Shopper Lite

I was browsing through the Forever 21 site yesterday (ok... who am I kidding? I bought a huge boxload of stuff! 5-10 days shipping! For flat $35? Yes please!) and I started thinking how hideously ripped off we are here in Australia. I don't mean designer clothing - they have all that transfer pricing guff so you're never really going to get that much of a better deal (that is, if you stick only to RRP - hello outlet centres!), and nor do I mean the beautiful boutique clothes I adore so much. I mean normal clothes that normal people wear on a semi-daily basis (I'm not sure I'd wear overly much Forever 21 too work - hemlengths would be my first reservation!). My boxload of stuff, including postage, came to a grand total of US$175 (which in Aussie dollars is about $188). I kid you not when I say boxload - a woollen cape (perfect for Australian summer, no?), a gorgeous 20s style sequin (hello!) dress, cute shirts and dresses and hair clips, a turban for god's sake (I don't know why either)... Loads of stuff! If I'd bought the equivalent here in Oz I'd be up for at least double. And the quality would probably be less.



Anyway. I'm ranting about the price of clothing here in Australia. That's what happens when you travel. I remember coming back from China and having to catch myself from bartering with sales assistants. I breathed a sigh of relief after returning from the UK and Japan (the Aussie dollar was very weak for those trips!) and so on. Perhaps I am just continuing to count the reasons for why I still so badly want to get to New York.

For a change, though, shopping is the last thing on my mind when I think about New York. When I think about New York, I think about the vibe, the melting pot of different races, income levels and life experiences, I think about the way they embrace culture and the complete lack of cultural cringe. There is no tall poppy syndrome - only cheerleading you on to achieve greatness. Diversity is respected, and there is always some sub-culture that you will fit into or be intrigued by. People talk to complete strangers without self-consciousness or discomfort. Everyone is on the move, but they still have great awareness of their surroundings.

Ummm... Right. Sorry peops. Love a divergence in the morning! I love Australia - y'all know that, and I am very excited about the changes my beloved Brisvegas has made in the last few years. It is definitely growing. But...

The point of this post was to mention Style Stalker, a slight take on the Forever 21 idea of copying celebrity trends the instant they hit the gossip mags/blogs and delivering them at low cost either to a dedicated store (in the case of Forever 21) or to selected stockists (in the case of Style Stalker). There is no comparison for prices (a similar dress at Forever 21 is US$30 vs AU$149 - see what I mean? Is this outrageously unfair on Aussie shoppers? Or am I insane?).


However - and I suppose this is the point of this type of fashion - you want it instantly, right? You think - "shit. In two days it will be Saturday night and that hot guy will be at the party... What will I wear??" and you flick through a magazine, decide you want to channel Chloe Sevigny and you figure out how to do it. That's where these kinds of labels come in. And that's why, even though Forever 21 is a quarter the price, you don't buy it because you need the dress Right Away. Unless you're me, and you have to go to ground and wear only track pants for the next fortnight as you study. Hence, Forever 21 is the perfect option. :o)

PS: I am in love with Style Stalker's one-shoulder dress. You like?