See the shawl cardigan there? It’s a Sabatino from Barneys, one of the eighty some-odd buyer’s choices for Fall 2008 featured on Men.Style.com. If you like it I hope you have the 585 clams it will set you back. In fact only a few of the choices fall below the $200 mark, which in itself isn’t that surprising considering the source. But how many people can really afford a $1295 ski sweater, or a $432 pair of “lounge tights” from the usually reliable Tim Hamilton? (If you’re thinking about purchasing “lounge tights” I have some bunny slippers you might be interested in as well.)
The basic message is this – if you have a lot of money you can dress well. But what’s the point of these choices other than an exercise in self-promotion and label name-dropping? If you have the money these purchases will take you can hire a personal stylist to make all these difficult choices for you. (Memo to Alex Rodriguez – hire a personal stylist. At this point it really couldn’t HURT your image.)
A far greater, and more likely, challenge is trying to put together a reasonable look on a budget. Some day I hope to be glad head to foot in Dior – if only so I can say “Dior like my look?” Man, I am so funny – but until then I still need to shop at the, ahem, lower end of the spectrum. Which means thrift stores, or slightly soiled if you can’t stand the haughty nomenclature of “vintage.”
Thrift Dos and Don’ts
- try things on a size smaller than you think
- experiment with color – don’t dismiss things out of hand
- avoid being overly kitschy
- used clothing shouldn’t look used – have a selective eye
- fringe + men = fail
As for an item under $200, there’s a $135 t-shirt. Hey, even rich people need to be casual.
slick