Sep 16, 2012

Adequately affordable?

Everybody loves it when it comes to substantially good-looking items of clothing, especially if they come with wallet-friendly pricing. Speaking about affordable clothing I cannot veer away from the fact that my clothes hoarding tendency stemmed from bargain hunting, especially during the end-of-seasons sales throughout the malls of Kuala Lumpur. 


My own definition of 'affordable' things is when they're at a fraction off retail. Personally I've set my own rule: no purchase can be made unless the item sought is 50% off, at least. Ultimately I have set upon myself a rigid setting for my relentless shopping endeavor, in order to be able to afford things that are normally too rich for my blood.

Imposing this rule can be both good and bad for me. The good thing is, apart from the obvious fact that I can save my hard-earned money by purchasing discounted items, I train myself to question my own taste. I nurture my thoughts into developing my personal style - does this ladies' blazer look too feminine on me? When and where will I wear this neon leather pouch? What if I wear these platform shoes to work?

On the other hand the bad thing inevitably happens when I let the above rule take charge of my decision-making process. A trigger for my lapse of judgement, if you will. By setting fifty percent off and above as the baseline, there comes a tendency of buying things that I might not need because they're, well, discounted. Shoes that I don't even like, shirts that do not flatter me. Suddenly its seems that I'm ready to pay for these things just because they're bargainous. This, at the end of the day, will make me question myself as well - when will I turn into a dapper gentleman with a closet of curated quality items, instead of having a wardrobe full of mismatched campy outfits?

However, there is an exception to this rule. In spite of the shininess of the capitol's malls, I just love going to thrift shops. Please do not feel repulsed by my statement. I have my own reasons: I'm sure we're all aware that at a thrift shop we can, though rarely, find vintage designer items at a smaller price tag than say, a 'curated' vintage shop. Also, things at a thrift store are usually already discounted. So it is both easier and harder for me to make a decision (because it all boils down to buying a whole bundle of ancient things, which possibly means overloading my closet with more things, but consequently there will be much less dent in the wallet than shopping in bigger designer boutiques). 

When I was a student I always found an excuse to check out the nearby V Poryadke Beshei outlets - in Volgograd, they have the best varieties with frequent stock updates. I find it much rewarding to stumble across unexpected items at a thrift store. Case in point: these Bally leather monk strap brogues. What I paid is dirt cheap compared to the mileage I got out of these shoes.

The patina-ed surface of the leather, the brogueing details, the metal hardware, so beautiful.

But my judgement lapsed once again with the mushrooming of luxury online sites. These portals provide alluring designer stuff that have been seen modeled on the runway, and are perennially in my wishlist. When it comes to sales season most, if not all the items will inevitably be on sale, much to my greed. Recently I've found myself in a situation where purchasing online makes the bulk of my shopping itinerary.

I acquired this Jil Sander SS12 sunglasses at half price via LN-CC: absolutely a lot cheaper than the usual big labels Gucci / Dior/ Chanel etc sold in KL.


There also came a period of me frequenting discounted designer outlets (blame the inner Asian label whore in me). During my trips to Europe I made it compulsory to visit various Parisian depot-vente (consignment stores) and Antwerp's Labels Inc. I just had to have my hands on these European goods, whilst my mind frantically reasons that their possibility to exist in Malaysia nears to zero, so it's better to grab as much I could, then and there.

However that rather frivolous and vapid thought (as what majority of people say about fashion) is mildly comforted by the presence of Primo Outlet in Jalan Telawi, Bangsar, where I purchased this Vivienne Westwood shirt. The pricing is so incredible I was skeptical of its authenticity initially, heightened by this dispute over Low Yat Net forum.


 The details of the shirt: heart and peace sign prints, an asymmetrical pocket

This tendency of buying things at a bargain will probably never cease within me, but I do hope that my selection of clothing will improve in the future, whether it's that half-priced suits, that vintage gem at a bargain, or the online flash sale loot...

I'm wearing Jil Sander sunglasses, Vivian Westwood shirt, eBay belt, Topman khaki pants, Bally thrifted brogues

Wacky jumping pose thrown in for good measure!

written by Hafidzudin
twitter@naboonies

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I enjoy reading your posts,
thanks for the insight on how you got hold on your amazing wardrobe pieces.
You should do more outfit post, they're fun!

thompsonboy said...

to be honest, its really hard to tell these days. Like my paul smith shirt, I just sold it off because I am unsure....having bought it cheap from ebay. And mind you, I am quite an expert on ebay...still..when in doubt

Emma Homestay Bandar Tasik Puteri said...

Haris: Glad that you like reading the posts. More outfit posts, for sure.

thompsonboy: that shop looks VERY credible, with things in limited quantity / sizes (seems like an over-stock designer outlet to me), although they do stock those Burberry-print anything and Ralph Lauren yawn polos...

Jujujuju said...

Primo outlet sells fake goods sorry to say. BEST WAY is to check the material urself.it will definitely feel expensive and very smooth.for eg.my blackwatch polo is manufactured with finer stitching compared to those sold in primo.

Emma Homestay Bandar Tasik Puteri said...

Jujujuju, it's quite a dilemma for me to decide whether the stuff in Primo is a fake or a real deal. But I'm convinced that it is more of the latter. It just dawns on me that most of the items are not complete in sizing options and this reassures me that they are probably selling the 'overstock' or 'rejected' designer goods.

I've seen a pair of Vivienne Westwood briefs in size L, sitting lonely on the display rack, complete with quality graphics on them; which I think is quite less likely to be imitated.

Perhaps I'm wrong but so far I'm quite satisfied with the quality of the Westwood shirt that I own.

Thanks for the insight though, really appreciate it.

Keep reading Dunia Fashyon!


Zara said...

It's not rejected in any way. The stocks mostly from the premium outlet all over the world. Like we have in JPO. It's a past season stock. That why you can see if they won't have enough perfect sizing. Most of the items in factory outlet outside Malaysia is less more than 50-60% discount. So no harm to shop at primo outlet.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...