In-shop-tion: We need to go CHEAPER!

There are things and things. Clothes and clothes, shops and shops. And there are prices and prices!

I love Jen's Pirate Booty (NWS link! Careful, some of her models are Not Work Safe!). Her stuff is pretty and light and airy and very comfortable - mainly beachwear or things that look like it - which makes for great clothes in the hot Texas summers.

But holy crap is that stuff expensive! Some of it is much too revealing, too, and many of the 'artsy' modeling photos leave way too much of some things (and very little of others) to the imagination! Surprises are really not what you want at those prices. 

BUT! Look what I happened to come across today! I got this following Mall-Goth-a-Go-Go(because she's just so damn fab)'s SALE link through to a brand/shop I'd never heard of. Just look at this crazy comparison:

Read on for all the details!


Jen's Pirate Booty's El Matador Mini - 165$
Alloy's Josy Cold Shoulder - 35$

How awesome is that? It looks like Alloy's dresses don't have any of the disadvantages of their more expensive counterparts: they're ready to wear as-is, frankly they'll cover your boobs, and you can plainly see in the pics what color they are and what they look like on. Aaaaaand they're 1/5th-1/10th the price, or less!

Obviously these aren't identical items, but they're close enough to get excited about!

Jen's French Birkin Dress - 242$
Alloy's Demi White Maxi - 35$

Jen's French Bardot Mini - 295$
Alloy's Elanora Lace Dress - 45$

Jen's French Ballet Uneven Dress - 374$
Alloy's Lexie Gauze Maxi - 45$

Jen's Cotton Happy Babydoll - 158$
Alloy's Mackenzie Crochet Top Dress - 37$

Bonus Desigual Doppelganger!
Desigual Onovo - 109$
Alloy's Embry Paisley Slip Dress - 35$

Bonus bonus! 
Torey over at Mall-Goth-a-Go-Go is selling THIS ALLOY DRESS for 18$!!
(Scroll all the way down or hit ctrl+end to see this one, or peruse her other sweet sweet deals!)


ALWAYS LOOK FOR A BETTER PRICE
This was just a lucky find, a shop that stocks several items that are similar to more expensive stuff I've had my eye on... But it's quite representative of how I shop.

As much as I love Oscar de la Renta, I never shop designer with any real intent to buy. I do catch myself browsing NET-A-PORTER and designers' websites now and then, and I'll even snoop around celebrity gossip sites, too, to look at what people with money are wearing. I look for things to fall in love with, get ideas on what's currently in as far as shape, color, fabric, and kinda mentally catalog general looks. Then if I find a sweet cache of similar items for much less, hell yes.

With many designer and haute couture/runway items, it may be months before you start seeing those trends in department stores, even longer if you want it cheap, but that's where wonderful places like ebay and Etsy come in! On Etsy especially, you can find handmade artisan items from "amateur" designers, inspired by the latest trends and runway shows - for prices my cheap ass would pay!

And speaking of ebay, let's put Alloy under the compariscope and go even cheaper:
Alloy's Maci Tank Dress Maxi (several colors & patterns) - 22$
Sanheshun (ebay) Maxi Tank (several colors) - 10$
price... (ebay) Rainbow Maxi Tank (pattern) - 7$

Alloy's Ada Shirt Dress - 25$
Ola Mari (ebay) Belted Tunic Dress - 6$

Alloy's Arabella Crochet Fit & Flare - 40$
Znuoutlet (ebay) Lace 3/4 Sleeve Sundress - 17$

And other comparisons, for the fun of it:
Black Milk's Galaxy Leggings - 71$
Urban Leggings's Galaxy Print Leggings - 13$

Chan Luu Dagger Earrings - 90$ on sale (regularly 155$)
RevelleRose (etsy) Sword earrings - 16$
Plushable (etsy) Sword&crystal earrings - 4.5$ (on sale, regularly ???)


THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT
Of course, when going cheap you may get something that is of significantly lower quality or that doesn't fit right or is irregular or something, but honestly, I would rather spend 3$ and get a nasty surprise than spend 300$ and find out I don't really like the item on! 

When you get down to the 20-30$ range, you can generally expect an item to fit and/or drape correctly, be free of blemishes and irregularities - close enough in sturdiness to the much more expensive designer products. When you get down to the 5$ and under category, just about anything goes. If you shop wisely and get to know sellers you can trust, though, you can actually come to expect the same quality!

Note that many of the cheapest items - especially if you're shopping on ebay - come from Asia, where sizing is MUCH smaller. At I'm 5'3.5" and about 110 pounds I'm a US size small, and I generally wear a medium in Asian sizing; always go at least one size up! And since your items sometimes have to ship via slowboat (and definitely have to come from the other side of the globe) you should always expect shipping to take longer.