CheapJAP

Cheap JAP 101

Big Brown Bag, Big Brown Bust

Growing up, Bloomingdales was to me what Saks is to my mother: Mecca. I’d gaze at the throngs of brand-name clad twentysomethings and think, “Someday, when I live in the city, I’ll shop here, and be just as stylish and loaded and vain as those girls.” I couldn’t effing wait.

In my epilogue, I’ve got the style and the vanity thing covered. I’ve even managed to look as loaded as the JAPtastic fashionistas who once inspired me. But I stopped seeing Bloomies through Rose-Colored Oliver Peoples long ago. The Memorial Day Weekend sale reminded me why.

One has two choices when braving the hordes of wannabe-bargain shoppers at Bloomies’s Memorial Day Weekend Sale; pricey, fab designer wares or cheap, fugly second-tier brands. Even at 30% off of its already-reduced price, a Nanette Lepore blazer is still upwards of $150. Even at 30% off its already-reduced price, a $40 Hard Tail tracksuit is still a Hard Tail tracksuit. If I’d had a minimum of three hours to spend, I might have found something akin to an $80 Marc Jacobs top. I might also have gone insane in the process. Continue reading →

Heel Schpiel

High Heels, Low (ish) Prices

After mourning the loss of my Dolce snakeskin pumps, I realized something: A Cheap JAP’s love of fashion should never inhibit her life. If she’s running late for dinner with some friends, she’s got neither time to plod along daintily to preserve her pricey heels, nor money to splurge on a cab. If you don’t spend $300 on designer shoes, you won’t freak about tossing them after a few months of night time pavement-pounding.

With clothing, I stick to the no-one-item-over-40-bucks rule as diligently as possible; this allows me at least two or three things for a Benjamin. Some shoes can be had for $40 or less: Converse, Havaianas, flats on sale, etc. But high heels are different, and don’t give me that Payless crap - this is about looking loaded too, people.

These adorable Guess and Steven by Steve Madden heels were purchased at Bloomingdales (whose shoe selections are, shockingly, not entirely overpriced). If memory serves, my bill totaled $130 - the Guesses were around $50, the Stevens around $80.

Continue reading →