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For fear of being viewed as sexist (I am not), here I go:
Obviously, many women who work in the fashion industry are expected to dress well, especially at work. Unfortunately, not all of them are Chanel Iman, and so their salaries reflect that. There seems to be some sort of disconnect here, with women in fashion, who earn lower than "normal" (at least for NYC standards) salaries, but are dressing well, going to clubs, etc, and paying Manhattan rent. Where is the extra cash coming from? You can get guys to buy you free drinks at bars, but there's only so far you can go. With the financial crisis, many women find themselves cut off from daddy's credit card or their boyfriend who used to work for Lehman Brothers. And of course, there are a countless number of single women in NYC as well. Let's cut to the chase:
Today, I saw a woman in my building, she got on the elevator (her floor is home to a prominent fashion magazine company), she was very attractive and dressed incredibly well. However, I could clearly see the store tag still attached to her suit. When I told her, she fixed it, but also got beet red during the process. Embarrased, she thanked me for telling her in the elevator, before she could go out like that in public.
My question is, how common is this amongst women in NYC? I don't know any man who would ever do such a thing like this.
I intern (unpaid of course) in fashion and our office looks like the catalog that it represents. You are supposed to dress in their clothes and not everyone can afford it so many people shop for similar things at J Crew and H&M. We also have a killer sample sale.
As for going out...we try and do one "big" night out a month. We plan a fancy dinner and then go to an upscale bar. Other than that you can find us on St Marks in the east village eat $1 dumplings...
I intern (unpaid of course) in fashion and our office looks like the catalog that it represents. You are supposed to dress in their clothes and not everyone can afford it so many people shop for similar things at J Crew and H&M. We also have a killer sample sale.
As for going out...we try and do one "big" night out a month. We plan a fancy dinner and then go to an upscale bar. Other than that you can find us on St Marks in the east village eat $1 dumplings...
Hey that's pretty cool. There is a place down in Chinatown that sells 5 dumplings for $1.
Honestly, when I worked in the industry in NYC- credit cards or parents were usually the answer. I know several girls who racked up $10k++ in clothes/ going out expenses in just a year or two. Generally, the story has two endings: 1) girl confesses to parents & they pay off her debt and she promises to never do it again or 2) girl gets engaged, confesses her debt, and he pays it off just like that.
With the girl you saw today though, my first instinct was that she is a "returner.". To give the illusion that she is "keeping up appearances" on a magazine/ pr salary, she is constantly buying & returning the "latest" fashions all over Manhattan. She knows which boutiques are lenient with return policies and of course can take advantage of the anonymous nature of the huge dept stores like Saks, Barneys, Bloomie's, and Bergdorf. She always leaves the tags on so she can return after wearing it a time or two.
Re: The "tag" thing..... that's one of the oldest scams in the books.... People will buy an expensive dress/suit/outfit, wear it for an occassion or for work (keeping the tag on, of course), and then return it within the time allotted and get a refund. VERY tacky.
Honestly, when I worked in the industry in NYC- credit cards or parents were usually the answer. I know several girls who racked up $10k++ in clothes/ going out expenses in just a year or two. Generally, the story has two endings: 1) girl confesses to parents & they pay off her debt and she promises to never do it again or 2) girl gets engaged, confesses her debt, and he pays it off just like that.
With the girl you saw today though, my first instinct was that she is a "returner.". To give the illusion that she is "keeping up appearances" on a magazine/ pr salary, she is constantly buying & returning the "latest" fashions all over Manhattan. She knows which boutiques are lenient with return policies and of course can take advantage of the anonymous nature of the huge dept stores like Saks, Barneys, Bloomie's, and Bergdorf. She always leaves the tags on so she can return after wearing it a time or two.
You and ohiogirl pretty much nailed it. I think the only other "strategy" not mentioned was sharing rooms (e.g. 4 girls in a 2br apt) or living at home.
I knew someone who worked in PR who used to have a collective, rotating wardrobe between herself, her sister, and best friend (one of whom was in the fashion industry). She'd also shop for vintage couture and would raid her mother's closet as well to borrow pieces.
Another woman I know who had to look good for work kept a part-time job at a department store, the minimum required to stay on staff, just to keep the discount. The store didn't care because her store salary and more was spent on clothes; and, her sales were stellar, since she actually wore what they sold because she wasn't living on the store salary.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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