CheapJAP

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Sooo, Intermix is having a sample sale today. As their Top 10 Fall/Winter Checklist is an assortment of $200-plus items, their idea of a “sale” is probs $600 dresses reduced to $300. Sometimes half-off still means ludicrously priced. I’m not expecting to find much, but I’m going anyway. Why? ‘Cause it’s, like, the most JAPtastic store everrrrr.

What: Intermix
Why: Because I like to pretend that “up to 70% off” means something other than “fugly shit no one wants up to 70% off.”
When: Today through Thursday, 9a.m. to 8p.m.
Where: 110 W. 19th (between 6th and 7th Ave). Thankfully it’s near Loehmann’s.

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Stealing from Children ……………….. (Old Navy’s Kids Department)

Is it cheating to shop the kids’ department? Probably. I initially wandered through Old Navy’s to see if Girls’ apparel was cheaper than Women’s. It wasn’t, but Old Navy’s cheap to begin with - no biggie. Some of the Girls’ stuff was, however, cuter. Much, much cuter.

Cardigans are like, so hot for fall, particularly those of the lengthier, torso-skimming ilk. This Girls Short-Sleeve Knit Cardigan, $19.50, hits the mark, bigtime. Provided you can fit your boobs into it, as it’s not originally intended for anything beyond training bras.

This Girls Long Prepster Cardigan, also $19.50, affirms that Gossip Girl has reached America’s youth (barf). It’s adorable AND not nearly as costly as Serena’s uniform. Yaay!

I believe the cardies I tried were Girls XL so if you’re a B/C cup, do that. A/B cups can go L; C/D’s can go XXL. And don’t freak about the big sizes. Remember, this shit is for ten-year-olds. Now it’s for Cheap JAPs too!

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Cheap JAP Challenge: Charlotte Russe

During my stay in South Jersey, I explored some choice, trashtastic stores at the local mall and discovered Charlotte Russe. Charlotte Russe is kind of like Forever 21’s naughty little sister; 75% of the stuff isn’t just slutty; it’s made from stiff, icky material, and made poorly at that - most of the zippers catch mid-zip, most of the buttons are already loose. But this is a Cheap JAP challenge, goddammit, and we’ve got to find something that doesn’t look like it belongs in Jersey!

As it happens, I found a few relatively decent items at very decent prices. The waistline of the sheer, black button-down shirt makes it uber flattering, and the sleeves, material and color make it a $20 way of experimenting with that neo-goth trend that’s like, soooo In for Fall omg.

The mod Colorblock and oh-so-Autumn Houndstooth dresses are $28.99 each (ditch the belt on the Houndstooth fyi - it’s pleather in the worst way - and add your own instead). The Buffalo Plaid top is $19.99, if you wanna jump on the celebrity trendwagon.

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Converse One Star: A Better Buy Than Chai

On the hanger and online, this Converse One Star Double Layer Sweater Vest doesn’t look like much. Fully buttoned, it’s still kinda stiff. But a little unbuttoning, unzipping and creativity make it a fab, transitional piece.

One of the things I actually like about Lucky mag is their “Wear It Now, Wear It Later” feature (in a nutshell, how to wear summery items into fall). And this vest is sooo money for that: Paired with a polka dot sundress (Beacon’s, circa last summer) and Steve Madden boots (I spent $190 on these, but that was two years ago and they STILL look decent. This helps me to not think of them as $200 shoes), it makes a warm-weather item totally fall-appropriate.

The vest retails for $29.99 - around the same price as Richard Chai’s BS - and MUST be worn half-buttoned so as to not mar the uber cute navy satin layer. Belt it for shape, obvs.

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Making the Most of Macy’s

Say hello to the only department store continually available to me throughout my childhood: Macy’s. Where Coach and Dooney & Bourke bags - the interlocking “C” and “DB” print kind, not the leather kind - reign supreme. Where Nine West pumps actually sell out. Where the makeup gals look befuddled when you ask after the Stila lipgloss. Welcome to South Jersey.

I’ve always been JAPpy, but I wasn’t too good for Macy’s till I skipped town. As I spend less now than I did then, one would think I’d appreciate the fact that their prices aren’t as ridiculous as Saks and/or Bloomies. Oh, the irony. In an attempt to de-snobbify myself (if only temporarily) I decided to give Macy’s another chance. This French Connection tie-front, pinstriped, menswear-esque shirt was on sale for $64, reduced from $106. Not terrible - if I didn’t know I could probs find its twin at a thrift store, I might have considered buying it.

Resisting this Kenzie lightweight coat was significantly more difficult. I’m a sucker for popped collars, and this one stays up effortlessly. The tie in front cinches the waist nicely too. It was on sale for $76.50, reduced from $126.50 - totally reasonable for a coat. And if Mommy hadn’t splurged for a Manoush trench on my behalf a few months ago, I could have rationalized the purchase. Sigh.

