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On the rare occasion I've shopped at all in Europe, I've looked for the typical "ethnic" styles, like the traditional Bavarian or Tyrolean wear, at it's cheapest price reduction in early fall or late spring.
There is nothing more hilarious than tourists in cheap Trachten.
Last edited by viribusunitis; 09-02-2015 at 07:45 PM..
Cache Cache is great, nice clothes and not too pricey. I think we've got plenty of them in France, in small towns like mine even more. When I can, I go to La Halle, they sell clothes, shoes and accessories there, it's an "okay" quality I think, not haute couture but "okay", the shoes are very cheap, they don't last as long as others more expensive but they still last a good time. Before that my mother used to buy clothes online on La Redoute or les 3 Suisses, it's more pricey but the quality is sometime better -- sometime not too... well.
I remember buying La Redoute ( on line) when it was still available.
It was priced from moderately expensive to really cheap on US sites.
Then they've stopped selling it. Now when I look at their prices on French site, my head hurts when I am trying to convert it to US $$$, but bottom line - it's definitely more expensive.
The quality back then was pretty inconsistent; from great to bad ( they sold different brands in this catalog - "Comptoir des Cotonniers" mentioned here, "Grey," "Laura Clement," and quite a few others. Don't know about quality of this catalog now of course.
I remember buying La Redoute ( on line) when it was still available.
It was priced from moderately expensive to really cheap on US sites.
Then they've stopped selling it. Now when I look at their prices on French site, my head hurts when I am trying to convert it to US $$$, but bottom line - it's definitely more expensive.
The quality back then was pretty inconsistent; from great to bad ( they sold different brands in this catalog - "Comptoir des Cotonniers" mentioned here, "Grey," "Laura Clement," and quite a few others. Don't know about quality of this catalog now of course.
I don't know either, my mother don't have the catalog and don't really care for that anymore.
So, I guess (according to the links) skinny jeans are still popular in Europe? I notice some European designers are doing wide legs and flared legs, now, and this has reached the US, already, mercifully. Skinny jeans look ridiculous on a lot of people.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'still' here. I think in general, the modern look is to do away with flared or baggy pants.
Truly 'skinny' pants are a tough thing to work for many people, even those who are really skinny. But at the very least, straight-legged or slim seem to be a standard for most people who are serious about a contemporary appearance anywhere.
I usually buy very slim pants or skinny that have a good breathing room around the thighs. It's not any more constrictive to males than are briefs or even boxer-briefs. I'd never wear a non-dark or non-neutral colour, though. I think that looks a bit obnoxious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
Right, that's what surprised me. Why are they still wearing skinny jeans? They're on the way out in the US.
Yes you are right, when European people go to USA it is so popular to buy a lot of clothes, especially expensive brands (at least expensive here) I notices as well sizes are different, I use a big size of trousers in Europe while in USA I use the small.
But I noticed also that apart from famous firmas, clothes in USA are not beautiful, maybe different styles or maybe because our fashion is so popular.
During the time that we lived in europe, the euro dropped from $1.40 to <$1.10. Since our base salaries were still paid in dollars, European clothes actually seemed pretty cheap towards the end.
Of course, we almost always shopped at outlets for the best prices. To give a few examples of deals we got:
-Two pairs of Nike running shoes, ~60 USD total
-High-quality jeans for ~30 USD
-High-quality Jack Jones jacket for ~40 USD
-Le Creuset pot for <100 USD (cheapest I've found anywhere in the US was over 200)
As others have said - we found European's fascination with American fashions to be quite amusing. The Netherlands has a clothing chain called "America Today", which basically sells AE-type clothes for double the US prices. When we were vacationing in Florence, my wife asked a well-dressed local shopkeeper where she buys her goods. She directed us to a retailer on the edge of the city that had almost all American brands!
On the other hand - go in a high-end European brand boutique (Chanel, Prada, etc), and 75% of the customers are Chinese tourists.
That's really the thing: American brands are expensive here for marketing reasons. You can find jeans here for 15 euros and t-shirts for 5 euros but they're just not a well known American brand. How much cheaper than that should it get?
The US being cheap is greatly exaggerated anyway. I buy most things online and generally search for the lowest price: most things I buy from Germany, some things from China, the UK, or the Netherlands. But never from the US so far.
There is nothing more hilarious than tourists in cheap Trachten.
Who said anything about cheap? I use it for office attire. They make some nice women's suits, or blazers you can wear with a conventional skirt or pants. And the embroidered leather jackets look fabulous with jeans!
I'm not sure what you mean by 'still' here. I think in general, the modern look is to do away with flared or baggy pants.
Truly 'skinny' pants are a tough thing to work for many people, even those who are really skinny. But at the very least, straight-legged or slim seem to be a standard for most people who are serious about a contemporary appearance anywhere.
I usually buy very slim pants or skinny that have a good breathing room around the thighs. It's not any more constrictive to males than are briefs or even boxer-briefs. I'd never wear a non-dark or non-neutral colour, though. I think that looks a bit obnoxious.
In what demographic of people?
Judging by the fashion magazines, the catalogs, and occasional sightings of women in very wide pants (for leisure, or evening wear), and the flared-leg pants European designers have started to produce, the next wave is wider or flared pants. Department stores in the US have put their skinny jeans on clearance, and are replacing them with some version of "slim" legs, for the youth market.
Actually, it's kind of funny to be talking about shopping for American clothes in Europe. On the rare occasion I've shopped at all in Europe, I've looked for the typical "ethnic" styles, like the traditional Bavarian or Tyrolean wear, at it's cheapest price reduction in early fall or late spring. I guess I've never been able to afford anything in Paris. Or even Paris, itself, haha.
So, I guess (according to the links) skinny jeans are still popular in Europe? I notice some European designers are doing wide legs and flared legs, now, and this has reached the US, already, mercifully. Skinny jeans look ridiculous on a lot of people.
A little off topic, but, what designers and where in the US to get the flared jeans? Because it seems skinny is every where still. I have no idea why they cannot just offer a few styles.
I agree. Clothing in the USA is cheaper, but that cheap stuff lack on quality. If you want top fashion labels, made from the best fabrics, quality finish, superior fit, European fashion collection, and classy look - you pay for all that.
But you could shop in outlets, look for seasonal bargains, settle for less known brands or designer knockoffs, and you pay much, much less.
On the travel sites you can often find a section with fashion advice: how to avoid looking like an American. There is surely reason for that.
This comes off as if everyone in Europe is dressing in the best fabrics, the best quality clothing, designer labels, etc.
The average person going to the grocery store or hanging out in an outdoor cafe in a regular little town like those thousands of little towns across Europe is not wearing a designer label, top of the line, custom tailored outfit. They are, however, wearing clothes that they paid a lot more for than those of similar quality would cost in the US or Canada.
By the way, when my friends come over here from Europe, they stock up on clothes. They bring extra suitcases so they can bring all the clothes and shoes and purses they get over here back home. I guess they're not too turned off by American clothing.
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