A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney
Authors: Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney
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do with your tax bracket. In fact, it sometimes seems that the sensitivesoul may become a bit toughened on the way up to those higher brackets. That said, design for everybody is great—as long as nobody is being sold shoddy goods. Good design is about a marriage of form and function. Anybody who has gone a few rounds with an assemble-it-yourself Ikea bookcase can attest that it isn’t the same experience as sipping a gimlet while your decorator makes sure the contractor is going to finish the built-ins on time. But, when it comes down to it, who cares?! If your books are well housed (the function), the thing looks good (the form), and it isn’t threatening to collapse on you or your guests (basic standard of hospitality), bully for you
and
Ikea. Do not try to assemble the bookshelf while having a gimlet, though. Too dangerous.
Many pieces at box stores fulfill both the form and function requirements. Many others do not. The more complex a function—supporting your foot while it’s balanced on a three-inch heel, for instance—the more likely that the item may compare unfavorably to its higher-priced brethren. The simpler the function—a stretchy camisole, a tote—the greater the chance for success. What too often happens with the more complex pieces is that you are getting the form with a seriously diminished function. It may be a leather jacket for60, but if it is as stiff as an old boot—and not a nice, worn-in old boot—why would you want to wear it? Stock up on basics at these emporia, but be wary of pieces that seem too good to be true. And always, always try before you buy at the big bargain houses. Actually, always try before you buy, period. Sizing can be erratic and20 is too much to spend if you are never going to wear it.
THE SHOPPING SAFARI
While most of the time we are firm believers in finding something good and sticking to it, for a moment we would like to suggest just the opposite. Forget everything you know—just for now—and strike out for the hinterlands. Now, if you are a dyed-in-the-tunic Eileen Fisher wearer, this might mean tolerating the music and throngs of teenagers for a look around Forever 21. Conversely, you Urban Outfitters fans might find a lovely pair of wide-legged, cuffed trousers on sale at Ann Taylor Loft. Since this is all about personal style, why should you be turned off—or on, but that’s another story—by the marketing of a particular brand? This is about you, not who you’re wearing. Of course you know that and are nodding sagely right now, but a reminder never hurts.
Keep the safari metaphor in mind. You are taking a trip through foreign lands—the locals may look different from you, and you might not want to trade iPods withthem, but that is no reason not to enjoy the fruits of your adventurousness. You don’t have to stay and you certainly don’t have to buy anything, but you might be inspired, say, by the way an expensive shop puts together a look. A few stores later, you might be pleased to see something extremely similar in your price range. Don’t limit yourself by gender or age, either. Smaller women have been finding fabulous jackets, sweaters, and button-downs from the boys’ department for years.
DEPARTMENT STORES: KNOWING YOUR BUYER
The department store no longer has the hold it once did on our shopping lives. Mergers and market changes have done away with some of the greats—Bonwit Teller, you are not forgotten!—and the abundance of other shopping options have changed the field forever. That said, as long as malls need anchors, the department store will exist. Where else can you go when you have thirty minutes to buy both a cocktail dress
and
a juicer? And some shoes!
We all know that different stores cater to different customers. The smart shopper takes that one step further by acquainting herself with the buyer of her preferred lines. We are not suggesting you Google until you find out the buyer’s name and invite
and
Ikea. Do not try to assemble the bookshelf while having a gimlet, though. Too dangerous.
Many pieces at box stores fulfill both the form and function requirements. Many others do not. The more complex a function—supporting your foot while it’s balanced on a three-inch heel, for instance—the more likely that the item may compare unfavorably to its higher-priced brethren. The simpler the function—a stretchy camisole, a tote—the greater the chance for success. What too often happens with the more complex pieces is that you are getting the form with a seriously diminished function. It may be a leather jacket for60, but if it is as stiff as an old boot—and not a nice, worn-in old boot—why would you want to wear it? Stock up on basics at these emporia, but be wary of pieces that seem too good to be true. And always, always try before you buy at the big bargain houses. Actually, always try before you buy, period. Sizing can be erratic and20 is too much to spend if you are never going to wear it.
THE SHOPPING SAFARI
While most of the time we are firm believers in finding something good and sticking to it, for a moment we would like to suggest just the opposite. Forget everything you know—just for now—and strike out for the hinterlands. Now, if you are a dyed-in-the-tunic Eileen Fisher wearer, this might mean tolerating the music and throngs of teenagers for a look around Forever 21. Conversely, you Urban Outfitters fans might find a lovely pair of wide-legged, cuffed trousers on sale at Ann Taylor Loft. Since this is all about personal style, why should you be turned off—or on, but that’s another story—by the marketing of a particular brand? This is about you, not who you’re wearing. Of course you know that and are nodding sagely right now, but a reminder never hurts.
Keep the safari metaphor in mind. You are taking a trip through foreign lands—the locals may look different from you, and you might not want to trade iPods withthem, but that is no reason not to enjoy the fruits of your adventurousness. You don’t have to stay and you certainly don’t have to buy anything, but you might be inspired, say, by the way an expensive shop puts together a look. A few stores later, you might be pleased to see something extremely similar in your price range. Don’t limit yourself by gender or age, either. Smaller women have been finding fabulous jackets, sweaters, and button-downs from the boys’ department for years.
DEPARTMENT STORES: KNOWING YOUR BUYER
The department store no longer has the hold it once did on our shopping lives. Mergers and market changes have done away with some of the greats—Bonwit Teller, you are not forgotten!—and the abundance of other shopping options have changed the field forever. That said, as long as malls need anchors, the department store will exist. Where else can you go when you have thirty minutes to buy both a cocktail dress
and
a juicer? And some shoes!
We all know that different stores cater to different customers. The smart shopper takes that one step further by acquainting herself with the buyer of her preferred lines. We are not suggesting you Google until you find out the buyer’s name and invite
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