We The Free, WTF

One would think Free People’s line “born out of love for vintage athletic wear, workwear and military outfitting” (how poetic) might not be as overpriced as Free People itself. One would be wrong. Alas, We The Free ‘s biggest offense isn’t its price tags; it’s that it overcharges for things I actually want to buy.

It was the bags that got me first – massive, canvas-and-plastic carryalls as cute as they were practical. Or so I thought, until I was told they were $198 each. Oh, a lot of work went into them; Oh, they’re sooo original; Oh, I don’t give a shit. They’re not leather. If eco-chic implies conserving resources, an eco-friendly bag should conserve dollars, no? Anything that wastes my money isn’t good for my environment – canvas, cow or otherwise.

Now, WTF’s Brooklyn store doesn’t have racks of clothing. Every item is artfully arranged on the vast brick walls; you tell the salesgirl your size, she retrieves it for you to try on. A cool concept… until one wants to know how much something costs. The display stuff is conveniently unreachable and/or untagged. This allows the salesgirls to bullshit you with the numbers.

Me: So, what’s your average price point?

WTF: Oh, I don’t know…I think it’s $120 but I’d have to double check.

Lies. WTF’s average price point might technically be $100, what with their $80 t-shirts and such. But anything of interest – like the Corset Dress pictured – was closer to $200. For shame!

Okay, so the $150 sweatshirts and $168 suspenders (I shit you not) are all kinds of bull. It’d be a lot easier to ignore this line altogether if the intricately detailed dresses and bags didn’t totally rock. But they do and I want them and I can’t have them and this irritates me. So much so that I need a pick-me-up, which clearly means I’m off to Forever 21. Byeee!