Cheap JAP » fast fashion http://cheapjap.com shop cheap. look loaded. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:47:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Bag Sale: Mulberry on eBay http://cheapjap.com/resale/bag-sale-mulberry-ebay http://cheapjap.com/resale/bag-sale-mulberry-ebay#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:15:13 +0000 cheapjap http://shopcheaplookloaded.com/?p=8000 . . . → GO ON... Bag Sale: Mulberry on eBay]]> the line’s attempt at a fast fashion collection is so ludicrous: Target-produced pleather, canvas, velvet, PVC, et. al. can’t hold a candle to buttery leather bags in the $750 – $1,150 range. If we’re label-crazed enough to drool over the real deal, it follows that we’re not stupid enough to waste $50 – $100 on a cheap copy.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a continual reminder of what I can’t afford hanging on my arm. It’s depressing.

My reality doesn’t allot for handbags costing thousands of dollars. Even if it did, I don’t think I could stomach it – I need the thrill of the score on some level. $300 isn’t cheap by a long shot, but if it nets you a $1000 handbag, it’s not entirely offensive either.

Based on the upswing of Target collabs’ price points as of late, my hunch is that at least two of the Mulberry x Target bags will cost $120 – $150 (probably the only two real leather ones). Fake Mulberry for $150, or real Mulberry for a hundred or so more? The latter. Obvs.

I did a little eBay Mulberry search in this vein, specifying a max price of $400 (that’s $350 LESS than Mulberry’s cheapest bag). Witness the result:

Mulberry Oversized Bag, circa 2007 (current bid: $47.56), Authentic Mulberry Bayswater Bag, NWT (current bid: $249.99)

Mulberry Daria Satchel Bag, NWT (starting bid: $199.99), Authentic Leather Mulberry Shoulder Purse (buy-it-now: $159.99), Mulberry Big Black Bag (current bid: $99.99)

I’m sure there’s the occasional fake in the mix – this is eBay, after all. That’s not the point. The point is POSSIBILITY. The point is that authentic Mulberry bags under $400 EXIST. And I’m betting they’re a lot more satisfying to wear than their faux designer counterparts.

Remember those D.A.R.E. seminars in middle school? I’m taking the D.A.R.E. approach to fast fashion handbags. They’re material drugs – bad for your wallet, bad for the planet, bad for your soul.

Just say no.

]]> http://cheapjap.com/resale/bag-sale-mulberry-ebay/feed 1 Sevens Retraction, Mulberry for Target http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/mulberry-target http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/mulberry-target#comments Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:07:49 +0000 cheapjap http://shopcheaplookloaded.com/?p=7992 . . . → GO ON... Sevens Retraction, Mulberry for Target]]> Sevens Jean Shorts on which I previously posted are NOT 7 for All Mankind. The real deal also goes for around $17.00 at Buff Ex, so I’m guessing the buyers were tricked as well. Had these been $11.00 (the usual resale price for mid-range denim lines as opposed to those of the designer ilk) I’d have known something was up.

Whatevs. I still heart the shorts. Let’s move on, shall we?

So. Mulberry’s upcoming Target line is prompting all kinds of feigned excitement in ye old blogosphere. You have to be shitting me.

Riddle me this: What’s the difference between a Mulberry x Target bag and a Mulberry counterfeit bag?

If Mulberry sanctions the cheap copying of itself, it gets a cut of the profits. If someone copies it without their consent, it doesn’t. Otherwise, they’re identical, and by that I mean they’re both inauthentic and made in sweatshops.

Stay tuned for additional kvetching and (more importantly) reduced-price Mulberry options. There’s a better way to get it for less than Target, and it’s called EBAY.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/mulberry-target/feed 1 Zac Posen for Target All Kinds of Ick http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/zac-posen-for-target http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/zac-posen-for-target#comments Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:02:14 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=5316 . . . → GO ON... Zac Posen for Target All Kinds of Ick]]> Fashionista released the first images of Zac Posen for Target last week. Here’s my knee-jerk reaction to a selection of the JPEGs.



The Raincoat – dig the color, cut looks reasonably flattering.

The Ruched Skirt – meh overall, demerits for an in-between length that makes 90% of legs look stumpy. The hat – why?

The Snap Tape Dress – uber original, stellar snap detail, destined to be the rock star of an otherwise mediocre collection. I am, however, wondering how the open, lace-up neckline will respond to the challenge of supporting real, live breasts. Outlook not good.



