How much should I be spending on my clothes?

July 28, 2009 7:09 AM

How much should I be paying for a shirt/blouse/shoes/pants? Help me recalibrate my expectations of shopping for clothes.

I'm a 20-year-old girl. Up till now, my wardrobe has more or less consisted of t-shirts/tank-tops, jeans, hoodies, and sneakers. In the past year or so I've decided to start dressing a little bit more formally/girly, partially because I run in circles where I need to be business casual on a fairly regular basis.

Previously, my t-shirts/tanks ran in the vicinity of $10 each and my jeans between $15-25 and that worked great for me. Now every top that catches my eye is upwards of $30 (sometimes all the way up to $70, what the hell people), jeans/pants run around $40-80 if I'm lucky, and any formal shoes are all upwards of $40, usually more like $60-70. Needless to say, shoping has been largely fruitless.

I could handle (with some difficulty) spending $50 on a dress. But $50 on a pair of pants? Not so much. Do I just have unrealistic expectations as to how much things should cost? Is this the fair going rate for female clothing? Who buys these $80 shrugs? If my local outlets/boutiques are indeed batshitinsane, what IS the going market rate, and where can I get cheaper things that still look nice/formal?

All prices in Canadian (which I'm told isn't real money), and keep in mind I'm still on a student budget.

posted by Phire to shopping (24 comments total)

You can buy some pretty quality clothes at inexpensive prices if you find a good store that sells used clothing.
posted by aniola at 7:14 AM on July 28

Those prices sound completely in the ball park in American.
posted by Oktober at 7:21 AM on July 28 [3 favorites has favorites]

I hear you. I don't even bother looking at the clothes that aren't on the clearance rack. Sometimes they are still too expensive! Like, $80 marked down to $50? Gee, thanks. But that's the only way I can afford to shop (back when I could afford to shop) and you can find good-looking stuff with more realistic prices.

Also seconding thrift stores. You have to do alot of sifting, but I do find brand-name stuff (Ann Taylor, etc) in good condition.

The good thing about clearance rack and thrift stores is that you're less likely to run into someone wearing the same thing. That's what I tell myself.

Finally, I don't go into stores with wood panel floors. I already know they're out of my price range.
posted by amethysts at 7:26 AM on July 28

I think these are all very reasonable. Personally I'm at the point of regularly spending $75-$100 (American) on a nice pair of dress pants; even more if they're part of a suit. I typically shop at Banana Republic or J Crew.

New York and Company is cheaper and has some nice styles, but my experience is that their clothing doesn't last very long. I did find a local consignment store that carries designer clothing which has been a huge help to me. Outlet stores (actual outlet stores) can be helpful if you're patient enough to comb through lots of stuff. Nordstorm Rack, another place you need patience, can be good as well. Also, if you can get a credit card account at one of these stores, you're more likely to get emails and snail mail coupons for 10, 20, or 30% off, which can make purchases much easier to swallow.

Yeah, nice clothes cost more. And it can be worth it to spend money on stuff that will last; when I bought cheap Old Navy jeans, they usually lasted me three months. Now a nice pair of $75 jeans will last me a year or more. Same with shoes. Good quality shoes I can resole for $20 every six months and are comfortable to walk in are a godsend, after I was going through $20 pairs of painful dress shoes every couple of months when a heel would break or I'd walk through the cheap sole.

You have to be strategic. Do what I like to refer to as recession shopping. Most stores are eager to move merchandise, so they're having huge sales every few weeks (and sending out coupons via email). Go to a store and make a list of everything you've tried on and liked with the style name/number, size, and color you want. Then spend the next few weeks keeping an eye on their website to see when they go on sale. Usually within 4 weeks you can get that piece at least 20% off. Use coupons carefully.

And make decisons about what you should invest in and what you shouldn't invest in. Socks, basic underwear, casual t-shirts, and camisoles can all be cheap at Target, Macy's, or whatever your local department store is. Suits, dress slacks, dress shoes, and bras are (in my opinion) all worth spending money on.
posted by olinerd at 7:26 AM on July 28 [2 favorites has favorites]

Do I just have unrealistic expectations as to how much things should cost? Is this the fair going rate for female clothing?

Yes.

A good pair of women's shoes is going to cost you at least $50 CDN. Of course, you could find good shoes on sale; buying cheap shoes, rather than buying good shoes cheaply, is a false economy because wearing shoes without adequate arch support, etc., could mean that 10 or 15 years from now you'll be needing custom orthotics.

