It’s rare that I choose function over fashion, and I’m not so practical that I’d ever resort to wearing traditional Crocs. But I am a style realist (sometimes). I can’t afford cabs and I don’t work out, so if I’m headed somewhere within 20 blocks of my current location, I’m doing it on foot and [...]

I’m on vacay this week, and by vacay, I mean I’m dogsitting in South Jersey while my parents are out of town. Sigh. Anyhoo, no trip home would be complete without a visit to my local Target. This is because suburban Targets put urban Targets to shame. The selection of GO International stuff isn’t [...]

In the world of used clothing, there’s thrift, there’s designer-discount, and there’s vintage bullshit. Because I interpret the term “cheap” to mean low-cost and not sleazy, I recently visited Cheap Jack’s Vintage Clothing and should have bolted after perusing a rack of $30 t-shirts. If the tees had been outstanding in some capacity, I might [...]

Where JAPtastic denim is concerned, I’ve come a long way, baby. I’ve put to rest the inevitable shame of wearing Forever 21 high-waisted jeans; I’ve even come to enjoy the freedom of denim experimentation encouraged by not spending $200 on every pair. I’m not above secondhand Sevens, I’m no longer starved for Rich and [...]

It’s rare that I find myself thinking things like, “This $150 raincoat is a serious find. I don’t need a raincoat right now, but I will someday, and I’ll regret not buying this one when that day comes.” But when the raincoat in question is a fitted, shiny, navy-and-creme-striped Marc Jacobs, you stop thinking straight.
Tokio [...]

Soooo, last night’s Project Runway hailed eco-friendly fashion, and some of the green material-inspired looks were pretty effing awesome. But I’m still not buying the notion that green translates to good, and here’s why. Opting for eco-friendly material (jersey cotton, organic satin and silk, etc.) is a nice way of doing your part to screw [...]

Fashion likes to stick it to us regular gals by using 5′11” waifs to distract us from one of the cardinal rules of getting dressed: DRESS FOR YOUR BODY TYPE. The following trends have the uncanny ability to make even runway models look bloated, so unless you’re a flat-chested, lanky, scrawny young thang (Kleenex is [...]

Subject: Gushing & MAILBAG
Hi CheapJAP:
I love love LOVE your site. It is definitely one of my TOP 5 blogs and, believe me, for reasons I can’t quite explain, I read a lot of blogs.
Since I love not only your frugal point of view, but also your awesome style, maybe you can help me out. [...]

Most of the stores at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Center conjure icky memories of my local South Jersey Mall, what with The Body Shop, Victoria’s Secret, Payless, Mandee et. al. I’ve browsed Mandee and left in disgust on three separate occasions. Perhaps it was the abundance of rhinestones, sequins, neon and dominatrix-esque garb that triggered my [...]

My shopping standbys are cheap, but I wouldn’t call them trashy – it’s socially acceptable to patronize stores like F21 and H&M because they’re more low-cost than low-class (…most of the time).
What about stores that actually are as trashy as they are cheap? If you’re unfamiliar with shops of this ilk, take a gander [...]

After I made the fiscally responsible decision of not buying the Abaco bag, I vowed to avoid Petticoat Lane in the weeks following. I needed time to mourn the loss of my big, buttery, leather obsession. I didn’t have the strength to see it again and not buy it, nor could I bear the [...]

Urban’s sale racks often bother me; the stuff up for grabs is always cheap, but mostly fugly. Twice a year though, Urban cleans house and slashes the prices on the good stuff, and it’s happening right now at their Upper West Side location. Photographic evidence below.

The turquoise silky top is $29.99, reduced from its [...]

I’m not usually a hat person, probs because the only headwear that fits my little noggin is intended for small children. I’m also not usually a vintage clothing person; I don’t give a shit if that musty suit jacket is Armani, I’m not paying $200 for anything with shoulder pads.
However, on the day I [...]

Last week, I made the mistake of wearing tight white booty shorts in stifling humidity. The outfit itself was fine, as I’d paired them with a button-down, oversized men’s shirt (belted, obvs, one must always maintain one’s silhouette) wedges, and aviators – standard badass. But after hours on my feet, from Soho to Union Square, [...]

[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: hey
Dear CheapJAP:
First off, I adore your sight. It’s amazing. And you update regularly, which is beyond fabulous.
My conundrum: I want a bag for school. My finances are probably much less jap-y than [...]

Sooo it’s almost August, which means it’s time to freak out about Fall Denim. What ever will you do with the the Boyfriend, the Wide Leg, the Bold Color and the Super Skinny styles of yesteryear?! Are they all, like, sooo last season? Fear not, my little chickies. Jeans are a worthy splurge for a [...]

Not all Forever 21s are created equal, and I’ve become seriously disenchanted with the one in Union Square as of late – if I see one more rack with nylon/rayon blend, bold-colored, babydoll tunics, I’m going to spew. Thankfully, the Soho outpost has a more varied selection of styles (NOT nine thousand duplicates of the [...]

I’m no trend whore, but I certainly like to experiment. Alas, playing with trends – like any other risk – can be a bit scary. Because fashion risks inevitably result in the occasional flop. Wearing slightly absurd outfits means strapping on a pair on two capacities: 1. The balls to not give a shit about [...]

I took the advice of a few commenters yesterday and made a pilgrimage to Filene’s Basement. That crack you Filene’s fans are smoking is totally laced with hallucinogenics, because it’s duped you into thinking that this dire, sloppy selection of discount designer wares is worth your time. There are many reasons why it’s not; for [...]

Ahh, Vogue. Aliases: Conniving Queen of Chic, Evil Stepmother of Style, Embodiment of All Things We Can’t Afford. I recently received the July issue and something on the cover caught my eye. Something incongruous to the mag’s content and concept. Something implying that even Vogue was susceptible to a fashion reality check. Something that read, [...]