The Sailor Dress – pattern, length and styling get a plus. The socks/heels combo – heinously distracting to the point of obscuring all the above.

The Ruffled Dress – eyes are burning due to an overly enthusiastic use of ruched tulle. A belated holiday party disaster made more offensive by an audacious $79.99 price tag. Forever 21 a much more reasonable alternative to cheaply-made party garb. Boo.



The Gown – I like the print, but for $69.99? Beotch please.

The Moto Leather Jacket – a $200 offense to eighties style, why spend that at Target when you can get a legit vintage jacket of decent quality for the same amount?

The Tuxedo Skirt – ruined by the bow tie. Like, we get it.

The Tuxedo Bodysuit – What. The. Fuck.

]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/zac-posen-for-target/feed 0 Dressing Room Shots: Uniqlo + J Spring 2010 http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/uniqlo-jilsander-spring http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/uniqlo-jilsander-spring#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:59:45 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=5280 . . . → GO ON... Dressing Room Shots: Uniqlo + J Spring 2010]]> Jil Sander x Uniqlo (a.k.a. +J). It did not disappoint. The Spring collection proved more varied than its Winter counterpart, but still managed to maintain Sander’s sleek, minimalist chic.



Egads! I just sounded like a fashion writer there. Gross. Sorry.

I waited in line for approximately five minutes – indoors, which was lovely – before two security guards ok-ed my entry to the cordoned off, white-curtained +J section of the store. It was crowded, but def not to the point of insanity – there was a level of dignity about the place absent from highly-trafficked shopping events a la the Barney’s Warehouse Sale.

+J was and remains the only designer collaboration line I actively covet. I dug ninety percent of what I saw, and had an entire bag of stuff filled twenty minutes into my browse. Pardon the blurriness of the dressing room pics – I snapped fast because I felt like a jackhole for holding up the ten-deep line behind me.







Highlights include, but are not limited to: Blazers ($50-99ish); Trenches ($99-$120ish); Cashmere Cardies ($99ish); Tanks ($15, see next installment); Slim-Fit Trousers ($50, same deal); and the most expertly crafted Button-Down Shirts I have EVER experienced ($40ish). It’s not cheap, particularly in comparison with Uniqlo brand merch. But the quality is there, believe you me.

Most designer collabs are trend-focused, cheaply-made, piss-poor versions of pricier lines. There’s a longevity and versatility about +J that sets it apart from its predecessors, and that’s encouraging. Hopefully they can learn a thing or two from it in the future.

Stay tuned for what I bought. (!!)
]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/uniqlo-jilsander-spring/feed 2 The Triad of Post-Recession Shopping http://cheapjap.com/personal-style/post-recession-shopping http://cheapjap.com/personal-style/post-recession-shopping#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:23:43 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=5210 . . . → GO ON... The Triad of Post-Recession Shopping]]>


When you’re on a tight budget, extraneous purchases often come with a side helping of guilt. If shopping is to be fun, we must get the guilt OUT. Ranked in accordance with the level of guilt our purchases are apt to make us feel, the Triad looks like this:

3. Fast Fashion

-trends-for-less + environmentally unsound = some guilt

2. Responsible Retail

-reasonably-priced staples + eco-conscious brands = less guilt

1. Thrift

-cheap material thrills + recycling others’ castoffs = zero guilt

Just a theory. In other news: No, you’re not hallucinating – I chopped off all my hair.

After ten years of doing the long locks thang, it was time. New year, new ‘do and all that jazz.

To those with long hair considering a change: DO IT.

It takes a fraction of the time to style; it’s a lot more fun to experiment with; it will make your life easier and better.

(FYI: Post-cut ponytails can be donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.)
]]> http://cheapjap.com/personal-style/post-recession-shopping/feed 12 Rodarte for Target A Nightmare Before Christmas http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/rodarte-for-target http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/rodarte-for-target#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:21:15 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=3920 . . . → GO ON... Rodarte for Target A Nightmare Before Christmas]]> upcoming collabs with Zac Posen today, and everyone’s flipping their respective nuts. This bean-spillage on behalf of the big box is a highly strategic move: It’s almost enough to distract me from the ‘collection’ slated to launch in a few weeks. Almost.

I read somewhere that Rodarte for Target was inspired in part by Tim Burton. Perfect. Poetic. The December 20 launch date coupled with the below images is SO Nightmare Before Christmas!