Similarly, a decently-made pair of trousers that would be appropriate for most workplaces is going to run at least $40 CDN. Again, you could try to find good trousers on sale for cheap, rather than buying cheap trousers.

I'm going to second aniola's suggestion of buying clothing at consignment shops and even thrift stores. eBay is also an option if you are careful about only buying from sellers with excellent reputation ratings.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:26 AM on July 28

In some cases, the higher price really does have a justification. A well-designed top, made with really good fabric and put together with really meticulous stitching, really does make a big, big difference, and just plain looks better on you than a $10 bargain. Sometimes the details in quality make all the difference -- and those details sometimes come with a price tag.

However, in other cases, the higher price is just for the cache, I fear.

The advantage to getting higher-priced and higher-quality things is that you can keep them for years. The best advice I've heard is to really go for good quality on things you think you'll use forever -- a really good jacket, a really good pair of pants -- and you can go budget on things you think you'll go through fast (t-shirts, especially white ones, tend to have a short shelf life); you can also go budget on things that you'd only be wearing as layering pieces under things -- tank tops, camisoles, etc. But the quality of the higher-priced items should be taken into account when you're considering whether to buy something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:26 AM on July 28

I think you were dressing on the really cheap before. None of your prices seem outlandish. I guess you could shop at Dynamite, which is like a budget version of Jacob. (Which is kind of budget to begin with.) My wife usually just waits for sales at Jacob and buys stuff on the cheap then.
posted by chunking express at 7:28 AM on July 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

it depends - are you trying to more tailored clothing, made from better fabrics?

you can still buy cheap clothes at wal-mart, but they might not fit well and are probably poorly constructed. on the other hand, you can go sift the racks at a place like TJ Maxx or Ross ( i have no idea what the canadian equivalent is...they're places that get overstocks from bigger retailers, so they end up with calvin klein etc for much cheaper) and get stuff for cheaper but still $40-$80.

if you want a pair of dress slacks that will last you a long time and also fit you well, $50 is pretty darn reasonable.
posted by sio42 at 7:28 AM on July 28

The "high" prices you mentioned are fine for new business casual clothes, even on the low end of the range. Look for used clothes if you're willing to spend time instead of money. Winners, though less good than it used to be, can have good deals, especially with shoes. Don't bother with shoes that are 40$ or less (before sale prices). A good pair of leather shoes, well taken care of, can last a few years of regular use.
posted by jeather at 7:46 AM on July 28

Phire, you need to visit my very good friend Winner's (the Canadian T.J. Maxx) and scour the clearance racks there. You'll still pay a bit more than you're used to, but you'll get great stuff at a great price. Keep in mind that you'll need to look. I like to say that a successful shopping trip to Winner's is more like a hunting expedition. You need to be crafty about it. Oh, and you should probably consider paying around $50 or more for shoes. Good shoes are worth it. Save somewhere else (for instance, you can get all manner of delightful tops at Winner's for $10-$20, particularly if you are young and funky).
posted by Go Banana at 7:51 AM on July 28

I see you're in Ontario, but I'm not sure where in Ontario, so hopefully these shopping suggestions will be helpful, since a lot of the store suggestions that have been already offered are very USA-centric.

If you're looking at new arrivals for fall business casual, then those prices aren't unreasonable at even somewhat low-to-mid range stores.

My friends and I swear by Suzy Shier and Smart Set for less expensive business casual. Even so, for fall business casual stuff you'll still be looking at the low end of the price ranges you mentioned. You could shop at Dynamite and Chado, which are also in that price range as well. The caveat here is that while you'll look nice, these are cheap clothes that often won't last more than a season. My suggestion is to spend a bit more on better quality pants/jackets (try somewhere like Banana Republic) since those are pieces where build quality and fit really matter.

Another way to save is to shop the end-of-season sales for cute layering pieces like tanks that can be worn in any season with the right jacket or cardigan. As well, as olinerd said above, stores often discount current-season items every few weeks in an effort to make room for new stock. Current-season items also end up at outlet stores, so you will find a lot of good deals if you are near any of the big outlet malls in the GTA or Cambridge.

