Recessionista

I saw the New York Magazine and the Times Style Section using this phrase a little bit ago (though I'm sure someone else thought of it first) as a new way to describe the Fashionista during these hard economic times. So, what is a reformed suburban psuedo-fashionista do these days? Why find good deals at the Filene's Basement going out of business sale! Case in point: A Malo 100% cashmere short-sleeved crewneck sweater, the original tag was marked $650. Yes, for a short-sleeved sweater (god only knows what it would have cost if it actually had long sleeves or a turtleneck!) FYI-- For fans of The Real Housewives of New York you'll recall from two episodes ago that it was Malo where the Countess and Crazy Kelly were trying on outfits to wear at NY Fashion Week... so, $650, right? How about trying $14.00 on for size! $14.00. Now, that being said, there was a small problem. In that the neckband was coming away from the sweater in three places. But, upon closer inspection I saw that there were no actual holes, just unraveled knitting. A lot of unravelled knitting. Knitting which would have been done by incredibly tiny Italian elves (or clearly by machine). But this did not look to me like enough "damage" to cause a price drop of approximately $636.00. So, I figured I could take it to the reweaver.

Flash forward a few weeks wherein $14.00 sweater has been sitting in my closet and I've started thinking about how much a reweaver will charge to reattach the neckband. Then I decide to visit Joann Fabrics (where you can buy 19 different items and still end up with a bill of $8.22). Lo and behlod, $1.05 later and I have one spool of Gutterman thread in the exact color to match the sweater.

Next: I'm spending an hour and a half (yes, an hour and a half) reweaving the neckband with one very tiny needle and some thread. I hate handsewing and I'm no pro believe me. You can certainly tell upon close inspection that something terrible befell this sweater, but if you wear it with a cardigan (namely my Prada silk and cashmere cardigan $20 at the Annual Prada Sample Sale circa 2005) and an Hermes Scarf (sorry, no discounts there) you're not noticing it. So, for $15.05 I got my $650 sweater. Even if you factor in the hour and a half of labor it's still a bargain. Let's not even discuss the See by Chloe blouse I also scored at Filene's which required me to sew back on nine buttons.