Thankfully, my nostalgic Macy’s experience wasn’t a total loss. I ended up with a fabulously versatile Kenzie top, on sale for $30, reduced from $64, which will be revealed in outfit form shortly.

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Targeting Suburbia

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 just more varied - it’s even cheaper than usual!

This high-waisted, satin-esque (it’s Target, let’s not kid ourselves) bubble skirt - from the store’s in-house Go International line - was originally priced at $34.99. Not bad to begin with, obvs. I, however, got it on sale for $8.74.

Paired with a Theory tank (on loan from my friend Lucy) and Via Spiga pumps it looks fairly high-end, which makes the fact that it was less than ten bucks kind of ludicrous.

And kind of awesome.

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Old Navy, New Dresses

It’s been so. effing. hot. all. week. This seriously compromises my outfit options; pitstains are like, soooo last season. I hit Old Navy for sundresses made from material that would leave me feeling as close to naked as possible in this sticky, sweltering heat, and snagged these for $29.99 each. Not the best of deals for Old Navy, but everything marked down for their “Stockup Sale” was too fugly for words.

Old Navy dresses can be fairly matronly; this was the case with the striped, strappy number. I hacked at the hemline, added an old striped belt for kicks, and stepped into some high wedges. Much cuter and more age-appropriate than a calf-length sundress and flip flops, yes?

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Cheap JAP Challenge: Mandee

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 gag reflex, I don’t know.

This past weekend, I finally bit the bullet and challenged myself to find something - anything - that was more JAPtastic than trash-tastic. This pastel, floral sundress totally fit the bill. I’m well aware that, at first glance, the number looks like something a 1950s housewife might wear while adoringly preparing a roast for her hard-at-work husband (gag me with a mixing spoon).

However, the dress had two things that set it apart from almost everything else on Mandee’s rack: It fit fabulously, and didn’t look slutty. Que surprise!

This outfit proves that a few, kickass accessories are all one needs to take a simple, potentially dowdy item from snooze to ooh! The embroidered, floral belt (Molly B.) was a gift from my uber-preppy BFFs; the gold stiletto sandals are Cole Haan Collection (price upon request… yup, it’s that bad).

Both the belt and the shoes are seriously under-worn, and this dress - fine, I’ll say it, this Mandee dress - gives me a new excuse to break them out. Not that it matters, (because really, what isn’t cheap at Mandee?) but the sundress was $11.99, reduced from $23.99.

Hold your applause.

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Cheap JAP Challenge (A Primer)

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 down 14th Street from University Place to Seventh Avenue - you’ll see what I mean. Foxy Lady. Mandee. Wet Seal. Places that even the cheapest of JAPs wouldn’t set foot in. Stores I’ve turned up my nose at for years. Retail establishments I thought were beneath me…until I was broke.

I’ve gotten a little too good at shopping my standbys, so - as a means of continually improving on my fashion prowess - I’ve decided to challenge myself to find, buy and wear non-trashy items from uber-trashy stores. Why? Because shopping is growing, people. Write that down.

Stay tuned for the results of the first official Cheap JAP Challenge. I obvs rocked it.

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Sampling Urban’s Summer Stock

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 originally offensive price of $68. I’m not really a dressy top person, but this one’s pretty damn sexy. The gray piece is still a bit of a splurge at $99 (reduced from $240) but as it’s one of the most JAPtastic things I’ve ever seen at Urban, I had to try it on (the shitty iPhone pic doesn’t do it justice - just trust me). It’s technically a top (the Eros Brooke Top, specifically….online, its “sale” price is still $179, don’t be a suckaaaa) but when you’re short a la moi, it’s fair game as a minidress. (Pair with spandex mini-shorts to prevent thong-ogling on subway stairs, FYI).

The blue, floral dress is Free People, $79.99 reduced from $128. Not a steal, but I heart the waistline stripes against the floral pattern, and it’ll probs be reduced to $59.99 by next week. I experienced some serious boob overflow when I tried it on, but if you’ve got cute little A or B cups, it’s pretty fab. The little white number is as adorable as it is well-priced ($29.99 from $68) - at first glance, it looks like a dress but it’s actually a jumper. As I already own about nineteen of those, buying this would have been offensively gratuitous. So I left it there for you, because I’m sooo selfless like that.

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Twelve By Twelve, Pretty Swell

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 same item in different colors…grrrrr).

I expected to be pissed off by the amount of Twelve by Twelve on the downstairs racks of Soho’s F21. Not because some of the stuff isn’t totally cute, but because I initially thought it was overpriced - if I wanted to pay $40 bucks for a t-shirt, I’d hit the Bloomies “sale” rack. As I perused the section, I was pleased to discover that F21 actually hadn’t jacked their prices just to legitimize their “high-end line.” Most of the Twelve by Twelve stuff wasn’t just adorable, well-made and trendy; it was still relatively cheap. I’m heading back today to try the goods on for size - here’s what I’m hoping to find.

