The Recessionista, a new fashion term

While blog-surfing recently, I was referred to an article by Style.com about the effects of the recession on the fashionista. The following June 18th article by Derek Blasberg is here on their site.

Vocabulary Lesson: recessionista
Hopefully it doesn't take a knock to the head with a gas pump to realize that our economy is in a pot of poo. And as much as we consider fashion an absolutely vital part of life, it shouldn't take a finance guru to know that in tight times it's often the clothing budget that gets clamped the quickest. But before you go slitting your hems, you should know that while the fashionista may have locked herself in the vault with her tiaras, her younger, hipper sister—recessonista—is at the mall finding designer threads (or diffusion designer threads) at discount prices. Look for her at Target, Uniqlo, Payless, or Kohl's, all of whom have inked deals with designers recently. That's because recessionistas aren't letting a little thing like falling stock prices and rising gas bills get in the way of their wardrobe. And with the Fourth of July on the horizon, think of it as doing your patriotic duty. Says Tara Subkoff, the former Imitation of Christ designer (whose frocks occasionally hit five figures) who now does a collection for mall giant Bebe: "As Andy Warhol said, 'What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.' " As usual, the man in the white wig got there first.

I think this is a great concept - it just isn't new. Many of us shop this way naturally, regardless of rising gas and grocery prices. I don't know about you, but my clothing budget is in the tens of dollars each month, far from the hundreds of dollars. I love Lucky magazine but am sometimes frustrated with their point of view. I recently read about a blouse an editor found and was impressed with. She wrote about how it looked like a designer top worth hundreds of dollars, but it only cost $90. I'm pretty sure I've never spent $90 on a shirt. I generally like to spend $20 or less - under $10 makes me very happy. When I find something special I really like I might spend double that, but would probably just wait for it to go on sale or clearance.

In light of my personal budget, I am very pleased with the trend of chain mega-stores signing big-name designers. Diffusion it's called. I wrote a couple weeks ago about the beautiful Gryson for Target bag I bought. I picked it up for $25, half off, and absolutely love it. Target has collections by Isaac Mizrahi, Thomas O'Brien, Liz Lange, and Michael Graves. They also feature designers in their limited-time, GO International brand. I really like Vera Wang's collection for Kohls, called Simply Vera. I had never heard of Uniqlo, they only have one store in the US, in New York City of course. But they have the coolest website, you have to check it out. Click on the pictures below for other great designer looks.

Congratulations to the winner of last week's Beauty on a Budget giveaway, Sarah from A Glimpse Into My Life. Looks like Sarah is a little new to blogging, so maybe head over to her blog, leave a comment, and show her some support. Sarah, please e-mail me your address so I can send your prize!

A nail polish update for those of you who are interested (Jane & Candice, you can stop reading now): I tried Sally Hansen NO CHIP 10 Day Nail Color, in the very red Resilient Red. And it was not resilient for me. I had some major chips within 24 hours. Maybe if my nails were shorter. This did have the best brush I've ever used though, it made the painting so much easier and faster. Last week I read about a new nail polish pen, Nic's Sticks, at a little sussy. This is not the first time I've wanted to post about some wonderful thing she has already posted about - it happens several times a week. Sally Hansen has a similar pen and I've been hoping to try it but my grocery store doesn't carry it. So Saturday night I made a Walmart run and they had the sticks in both brands. I picked Nic's Sticks in Inigo-Go-Go! which is a dark blue. You just shake, click, and paint. I was dubious when I saw the brush, but I couldn't believe how well everything went on. Took literally 30 seconds or less per hand + drying time. The only down side was the price: $7 for a tube about a third the size of a normal bottle. I'll let you know how much non-chip mileage I get out of it.

For other frump-fighting tips, check out Mrs. Fussypants.