Cher: Been shopping with Dr. Suess?
Dionne: Well at least I wouldn’t skin a collie to make my back pack.
Cher: It’s faux.
Cher’s concern for animals trumped her desire for authentic fluff – she did “fully intend to brake for animals” post-passing her driving test, after all. So, on this day of atonement, let’s pretend to [...]

So. Trovata took Forever 21 to court a few months ago for ripping off its overpriced designs. I’m sure we’re all eagerly awaiting the pending verdict of this crucial case (yawn).
I’m as much a fan of designer copies as I am of getting the real thing for less; regardless of who comes out on top, [...]

I was browsing Forever 21 yesterday when I experienced a glitch in the matrix and/or case of Deja vu.

Why do these Groovy Tulip Leggings ($11.80) look shockingly familiar?

Oh, that’s why. Of all things to copy from American Apparel, F21 jacks the Afrika High Waist Legging ($34). Oy.
Turns out the Groovy Tulip Leggings aren’t the only [...]

My first attempt at DIY destroyed denim resulted in two things: A damaged ottoman, and the gift of the damage-causing creation to my mother as penance. I fully intended on slicing up another pair for my own personal use with my Stanley Utility knife. I arrived back in New York after my weekend in [...]

No one I know has enough apartment space to even throw a Holiday party, so I don’t have the pleasure of attending many. This doesn’t mean I’m immune to wanting to dress up for Holiday parties (even imaginary ones), so I did some reconnaissance at my local Forever 21s. Read: I have either seen [...]

Trivia: Back in junior high, Cheap JAP broke her ankle…
(a) In a particularly intense game of Laser Tag at T.W. Sports.
(b) Leading her field hockey team to victory.
(c) Walking in high heels.
They were Steve Madden Platform Penny Loafers, to be exact. I suppose my ankles weren’t yet strong enough to handle stairs in four-inchers. Fourteen [...]

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 [...]

It’s no secret that women dress for other women. This is partially because if we dressed for men our closets would boast an excess of low-cut tops and tight jeans (snooze), and partially because we’re bitches who like to compete (my outfit’s cooler than yours but your shoes are cooler than mine so let’s be [...]

Sooo, Safari Garb is – for the moment – utterly In. When I play with trends, I ask myself the following questions, in this order: What’s in my closet? and What trend should I try? Asking these questions in this order forces you to integrate an old item into a new outfit, with the added [...]

Hey high-end designers! Think you can bullshit your way through your budget line and get away with it? Think again! Every week (or whenever I feel like it), Designer Slumdown pits the wallet-friendly lines of two high-end designers against each other, and sees who slums it best.
Rogan Gregory for Target vs. H&M x Marimekko

Sooo, [...]

When Krip (a childhood bestie) recently asked that I take her shopping, I had visions of transforming her into a fellow Cheap JAP. In addition to the Fendi shades, diamond earrings, and Charriol watch pictured at left, Krip donned a Francesco Biasia Tote – “It wasn’t that bad, like $200 or something” – for our [...]

So I’m at Something Else, Park Slope yesterday buying flats, and the shoe gal’s wearing this cute sweater that I swear I’ve not only seen but also tried on at Forever 21. Not wanting to blow her cover as a fellow Cheap JAP, I quietly say, “Love the sweater. Is it Forever 21?”
She glares at [...]

When I check out at Forever 21, I’m often exhausted, irritated, hungry and, subsequently, in dire need of a cigarette. Still, I wait patiently behind throngs of squealing middle schoolers, tell the mom who hip checks me with her Coach bag not to worry about it, and refrain from rolling my eyes at the girl [...]

I usually jack up the volume on my headphones when weaving through Canal Street’s not adorably clueless tourist crowds.
“Miss?! You want handbag?! Big, leather?! You want Chanel?! You want Dior?!”
Yes I want handbag, big, leather. Yes I want Chanel. Yes I want Dior. Know what I don’t want? To be conned into buying fakes by [...]

When I think “discount denim,” I see stonewashed, long-crotched, baggy-assed Lees paired with wigwams and scrunchies somewhere in middle America. This is perhaps why it’s taken me so effing long to find pants like these. I’ve been on the hunt for high-waisted flares ever since I realized I was finally thin enough to wear this [...]

Shopping’s the sheez, fo sho. But it requires serious energy that we sometimes can’t muster. This doesn’t mean shopping should be reserved for when we’re at our most bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; it just means we need a way to navigate around exhaustion, PMS, boy drama and/or any other hindrances to our purchasing prowess. When we [...]

I’m not a huge advocate of shopping with a plethora of girlfriends; too much estrogen. You should, however, take one trusted comrade along with you as you attempt to make Forever 21 your bitch.
Making Forever 21 Your Bitch, Part 4: Don’t Go It Alone
Forever 21 is not your friend. She’s your frenemy. She’ll say you [...]

Inexpensive clothes that don’t look cheap aren’t uber hard to find – if that was all we wanted, we’d hit The GAP and call it a day. But we want cheap clothes that take it to the next level, that actually look like they require Daddy’s Amex for purchase. In order to find such gems, especially in stores like Forever 21, we need to curb our inherent superficiality. It seems counterintuitive, I know; we can still be all judge-y and shit in everyday life, so cool your jets, bub. But if there’s one thing we must exempt from snap judgments, it’s clothing.

Just because we Know Thy Enemy doesn’t mean we’re ready to take Forever 21 by storm. Entering Forever 21 on a whim for browsing purposes is for seasoned Cheap JAPs only. Try it with your remedial skill set and the masses of garments will chew you up and spit you back into the overpriced boutiques you can no longer afford and you’ll spend the rest of your shopping days in Purgatorial limbo.

Scenario: You’re out with some friends wearing a fab, black, mini-but-not-too-mini dress you scored at Forever 21. A female acquaintance pulls you aside to gush about the awesomeness of your apparel, and begs to know where you got it…