I am very picky about my clothing, at least my dress and work clothing. My father worked in an upscale clothing shop for many years, and he taught me about what makes clothing high quality.
Dad taught me to look for high quality fabrics with a good feel to them. I learned that in high quality garments, every detail from the zipper, buttons, lining, and seams should be well made. I also learned to choose well tailored clothes that fit me well, in classic styles, colors and materials that were timeless and will always be in fashion.
My parents were also very frugal, so I learned to look for great deals on the sale rack from an early age. I have extremely rarely paid full retail for any item of clothing in my life. I have always had an overflowing closet full of quality clothing, but have spent far less than most people do on clothing .
As a teenager I remember a friend who usually paid full price for her clothing and got ripped off with poor quality, overpriced clothing that fell apart when she washed it or had it dry-cleaned. We’d shop together in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when $50.00 was still a lot to pay for a dress. She’d buy a dress that was marked at $50.00 and it not be worth it at all. I’d buy a far better and cheaper dress on clearance for $20.00 or less that had been originally $70-$100. This friend would look at my full closet compared to her skimpy, overpriced closet and tell me I spent too much money on clothing! When I told her how little I had paid for my clothing she was shocked.
Even now, for used clothing I pay $0.50-$5.00 at yard sales and thrift shops with careful shopping and end up with fashionable clothes that were either new or appear brand new. I have found Ferragamo loafers for $5.00 at a thrift shop and a Carolina Herrera wool dress for $15.00 at a consignment shop.
When I buy new clothing I pay between $1.00-$30.00 for clothing that was priced at $10.00-$150.00. Sometimes extremely good bargains are hard to come by, but they are fun to hunt for and well worth the wait.
Shopping is always a challenge for me. I want to get the most for my money. I want good quality, well made clothing at a good price. For bargain shoppers on a budget who are looking for a good value, the local shopping malls can prove somewhat disappointing at times. And let’s face it you can’t always find what you want at thrift stores and yard sales.
The quality of many clothing lines has gone down significantly over the years. Some shoppers pay for the elan of a designer label without closely examining the quality of the clothing, which is unfortunately not always up to par. The first step is not to be seduced by a brand name. Yes, some are worth it, but many are not.
In the local mall, my favorite store was Casual Corner-which for the most part had more dress and work clothes than casual clothing. The prices were high in my opinion, when not on sale. If you scoured the sale racks at the right time you could walk away with silk dresses for about $20.00 that were $100.00 and over originally. I would find silk skirts for about $15.00 that had been marked at $50.00-$80.00. One of my favorite finds was 100% cashmere or silk sweaters for about $15.00 that had originally been $50.00-$100.00. The quality and cut of this line was superb. Unfortunately this clothing chain shut down nationwide last year.
I’m sure many bargain minded shoppers who miss this store were, like me, wondering where in the world they would buy their clothing. I hated the idea of being resigned to cheap Sears and JC Penny clothing that was badly made and still overpriced even on sale.
I frequent a message board that posts sales at different on-line stores:
One day while perusing this board a highly discounted sale at Liz Claiborne on-line was posted.(www.lizclaiborne.com)
I was vaguely familiar with the Liz Claiborne brand. I knew of her fragrances, but I disliked them. I remember in the 1980’s and 1990’s when her purses were very popular and a fashion icon. I had seen her clothing line in department stores and liked it, but never caught it on sale for a reasonable price.
On the Liz Claiborne website clothing for both men, women and petite women is featured. The regular prices, are in my opinion expensive. I would not order any of the women’s clothing at a regular price unless I absolutely had to have clothes. The men’s clothing, especially the suit separates, even at full price is not unreasonable for men’s clothing. Men’s clothing tends to be generally more expensive than women’s clothing.
I have finally found my replacement for my beloved Casual Corner store that is now defunct. Even better, the challenge of finding quality clothing at reasonable prices for my husband has been finally been met.
I have ordered several times from Liz Claiborne for both my husband and myself and have yet to be disappointed in any way. The quality is superb. It surpasses most clothing you find at your local mall, it even sometimes surpasses the former Casual Corner clothing line which was quite excellent.
The secret is finding the clothing on sale, especially at the end of the season clearance. Sign up for the Liz Claiborne site newsletter to be updated on sales. Many times they send out coupon codes for free shipping or a percentage discount.
Right now, as I speak there is a code for 30% off of all sale and regular prices, plus free shipping for orders over $100.00. I can’t post this code here, but you can find it on the earlier mentioned bargain bulletin board. The code expires on 12/11/06.
The current sale has better bargains for women than men. Using the 30% off code, I purchased several blouses that were originally $79.00 for $11.89. I found skirts that were originally $79 to $89 for $10.49. This is a common sale for Liz Claiborne.
I ordered on late Monday and received my order through Fed Ex early Friday. The shipping from Liz Claiborne is almost always very fast. Sometimes the shipping is a little on the high side, in my opinion. You can usually get free shipping when you order over a certain amount.
Men, don’t despair that the current sale isn’t as discounted for you. Last autumn I bought very nice sport coats and suit coats for my husband for $35 each that had originally been marked $120-$200. Even at the full price, the coats would have been well worth it. To look at the coats, I would have priced them at $175-$250 each at the mall. So men, keep checking back on the site and you may find some really good bargains.
Returns are always very simple. They are really pretty quick about crediting back your account when you make a return. Returns must be made within 30 days. Returns are not free, because you have to pay the return shipping, but Liz Claiborne does not charge any restocking or other return fees. If you choose to exchange, you pay the return shipping-but the shipping on the item you’re exchanging for is free.
I highly recommend Liz Claiborne ( www.lizclaiborne.com ) to everyone for their shopping needs. You won’t be disappointed, the quality is superb. It is worth watching and waiting for a sale.
Some hints:
-Women’s sizing tends to be a bit on the large side. I normally wear a 6 or small in tops. In Liz Claiborne clothing, I wear a 4 or an extra small.
-Her pants and skirts are cut about a half size to one size larger than some other brands. I usually wear a generously cut 6 or small to average size 8. I can easily wear her size 6 skirts and the size 8 skirts fit like a 10 on me.
-Sheer blouses usually come with a detachable camisole. Many skirts are fully lined. The details on the site, as well as the photos are very accurate in describing the items.
-Plus sizes are sometimes a bit limited on this site. It varies by the item as to if it is in a plus size.
-The men’s clothing seems to be sized accurately for the most part. My husband wears a 48 Regular in coats, and they fit him perfectly in Liz Claiborne’s size 48 Regular Coats.
– I did find that the short length in the men’s pants, size 30 inseam was a bit long still-but quite wearable. The waist in the pants was accurate in my husbnd’s normal size 40