Target and the Rodarte chicks are being all militant about letting the masses see the full collection. We’ll assess the officially released images now, and deal with the rest of the heinousness when I visit the line in stores. Get excited.



The striped shirt gets a meh, as its obvs the least offensive number here. The dead sheep layered on top of it fails to achieve the purpose of all things faux – it’s not fun, it’s not fluffy, and it’s not even remotely exciting. The sleeve length and circumference make the Fat Arm phenomenon all but inevitable. It is a lost lamb of a jacket, and it makes me sad all day.

The skirt appears to be directly jacked from Forever 21′s Twelve by Twelve line, not that I have a problem with that.

What I have a problem with is (a) the length (above-the-knee skirts that aren’t minis flatter approximately no one) and (b) the fact that it’s at least five bucks more than its inspiration. FAIL.



A pre-Halloween Rodarte for Target launch would have made this the best slutty skeleton costume EVER. But post-October, the whole bones on the outside thing just feels kinda done. This is not an edgy, goth-esque mini dress. This is death with sequins. It’s the Suck-Cut of cocktail wear, and it’s sucking my will to live, man.

(That last part was possibly redundant but whatevs. With Wayne’s World quotes, more is more.)

I will def be hitting Target to see the carnage in person – the above is merely an initial gut reaction. For now, I’d like to close with another tidbit re: the inspiration for the store’s latest Designer Collabs.

According to designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, “Tavi Gevinson defines Rodarte for Target.” The thirteen-year-old Style Rookie‘s a ballsy dresser, fo sho. She also has… the body of a thirteen-year-old. No boobs, no hips, no butt.

It’s the absence of these things that enables runway models and pre-pubescent dolls to wear anything. Rodarte for Target might look fab on them.

Then again, so would a belted trashbag.

I’m just saying.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/rodarte-for-target/feed 2 Jimmy Choo Gives H&M Shoppers Chance to Experience Monetary Guilt http://cheapjap.com/opinions/jimmy-choo-hm-guilt http://cheapjap.com/opinions/jimmy-choo-hm-guilt#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:16:52 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=3791 . . . → GO ON... Jimmy Choo Gives H&M Shoppers Chance to Experience Monetary Guilt]]> Tamara Mellon, the brand’s founder and president. Her Wikipedia page bears the cautionary warning: This article or section reads like a news release, or is otherwise written in an overly promotional tone. I freaking love Wikipedia.

To be fair, no trace of blue blood entitlement seems to have resulted from Tamara’s upper crust upbringing; she’s a kickass businesswoman who clearly didn’t view marrying into the Mellon Family as an excuse to stop working. Respect, for reals. She’s also never been broke a day in her life. And when you’re designing for the masses, that’s a serious problemo.

Mellon describes Choo for H&M as “a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection – the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!”

Firstly: Most twentysomething urbanites don’t have hordes of holiday parties to attend – we’re too strapped for cash to rent out a space, and our apartments are too small to host them ourselves.

Nextly: While some of the individual pieces are more Wet Seal feel than high fashion (jewelry and belts, specifically), most of Mellon’s assessment holds true… except the part about them being accessible. That’s a PR-friendly way of saying affordable, and the collabs – on the whole – is decidedly not.

Peruse the itemized price list with corresponding images, and you’ll see why. Yes, over a third of the collection falls into the $24.95 – $49.95 range, but it’s all jewelry, scarves, belts and coin purses – most of which are trashy as hell, but that’s to be expected of cheaply made accessories.

What’s unexpected is that piece of blue fabric masquerading as fifty dollar neckwear. You want a trendy, jersey-knit scarf, go to a fabric store and buy a $6.00 yard of t-shirt material – doneskies.

The $50.00 – $99.00 section is the realm of the not-cool-enough-to-be-featured-in-the-ad-campaign shoes and bags.

It offers some kinda meh, Tory Burch-wannabe flats for around $70, laughably overpriced things like $99 sequined t-shirts and $60 studded belts (please – you can DIY that shit for ten bucks), animal-print shoulder bags of questionable taste level, and jersey leggings which, somehow, retail for $49.95.

If you specialize in leggings a la American Apparel or Members Only, maybe, MAYBE, you can get away with that. But H&M? Nofuckingway.

Now we move to the $100.00 – $199 block, where some of the refreshingly un-stripper-like shoes start to appear, and I mean that sincerely.

