A FEW YEARS ago, back in the decade of conspicuous consumption, society women flaunted their Paris originals bought for the price of a Porsche.
In the '90s, those same women are heard exulting in their latest Victor Costa knockoff bought at a 10th of the cost of original. And while they might be wearing a Giorgio Armani jacket, the T-shirt is a Fruit of the Loom and the jeans are from The Gap.
Stretching a clothing budget is becoming an economic necessity for women at all income levels.
"I see it in people who shop in the malls and people who shothe designer trunk shows. They're worried about the economy, and they don't want to take any chances that it might get worse," says area fashion stylist Barbara Zatcoff.
"Just comparing last year with this year, there's definitely been a change," says Sharon Ward, a representative of Cache, a higher-end clothing store. "People don't just plunk down $1,000 anymore without blinking an eye anymore. I see people looking at the sale rack who always paid full retail before, and we're marking down a little sooner than we used to."
Sales are just one of the many strategies that consumers are using to battle the escalating price of clothing and the possibility of diminished income.
Start with the basics
Women could get much more mileage out of their wardrobe if they'd only make sure they had the basics to start with, advises Ray Mitchener, manager of Ruth Shaw's clothing store. "A lot of women just don't own the basics that you can do so much with -- the basic black pants, a basic white shirt and a great navy jacket.
Making the most of it
Gena O'Brien, manager of Georgiou, has a three-step plan for stretching your budget. "No. 1 is to work with seasonless fabrics such as raw silk, wool crepe, cotton that will take you all year around," she says.
"No. 2: Find a designer who fits you and stick with that designer because he's already done the color story for you and you can mix and match from the different pieces in the collection.
"No. 3: Always buy a base suit." Whether it's a natural shade, black, khaki or navy, she suggests buying a jacket, shirt and skirt all in the same, solid color, so that these can be mixed up with whatever you have in your wardrobe already.
"If you put the top and bottom together with a belt, it looks like a dress, and then you can just wear the jacket with pants or a skirt you have, and you can do all kinds of different things."
