfit garb i.e. denim and wifebeaters. Too hot [...]

This past weekend I had not one, but two, magical thrift store experiences. One involved black and purple, over-the-knee suede boots; another story for another day. The other resulted in my snagging of the most JAPtastic items in my wardrobe to date.
Unlike more traditional thrift stores, Beacon’s Closet has as many recognizable brand-name wares as [...]

To be fair, Patricia Field puts together a mean outfit. The woman proved that high fashion can transform a short, skinny, frizzy-haired, character-nosed Jewish gal into one of the greatest style icons, like, ever. This in turn gives all us short, Jewish gals the cojones to experiment with fashion a la Carrie, and that kind [...]

Mmkay, so now that I’ve indulged my impulse to make fashion meaningful (just scroll down), let’s discuss both the white shorts pictured and the High Waisted Luxe Shorts to which I previously referred (both Forever 21, $24.80 and $19.80, respectively). The white jean shorts are a bit too bootylicious for heels or wedges, but with [...]