They’re def more sexy than slutty – they’re also, from the looks of it, completely un-walkable.

If I hadn’t broken my ankle in a stilletto-related incident years ago, I might not have a problem paying $149 for a pair. But I still trip up flights of stairs in flat boots; I’m not about to tempt fate by blowing my dough on blister-inducing five-inch heels.

Admittedly, I’m bonkers for the studded snake boots pictured, which are technically part of the men’s line (the very metro men’s line, as it were). I’m not quite so nuts about the $199 beaded, drapey debacle below them. This dress appears to be inspired by Forever 21, and that is some backwards weirdness.

Onto the $249 fringey suede dress… what happened?

Did someone try for Stevie Nicks and end up with a Melba toast version of goth rock instead? Sadface. The cowgirl uncool number brings us to the last and most abhorrent rung of merch: The $200 – $299 group.

At places like Bloomingdales or Saks – places where you walk in prepared for the numbers – $300.00 buys you one pair of over-the-knee boots, or one pair of leather leggings, or one handbag, or one weekender tote. But at H&M? COME ON.

As I understand it, this line is inspired by the holiday season – a time when we’re supposed to buy gifts for others, and then scrape together whatever’s left to buy something for ourselves.

I’m sorry, but a $200 piece of festive, mass-produced party garb isn’t a satiating material fix; it’s a rip off that will inevitably leave you feeling like a Scrooge for having spent that much on one item.

If you’re used to wearing $900 stilettos and $3000 dresses, then yes, $129 strappy sandals and a $249 dress seem like a steal. Alas, for the other 98% of the population, an outfit costing upwards of $400 isn’t a throwaway purchase.

It’s a splurge, an investment… a number that possibly puts us into credit card debt. Shocking, I know.

To be fair, the boutique-esque price points of Choo for H&M are a byproduct of the over-enthusiastic use of real leather. Alas, the collection needed a hearty helping of perspective more than an abundance of cowhide.

My hunch is the bulk of us don’t give a rat’s ass about material authenticity – we’re shopping fast fashion, for fuck’s sake. We just want to know we’re browsing things we can realistically buy.

Jimmy Choo for H&M will probs sell out in select stores carrying it, if only because ‘select’ tends to mean ‘in or near major shopping cities.’

I’m south of New York at the moment, and was planning on viewing the collabs tomorrow at the Atlantic City location. Turns out they’re not even carrying it.

Good decision, H&M. Us Jersey chicks are too savvy for scams.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/opinions/jimmy-choo-hm-guilt/feed 3 Jimmy Choo for H&M Overestimates Its Worth http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/jimmy-choo-for-hm http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/jimmy-choo-for-hm#comments Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:04:50 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=3781 . . . → GO ON... Jimmy Choo for H&M Overestimates Its Worth]]>
This is, of course, horseshit. If fast fashion were about consumer convenience and accessibility, H&M’s How-To Guide for shopping the store tomorrow – Jimmy Choo Day, duh – wouldn’t read like communist propaganda.

Observe:
The first 160 people in line will receive a bracelet; on the bracelet you will be given a specific time for shopping in our designated area… When your time has come, we will let you into the designated area to shop… Every customer can buy the whole collection but with a limitation of buying maximum one per product, i.e. not more than one size (shoes/garments) or piece (accessories) per product per customer… Your place in line does not guarantee any items from the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection.
A bracelet. What am I, chattel? Then I have to wait until my “time has come”? This has all the melodramatic makings of a Greek tragedy.

This is madness! THIS. IS. SPARTA!!! (Except without the gorgeous, badass warrior dudes. So not nearly as fun.)

The addition of Jimmy Choo has H&M thinking it’s McDonald’s in Moscow circa 1990 or something: The well-timed bombardment of ad campaigns, celebrity endorsements and blogosphere buzz makes lines around the block on launch day seem inevitable.

They also make us forget to look at the merch and its price points. Common sense is bad for business.

Numbers aren’t as pretty as skinny models in edgy clubgarb, but they’re a little more relevant to your checking account balance and your life. On that note, let’s move to an excerpt from the official price list on the Jimmy Choo for H&M press site.



The left and right columns denote cost of items in pounds and euros, respectively; the middle numbers are the U.S. dollar amounts. Pardon the small text, but the cryptic Media are never allowed to manipulate, alter or edit H&M’s images in any way warning coupled with the unsettling Legal proceedings will be commenced without further notice in the event of any infringement… apparently means I’ll be sued if I re-size the frame (and/or use Picnik’s “Create” function to slap a phrase like Don’t Buy This Shit on it, which is what I really wanted to do. But I digress.)

