Dress above from Stop Staring
From: Reader C.
Date: June 3, 2010 10:21:09 AM EDT
To: julia@nonsociety.com
Subject: Style Question!
Hey Julia!I am addicted to your blog and think you have great taste in clothing! I feel that I have similar style to you, but lately I have not been able to find many pieces that are both exciting and reasonably priced at the shops I usually gravitate toward.
Specifically, I have a few cocktail parties and events coming up that require dresses and was wondering if you could suggest a few stores to look at? I also live in New York, so physical shops or websites or whatever would be a great help!
Thank you!!
Hi there! Well, first of all, thank you. I think I can at least offer a few suggestions …
My style is girly-preppy-fun, a sort of Betsey Johnson meets Charlotte York. More than anything, I hate boring! Why wear a dress if it’s not going to make you smile?
As such, my favorite designers tend to be the aforementioned Betsey Johnson, DVF, Alice + Olivia, as well as the ineffable (but unaffordable!) Oscar de la Renta, Naeem Khan, and Carolina Herrera.
Here is how I accumulate much of my wardrobe:
1. Old fashioned sample sales: I buy much of my designer wardrobe on sample sale (I have over 25 DVFs, most, but unfortunately not all, I bought on sale). Most of my Alice + Olivia dresses (I probably have 15) were $100 each, as opposed to the $300-$500 they regularly cost in department stores.
2. Lower-priced designer lines: I’m addicted to Aqua by Bloomingdales, where the dresses rarely run over $100 and are frequently cute & fun. I also (infamously) like Delias & Alloy, where you can occasionally find a cute little sundress that doesn’t look cheap for $50. And yes, I still shop at American Apparel, where I just got three tutus I plan to wear as skirts for $70 a pop.
3. Online: Stop Staring (pictured above) has unique dresses in shapes from the 40s & 50s (which I prefer above today’s styles!) and if you have a few more dollars in your bank account, I die over most of the finds at Posh Girl Vintage.
4. Custom: Although I’ve definitely bought a few items from their sample sales, I regularly order dresses for events from Chloe & Reese, because you can get EXACTLY what you want, from the color to the shape to the fit. It’s like having your own personal couture atelier.
5. Rent: Because sometimes you don’t want to repeat a dress, it does make sense to rent. I used to borrow from Ilus-NYC, but they’ve now closed, and Rent the Runway is my new favorite spot. You just select a gown at a fraction of the retail, they ship it to you for a few days, you wear it, then pop it in the envelope and send it back! (Full disclosure: they generously provide me with dresses gratis.)
6. Shoes: I’m newly obsessed with Bakers, where I just bought four pairs of delicious platform heels. Of course there’s also Zappos & Aldo & Nine West, and if you’re feeling decadent, Bergdorf’s. ;)
I’m sure I’ve forgotten a million places, but as I remember them, I’ll update this. Thanks for asking!
And readers, if you have suggestions for best online shops or little finds I don’t know about … let me know! Julia@NonSociety.com
