Fast Fashion...Love and Hate

Like most people in this world, I can't (or won't) spend $$$$ on a new designer bag, blazer or skirt. With Christian Dior comes Charlotte Russe. With Prada comes H&M. Luckily for the other 99%, that's the way the industry works! Since the dawn of fashion and retail, there have been stores that make high fashion accessible to the masses and they don't seem to be going anywhere. So let's chat about the highs and lows of the fast fashion world!

Let me get this out of the way before I continue...there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with spending on designer items. I am in no way bashing those that purchase luxury, high-end brands! Personally, I'm not in a stage in my life in which spending my hard-earned coin on designer merchandise is feasible (hello house down payment and nest-egg savings!). But for those that do, I commend you! One day, I hope to purchase my own Chanel. But until then, I'm discussing why I patronize those lower-end mall stores!

The Highs

A. You can always be on (or near) trend!

This is the most obvious draw to a fast fashion store like Forever 21, H&M or Primark (for all my UK friends). Following fashion weeks, and the changes in seasons, designer brands come out with their latest and greatest. We begin to see those styles on celebrities and within a matter of months, you see those sames styles, in MUCH lower prices overly stuffed racks on tile floors in your local galleria.

B. The prices cannot be beat!

The prices are so low on most of the items you find in fast fashion houses, it's almost hard to resist! Flipping through a fashion magazine or your Instagram feed, you can covet your favorite Gucci slides, and find a similar pair for $22 at Charlotte Russe. Even staple work wear such as THIS herringbone blazer can be found for only $40! A similar designer style commands quadruple digits!

C. You Can Supplement Your Wardrobe for the Season

We all have (or should have) our staple pieces: the perfect pair of jeans, LBD, black pumps, white shirt, etc and those are the workhorses. Those are the pieces to spend the extra money for quality and time. But when you want to change the way you wear your fave pencil skirt, an inexpensive and quick way to do that, are shops like BooHoo, and H&M. A ruffled blouse, sequin bag or a fun accessory can add so much, and cost so little.

The Lows

A. Quality May Suffer

This is the obvious and the big one. There are many instances in life that you get what you pay for...and garments are often one of them. Though certainly not in every case, there is a noticeable and distinct different in a velvet blazer from Saint Laurent vs Forever 21. The quality of materials and durability after repeated washing and wearing may be a painstaking deterrent. Buying 4 pairs of $40 jeans from FashionNova due to quality concerns is more of a hassle than spending $260 on a pair of 7 For All Mankind.

B. Low Prices Leads to Clutter

From retailers like Shein, H&M, and Forever 21 where prices are enticingly and unbelievably low, it gets more difficult to say no. Espcially when shopping online (a topic for another blog post) filling up your cart can get out of control! 3 items becomes 5, becomes 12 and before long, you are headed to checkout with $800 worth of trendy, lower quality items. Do we really need to pack our closets full of paper thin bodysuits?

As I meantioned before, I’m a strong proponent of fast fashion. At a time in my life when spending hard earned dollars on one designer item is wildly irresponsible (or impossible), fast fashion provides trendy and fun wardrobe supplements for the girls and guys on a budget. And though quality may be in question, buying 6 $25 handbags is still much less expensive than the designer counterpart.

Whether you are here for it or not, fast fashion is here to stay, and I’m all for my Kylie Jenner looks for less!

Dress Loudly. Love Loudly. Love Loudly