Also, Winners — the Canadian version of TJ Maxx/Ross — is your friend, especially for shoes; they often have a good selection of designer shoes marked down to $40-50. Hint: go to a Winners located in a more affluent area; still cheap, but they'll have a better selection of overstock from high-end brands.
posted by thisjax at 7:55 AM on July 28

I like H&M and Forever 21. They have some smart clothes there that aren't cheap looking.
posted by anniecat at 7:57 AM on July 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

Wow, where are you finding anything in those price ranges? (Which, yes, would sound good in USD.)

The best way to save money on clothes over the long run, IMHO, is to buy classic, high quality pieces in co-ordinating or neutral colours (mostly browns or blacks, with a few colourful pieces for accents) and then to care for them well (launder gently, dry on a rack instead of in the dryer if possible). You do not need many! One suit, with 3 blouses and just one pair of nice shoes should be enough to start. And if they fit well, they will look more expensive than they are: if you're at all usually shaped, buy one size big and get alterations for a perfect fit, as tailored, "business-y" clothing won't have the ease that casual stuff does.

Then don't buy new clothes every year. I have suits that still look new 7 years after I bought them, mostly because a) I don't wash them until they're actually dirty and b) when I do wash them I use a gentle cycle and dry them on a rack. I have a pair of boots, which felt pricy at the time ($200, and yes, I was a student then) but that I still wear 10 years later. Instead of buying a new pair of boots, I took them to the cobbler 2 times for heel repair and once for a new zipper and paid $20 each time. Also, if you don't know how, get someone to teach you basic sewing (enough to reinforce a split seam and to replace a button). I find buttons from store-bought clothes are generally sewn on badly. If I don't re-do the buttons on a shirt, they will snap off (particular the wrist ones that have purse/bag straps going over them as I pick up my tote bag).

Finally, if you're either on the large or small side, clearance sales will save you a lot. (Myself, being the Canadian average, I find that everything in my size is usually gone by the time there's a sale or clearance.)
posted by Kurichina at 8:22 AM on July 28

From your current prices, it seems like maybe you can still buy in juniors? I agree that those prices sound normal, even cheap, if they were US dollars!

I think you're finding now that women's/misses sized clothing tends to be more expensive. Sometimes it's better made, sometimes not. I think there's more of an expectation that this clothing is purchased by women with careers who are mostly going to wear the items for several seasons or several years.

Juniors clothing (really, any super cheap clothing) tends to be more trendy, and may not even last a few seasons, even if it was well made which it's usually not.

I do think your expectations are a bit unrealistic.
posted by peep at 8:26 AM on July 28

I am sitting here surprised to learn that there are $15 jeans in Canada and that it is possible to spend so little on shoes -- but also surprised to learn that there are jeans that only last three months or shoes ditto. Wow.

I would not bother with the low-end stuff unless you want super-trendy and don't mind pitching it at the end of the season. The prices you cite are not realistic for non-junk.

At least not new non-junk. Try scouring the racks at Value Village -- loads of hilariously bad stuff with wonderful wonderful finds tucked away. New Gap jeans = $10. I have better luck there than at Winners, and here have to carp at the Americans: Winners is terrible compared to Ross/TJ Maxx; we have no Cdn equivalent for those...
posted by kmennie at 8:33 AM on July 28

You could try doing some shopping online! Possible to save a bit of cash that way, perhaps. You don't get to try things on, which is the only problem, but most online retailers would allow you to send things back. Try sites like Amazon and Zappos.

Not sure if this is relevant, but do you keep track of how much you're spending? You could just use a spreadsheet (in Excel or Google Docs, etc.) and each time you buy a new piece of clothing, write it in with the price. You could then total it up and see how much you've spent. Might give you an idea of whether you're spending more or less than you can afford!
posted by Eastgate at 9:13 AM on July 28

Thanks for the feedback and the suggestions everyone, looks like I'll have to carve out a niche in my budget for this stuff.

Eastgate - I keep very, very close track of my finances, since everything I make that doesn't pay for rent, food, or bills goes directly into savings for tuition. I give myself around $150 slack a month, which also needs to cover trips home, gifts for birthdays, etc. So when I go shopping for clothes it actively dips into my tuition money, hence the pain at any frivolous clothes-buying.

(I cannot wait to be not paying tuition anymore.)
posted by Phire at 9:21 AM on July 28

The key is to spend money on stuff that rewards the extra investment, and cheap out on the rest.

For example, shoes. Generally speaking the quality of a pair of shoes goes up the more you spend. (There's definitely a point of diminishing returns, though, but that point is pretty high above where you're likely to go; also, this doesn't take into account the cost of a trendy or "luxury" label.) But tank tops? Old Navy sells them for five bucks, and Banana Republic sells them for forty. I seriously doubt the Banana Republic tanks are $35 better than the Old Navy tanks...especially since both stores are owned by the same company.