I’m in the midst of going through the entire itemized list to determine which wares fall into the what-I-deem-reasonable-for-H&M range of $24.95 – $49.95; which are, at $50 – $99, only a moderately offensive rip off; which cost $100 – $199 and make you forget where you’re shopping and why you’re shopping there; and which cost $200 – $299 and are, as such, a crime against shoppers/humanity/et. al.

Remember people: If it’s an H&M Collabs, H&M manufactures the line, and it’s H&M quality.

The quality of H&M merch isn’t necessarily bad. But it sure as shit ain’t Jimmy Choo.

Stay tuned for the nauseating results of my tallying. Also, an exploration of why girls who grow up rich and marry socialites can’t comprehend accessible fashion for the masses.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/jimmy-choo-for-hm/feed 4 Stupid Things in Style: Fast Fashion Footwear http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/fast-fashion-footwear http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/fast-fashion-footwear#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:28:19 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=3457 . . . → GO ON... Stupid Things in Style: Fast Fashion Footwear]]> Jimmy Choo for H&M and Pierre Hardy for GAP exist. Let’s play a little game called What Are You Willing to Pay for Shoes from GAP and/or H&M? I’m willing to pay $50-$75ish, maybe a bit more if the shoes in question are very special (unlikely). Let’s play another little game called What Would You Do if You Saw a $178 pair of platforms or a $345 pair of boots at either store? I’d laugh my ass off. I realize that in comparison with the Choo’s and Hardy’s Original Price Points, the numbers aren’t all that offensive. Here’s what pisses me off: The designer heavyweights behind collabs of this ilk have such hard-ons for their own names, they fail to consider the expectations of the shoppers who frequent the stores with which they’re collaborating. When I’m shopping for shoes at GAP or H&M, I’m obvs expecting to score something reasonably cute ON THE CHEAP. If I was expecting to pay hundreds of dollars, I’d be shopping the clearance rack at Saks or Barney’s. It’s not fucking rocket science – just a smart move for the average label whore. If names are what you’re wooed by, would you rather pay $178 for Pierre Hardy’s GAP platform, or $394.63 (reduced from $1045) for his infinitely more badass Scuba Pump? Why pay $345 for Choo’s “cost-friendly” H&M boot, if a hundred bucks more buys you the May Leather Boot ($478 reduced from $1195) from Choo’s namesake line? Why, indeed.
]]> http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/fast-fashion-footwear/feed 3 Dressing Room Shots: H&M Faux Fur http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/hm-faux-fur http://cheapjap.com/retail-apparel/hm-faux-fur#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:05:01 +0000 cheapjap http://cheapjap.com/?p=3308 . . . → GO ON... Dressing Room Shots: H&M Faux Fur]]> H&M’s white, pseudo-mink number reminds me of something my BFF Lucy bought at flea market last year: We call it the Russian Prostitute coat. (Offensive, yes, but I mean that in the most complimentary sense possible). It’s the kind of coat you see on someone and you can’t tell if they’re edgy, homeless, crazy or all three. I obvs borrow it whenever I can. H&M’s Russian Prostitute Redux is as well-cut and warm as the Fraggle Rock, and bears the same $129 tag. I thought the price was a bit high until I recalled what my mother used to spend on my winter coats, which is astronomical in comparison. Quality, stylish outerwear at anything under $200 is hard to come by, and while I can’t speak to the staying power of H&M’s options, I can affirm that they’re hot as hell (figuratively and literally). Based on all that, $129 ain’t so bad. Onto the cropped vest: It’s a funky addition to any outfit, fo sho. I’m just not that into spending $49 on a fur-esque excessory. If you’re more into accents than outerwear, Uniqlo’s Faux Fur Scarf is, at $10.50, a much wiser choice. Now, for the fuzzy rock star of the bunch: A fluffy-necked peacoat/dress fusion that also comes in black and gray. I flipped when I saw it on the hanger; I double-flipped upon trying it on. It’s thinner than both the Fraggle and the Russian Prostitute Redux and, as such, not as toasty. It’s also tagged at $99, so kudos to H&M for pricing according to amounts of material used. That this beauteous marriage of trendy and classy can be had for less than $100 is the icing on the cake. Or the fur on the collar, as it were.
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