A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney Page B
Authors: Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney
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in your current wardrobe? Say no to the diaphanous maxi-dress and yes to a diaphanous blouse that will work under a jacket for the office.
THE OUTLET: EVER SO SLIGHTLY OFF
Once outlets sold exactly what you would expect: items from past seasons that didn’t sell. Then came the great outlet explosion and the creation of the outlet mall. Suddenly it seemed every store had an outlet. Seeing a new opportunity, companies started manufacturing clothing specifically for their outlet stores. This could just be us, but knowing that dampens the thrill a bit. Isn’t part of the appeal imagining the jacket you’ve just snapped up at Woodbury Commons—the premier, if there is such a thing, outlet mall an hour from New York City—oncehung on a rack on Fifth Avenue? One can’t howl over the kill with the same kind of lust knowing the item was born to be a bargain. Then again, if the jacket fits beautifully and the fabric is of an appropriate quality, howl away.
Often items created exclusively for an outlet are sized differently. Not a huge difference, but if you are a committed lover of the—entirely imaginary—Medea pant at a particular store, try on the outlet Medeas before buying an armload. Usually the outlet-specific items are made from different textiles, which can affect the way they fit.
We are of two minds on outlet shopping. It is possible to find great deals on pieces that a line makes year after year. This is surgical-strike outlet shopping. You know what you want, you call ahead, receive confirmation, and swoop in. The second, more dangerous form of outlet shopping is the open-minded browsing approach. This involves, as you might imagine, going from store to store and seeing if anything catches your fancy. Why is this dangerous? Well, the idea of a sale seems to short-circuit the brain’s discernment apparatus. “These andirons are seventy-five percent off! I’ve got to get them.” That’s fine, until you get them home and remember you don’t have a fireplace. The old adage is that you should never buy something on sale that you wouldn’t buy at full price. A truer adage has never been uttered, but the outlet shopping experience seems to be predicated on the fact that people love to ignore an old adage. Remain strong and the outlet experience can work for you. Give in and you’ll simply have more to give away on the next closet cleaning.
VINTAGE: SMELLY, EXPENSIVE, AND JUST RIGHT
Other than real estate, few things illicit such a fervent desire to go back in time and buy like vintage clothing. There seem to always be smug people who can say, “Oh, this? Yes, it’s Dior, but I got it for6.35 in a thrift store in Canton, Ohio. Of course that was fifteen years ago . . .”
Once “vintage” had a more specific meaning than it does today. Generally speaking, it meant something at least twenty-five years old, usually older. It was the turf of the eccentric and bohemian. The idea of wearing old clothes was simply not mainstream. Certain groups—fans of rockabilly music for instance—made vintage clothing a large part of their culture, but it wasn’t until the early ’90s and the ascendancy of grunge that vintage really hit the mainstream. Kurt Cobain may have done more for the cardigan sweater than anyone since Fred Rogers. The look actively rejected the shiny and new in favor of the ratty and recycled. Until the fashion world caught up, the only place to get the look—assuming your grandparents hadn’t thoughtfully saved a choice selection of beat-up togs for you—was the thrift or vintage store. Grunge as a fashion moment passed, but the doors of the vintage clothing shops had been thrown open, never to close. Subsequent trends meant interest in vintage has waxed and waned, but just barely. It has successfully permeated the red carpet, and instead of suggesting eccentricity, now suggests taste, a good eye, and subtlety.
Back to the intense regret that you didn’t buy that15
THE OUTLET: EVER SO SLIGHTLY OFF
Once outlets sold exactly what you would expect: items from past seasons that didn’t sell. Then came the great outlet explosion and the creation of the outlet mall. Suddenly it seemed every store had an outlet. Seeing a new opportunity, companies started manufacturing clothing specifically for their outlet stores. This could just be us, but knowing that dampens the thrill a bit. Isn’t part of the appeal imagining the jacket you’ve just snapped up at Woodbury Commons—the premier, if there is such a thing, outlet mall an hour from New York City—oncehung on a rack on Fifth Avenue? One can’t howl over the kill with the same kind of lust knowing the item was born to be a bargain. Then again, if the jacket fits beautifully and the fabric is of an appropriate quality, howl away.
Often items created exclusively for an outlet are sized differently. Not a huge difference, but if you are a committed lover of the—entirely imaginary—Medea pant at a particular store, try on the outlet Medeas before buying an armload. Usually the outlet-specific items are made from different textiles, which can affect the way they fit.
We are of two minds on outlet shopping. It is possible to find great deals on pieces that a line makes year after year. This is surgical-strike outlet shopping. You know what you want, you call ahead, receive confirmation, and swoop in. The second, more dangerous form of outlet shopping is the open-minded browsing approach. This involves, as you might imagine, going from store to store and seeing if anything catches your fancy. Why is this dangerous? Well, the idea of a sale seems to short-circuit the brain’s discernment apparatus. “These andirons are seventy-five percent off! I’ve got to get them.” That’s fine, until you get them home and remember you don’t have a fireplace. The old adage is that you should never buy something on sale that you wouldn’t buy at full price. A truer adage has never been uttered, but the outlet shopping experience seems to be predicated on the fact that people love to ignore an old adage. Remain strong and the outlet experience can work for you. Give in and you’ll simply have more to give away on the next closet cleaning.
VINTAGE: SMELLY, EXPENSIVE, AND JUST RIGHT
Other than real estate, few things illicit such a fervent desire to go back in time and buy like vintage clothing. There seem to always be smug people who can say, “Oh, this? Yes, it’s Dior, but I got it for6.35 in a thrift store in Canton, Ohio. Of course that was fifteen years ago . . .”
Once “vintage” had a more specific meaning than it does today. Generally speaking, it meant something at least twenty-five years old, usually older. It was the turf of the eccentric and bohemian. The idea of wearing old clothes was simply not mainstream. Certain groups—fans of rockabilly music for instance—made vintage clothing a large part of their culture, but it wasn’t until the early ’90s and the ascendancy of grunge that vintage really hit the mainstream. Kurt Cobain may have done more for the cardigan sweater than anyone since Fred Rogers. The look actively rejected the shiny and new in favor of the ratty and recycled. Until the fashion world caught up, the only place to get the look—assuming your grandparents hadn’t thoughtfully saved a choice selection of beat-up togs for you—was the thrift or vintage store. Grunge as a fashion moment passed, but the doors of the vintage clothing shops had been thrown open, never to close. Subsequent trends meant interest in vintage has waxed and waned, but just barely. It has successfully permeated the red carpet, and instead of suggesting eccentricity, now suggests taste, a good eye, and subtlety.
Back to the intense regret that you didn’t buy that15
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