The fab, sweater thang pictured above is technically a long cardigan, but it can def double as a dress. Lace Sleeve Cardigan, $34.

From the front, it’s an ideal layering piece. From the back, it’s a subtly sexy statement. (Did I just channel a Lucky mag editor in that description? Apologies.) Sheer-Back Cardigan, $28.
Continue reading →

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Tar-jay Lives Up To Petname

Mmkay, so I got down to biznass yesterday afternoon with my Target GO International Private Label loot and came up with some decent outfits. And by decent, I mean fabulous; false modesty’s a crock. I was more concerned than usual with making sure each combo boasted at least one loaded, JAPtastic ingredient. This is probably because I have never, ever worn Tar-jay in public, and needed my old brandbyes to make the idea more palatable. Anyhoo, here we go. Let’s break it down.

Tar-jay Outfit No. 1: Office JAP

Working in an office environment is one of the better excuses for donning new outfits. Even if you hate your job, you can still love what you’re wearing! I paired a black cami with a Forever 21 Pencil Skirt, and knotted the Tar-jay Button-Front Ruffle Top over it to give the look some shape. Not only is sheer fabric like, sooo hot right now; a thin, transparent blouse can be shaped in varying degrees of awesomeness depending on how it’s buttoned or tied. It’s almost as versatile as the silver Manolos that complete the look. As for what they cost: They were a gift, and I’d prefer to wear them in blissful ignorance.

Tar-jay Outfit No. 2: Summer JAP

I tend not to fool around with multiple patterns at once - I’m not that kind of girl That being said, when I was looking for something more interesting than a gray t-shirt to pair with my Tar-jay Jacquard Floral Ruffle Miniskirt, this Scoop top (purchased last summer for the ludicrous price of $150) caught my eye. When I’ve tried to wear this top in the past, I’ve paired it with jeans, found myself bored to tears and changed outfits immediately. The floral mini updates it and rejuvenates its cool factor without a color clash. (Note: Mixing patterns/prints is fine, provided they have something to talk about - the navy and silver top picks up the blues and grays in the skirt, and therefore works. Obvs.). Same Manolos here too - man, am I a snoot.

Tar-jay Outfit No. 3: Cocktail JAP

I didn’t mention this Tar-jay Kimono Dress yesterday because it’s a satin muumuu sans waist accessory. With a belt or a scarf, however, it’s a fab take on a style superfood: The little black dress. I used my grandmother’s vintage Louis Vuitton scarf to give it some shape, (oh, and to make it scream CLASS :P). And you already know those Michael Kors pumps were sooo not full price; $21.95 at Beacon’s for those not in the know.

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Bottoms Up at Forever 21

Shopping cheap can be really freeing sometimes - at least that’s what I tell myself when I forgo Bikram yoga for field research, which is often.

Had I seen these suspender-jeans in a pricey boutique, I would have looked at them longingly, convinced myself of their impracticality and left empty-handed. But in the blinding florescence of Forever 21, I saw the notion of suspender-jeans in a new light (and one that only cost $29.80 ;)). They were so unlike anything I owned, borderline ridiculous even. I was obvs buying them immediately.

(Note: Suspender-jeans should fit loosely around the waist and butt area, otherwise, there’d be no need for the suspenders to hold up the jeans (duh). Don’t go a size down or they’ll really look silly.)

Life’s all about balance, so I paired the loose, wide-leg suspender-jeans with an old, fitted Theory top (fine, and a push up bra…no one’s are that perky). Heels are also a must for this look, particularly for shorties like me.

I don’t know if suspender-jeans incur wrath or merit praise from the fashion gods. I do know I don’t give a shit. Continue reading →

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The Top Five Reasons to Endure Century 21

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 selection of denim styles and brands, I see no reason to pay full price for JAPtastic jeans ever again. I’m not effing kidding. Joe’s, AG’s, Paper Denim, Hudson, J Brand - you name it, it’s there. And it’s usually at least half of what you’d normally pay. Eek!

3. The OMFG Shoe Section

The shoes at Century 21 are the shit. The big cheese. The holy grail of discount designer shopping. The cheaper stuff and new arrivals are upstairs - while I usually don’t have a problem ponying up a Benjamin for some hot Stevens, it’s nice to know they can be had for $60 or less. But the downstairs is truly where it’s at. I’m talking Chloe, Giuseppe Zanotti, Celine, Marc Jacobs - the best of the best. Did I want to kick myself for buying $115 Dolce Vitas after I saw their high-end Chloe inspiration on sale for $119? You bet.

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No Pain, No Gain (Century 21)

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. Because this heinous psychotic bitch of a store and I had it out, and ultimately reached an understanding. Continue reading →