Benjamin Button Disease: or, My Love of Teen Stores

Today is a day for confessions, and let's be real: this one is pretty embarrassing.  Truth be told, the older I get, the more inappropriately attracted I am to teen stores.  This probably has less to do with some deep-seated psychological problem than it does with my pint-sized mini-structure.  My entire life, I've been a step behind.  In middle school, I didn't fit into the clothes from the junior section like all my friends so...I was still wearing Limited Too and Rave Girl (yes, I fell victim to that embarrassing pleather pants trend).  In high school, I remained too flat-chested to wear anything remotely resembling cute or trendy.  I still buy all of my jeans at abercrombie (i.e., the kids' version of Abercrombie and Fitch).  So there you go.  I'm just lying in the bed that nature made for me.  Now that I'm taller and very slightly less flat chested, I'm just making up for lost time.


Like all good addicts, I'm pretty darn good at justifying my behavior.  And there are actually a lot of really, really great things which some teen stores have going for them.  


1) They have a reliable standard for fit.  Most teen stores carry exclusively their own brand.  Unlike department stores or boutiques, the Abercrombies, Hollisters, and American Eagles of the world have fits you can rely on.  Once you know a certain cut of jean looks good on you, you can explore different washes with confidence.  


2) A quick turn-over.  Because these chains tend to focus on one aesthetic, produce their own merchandise, and have storefronts nationwide, they carry immense amounts of stock.  Thanks to that, you can count on finding that one little piece that you've had your eye on in the sale section before long.  And that brings us to...


3) SALES!!! These chains have sales and deals going on pretty much constantly.  They know that their customers (supposedly of the teenage persuasion...supposedly) probably don't have all that much to spend.  How many 14-year-olds do you know who can go to Abercrombie and casually pick up a couple $120.00 dresses?  How many 13-year-olds spend their weekends at AE filling their wardrobes with $40.00 pairs of shorts?  So in order to get rid of these massive stockpiles of identical garments, these stores need to make them available to their demographic.  The only way to accomplish that is to make them cheaper.

**BUT BEWARE** All is not as it seems.  For instance, as we speak, Abercrombie and Fitch, abercrombie (A+F for the young'uns), and Hollister are all offering "An Additional 40% off Redlines" (redlines=clearance items, by the way).  But hang on a second...they raise the prices of the items in the clearance section before they apply the discount.  So you might as well just buy them at the original clearance price.  That said, this is a common trick which many, many stores are guilty of playing on their customers.  It is by no means isolated to the teenage sector.

In parting, I'd like to offer this pearl of wisdom: never rule out an awesome article of clothing simply due to the store you find it in.  To do so is snobby, and it also rules out an entire universe of clothes which might have become your new favorites if you had given them a chance.  For example, the clothing I've bought from Abercrombie over the years has consistently outlasted things I've purchased from  other stores, including up-market, "adult" stores.  American Eagle's dresses and tops are incredibly flattering.  I've worn American Eagle dresses to semi-fancy events before and gotten compliments--people literally could not believe that I had purchased such pretty dresses at a store marketed toward teenagers.

Moral of the story: think of your clothes like you think of your friends.  If you didn't want to be friends with a totally awesome person simply because they came from a neighborhood you wouldn't personally want to live in, everyone would think you were a total beezy.  By the transitive property, shop at teen stores and everyone will think you're awesome.  If someone likes your outfit, asks where you get it, and gets an unexpected "Hollister," they're not going to decide that they don't like your outfit.  They're just going to be jealous that your open-mindedness has made your wardrobe so much cuter than theirs.

CURRENT SALES:

40% off redlines at Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister (discount already reflected in price):
http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10901&storeId=10051&langId=-1&topCategoryId=12203&categoryId=76096&parentCategoryId=12205

http://www.hollisterco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10201&storeId=10251&langId=-1&topCategoryId=12552&categoryId=98219&parentCategoryId=12635  (Hollister is offering 50% off clearance items bought in-store)

25% off regular priced items at Abercrombie and Fitch:
use coupon code 11841 at checkout

Additional 40% off all sale items (excluding bras) at Aerie.  Unlike the 40% off at Abercrombie, this one is straightforward and absolutely real.
http://www.ae.com/aerie/index.jsp

Semi-Annual Sale at American Eagle:
http://www.ae.com/web/browse/category.jsp?catId=cat90104

AE also tends to have a lot of random deals.  For example, if you buy a pair of shorts for full price right now, you can get another for ten dollars.

Inspiration Board!!!

The sundress of my dreams from AE for $30.00--I'm going to wear this one to Boa for some of those nummy cocktails that they garnish with orchids!  I've been imagining it since the day I first met this little gem at full price. <3

I got this top from A+F for $24.00 (marked down from $88.00!!!, not to brag or anything).  Picture this under a sharp blazer with jeans and wedges and you've gone from juvenile to date night chic in a flash!

Aerie is my consistent destination for all of my activewear needs.  I picked up this sports bra in two colors.  They were originally $25.00 each and I got them for $9.99!  Save your pennies and stay healthy in style!

Happy hunting, ladies!

I like my money right where I can see it. Hanging in my closet.

As all who know me know, I am a card-carrying shopaholic.  And by card, I mean Visa.  With my habits, the AmEx will probably be a long time coming.

How did I get this way?  I attribute it to a childhood replete with stirrup leggings, animal sweaters, and glitter-penned overalls (thanks, Mom).  My mumsie had wonderful intentions and is a snappy dresser herself.  To be fair, my wardrobe probably wasn't much of a shocker for the early '90s.  It was a dark time.  But let's just say that by the time I was old enough to dress myself, it was time for a change.

I've left the overalls and leggings in the past (the leggings made a brief return in 2007, but luckily I sobered up quickly and they're now exiled to my gym-and-pj drawer).  Nowadays, I'm about as girly as they come.  I'm all about retro dresses and flowy silk tops, eyelet and lace and blue satin sashes.  If I'm feeling rebellious, I might wear a black accessory.  Maybe.

Yes, I like ruffles and kitten heels and party dresses...and I have a lot of all those things.  I probably have too much of all those things (wait...is "too much" a thing?).  But I'm not all bad.  I almost exclusively buy on sale. This habit, combined with my obssession with (eventually) obtaining every single thing I fall in love with, has made me an extremely vigilant shopper.  I'm pretty much a clearance ninja, and the purpose of this blog is to share my ill-gotten expertise with anyone who wants it.  I'll share it all, and hopefully my little habit will save you guys some cash.  I'll be sharing all of my sales news and a few of my clothing love affairs.  Expect some rants and raves too (ick, bubble hems).  Check back on the daily! ;)

Now that I've introduced myself, here is my shopping parable of the day.  JOIN IDEELI!!!  I command you to click on this and sign up: http://www.ideeli.com/events/latest2.  Ideeli is a free, subscription-based sample sale website which has several new sales everyday.  They offer everything from Betsey Johnson to BCBG to BB Dakota to Vince Camuto to Steve Madden to basically every label under the sun.  Other sites I recommend are http://www.ruelala.com/ and http://www.gilt.com/sale/women.  Gilt and RueLaLa tend to have higher-ends brands and designers on sale, whereas Ideeli offers a broader range or price points.  I recommend Gilt for investment purchases--I got my fave Hunter rain boots through Gilt for nearly half price.  


Basically, two weeks ago I saw this dress on ideeli and snapped it up for $50.00 and today it appeared on Modcloth in the new arrivals section for...$100.00 (http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/wrapped-in-joy-dress).  So I pretty much got this dress two weeks early for half price.  Sign up!!!