The other way to save money is to spend a little extra to have your clothes tailored to fit you. I'd rather wear a $30 dress shirt that fit me perfectly than a $150 one that was baggy or too short. You can definitely go too far with this--no amount of tailoring is going to make really cheap clothes look good--but investing just a few dollars at a seamstress can make your clearance rack wardrobe look like much more expensive clothes.

Someone up above mentioned H&M, which I recommend as the IKEA of clothing: shockingly cheap, and so trendy that when it falls apart in six months you probably weren't ever going to wear it again. Target, of course, has some pretty amazing names working for them these days in their women's section--WHY DOES TARGET'S MEN'S SECTION CONTINUE TO BE SUCH A GARBAGE HEAP???--and they're making some great low-cost clothes.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:21 AM on July 28

At the start of college, I started off with cheap polos and jeans from Aeropostale ($10 - $25).

Then, I started calibrating my prices according to Forever 21, H&M (no online shopping) and Charlotte Russe. I got my trendy and girly staples from there. Clothes there look really good for decent prices (though not of the best quality), and you can find everything from casual girly to nightclubbing girly. Prices range about $20- $30 for tops, $30 - 50 for dresses. I didn't usually bother about where I got my jeans, because no one really looks at them -- about $20 - $30 if it's not on sale.

For special purchases (when I want to splurge), my price range are of those in JCrew and Anthropologie ($50 for a top! $100-$150 for a dress!).

(all prices in USD, not Canadian dollars, sorry).

(Now I'm working, so I can afford to spend more, hooray!)
posted by moiraine at 9:29 AM on July 28

The prices you quoted are not unreasonable, but you can do better. The thing about having a wardrobe full of inexpensive stuff you like... is that you have to shop fairly frequently. If you think, "Oh, I need a dress for this Sunday", you will overpay. Whenever you go into a shop with a plan in mind, you'll get screwed. You have to shop like a minor hobby to get the best deals. So start popping your head into stores, trying things on, browsing, and looking when you're not desperate. Buy whatever you see that's a good fit and a good deal... eventually you will end up with a really good wardrobe of awesome & inexpensive stuff. But that kind of wardrobe is a project you chip away at, not one you can accomplish in a few shopping trips. That said,

You can get great stuff- most of it in the $40 range- at H&M. Go often as they get new stuff in all the time, and the old stuff gets marked down, then snatched up immediately. Weekday mornings are the best time to avoid the crowd, and the H&M in Toronto's Yorkdale Mall is the biggest and best one for sale stuff in my experience.

Smart Set also has some great stuff. It looks like a mom store but actually, it's pretty good these days. I found a very cute halter dress there for $30 last week and got lots of compliments on it when I wore it to a schwank party.

Forever 21, Suzy Shier, and Urban Planet are kind of hit and miss, but you can definitely score awesome cheap stuff there that looks really cute. Winners is kind of annoying to shop in, but again, there are some awesome deals and the trick is to browse often when you don't really care.

Vintage/thrift shopping is of course your best bet of all, but that takes even more effort than mall shopping. If you're up for it, though, it's the best way to look awesome for cheap.

If you're in Toronto, you could also check the Orfus Road outlets. I've found really nice button-down fitted shirts for $10 and shoes for $5. My favourite pants were $20 there. And Yonge & Eglington Square has a small bargain-basement Jacob outlet that frequently has $20 dresses.

Good luck!
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:39 AM on July 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

Another suggestion: keep an eye on Red Flag Deals, especially their girly-targeted Scarlett Lounge subsite; they keep track of a lot of good clothing/accessory deals.
posted by thisjax at 10:09 AM on July 28

On the money front, I work from a budget and then make purchasing decisions afterwards. I use a figure of 7%-10% of after tax income to establish the budget for my professional wardrobe.

That number would be inclusive of everything from shoes to accessories. I don't break the budget every year but having the set aside keeps me well clothed and shod.

Speaking of shoes, I wouldn't skimp there. I've purchased ill fitting, inexpensive shoes and paid dearly. For professional shoes, make sure they're well made and comfortable. The better made (and unfortunately more expensive) shoes can be repaired meaning you may end up spending less over the lifetime of wear.

To paraphrase Coco Chanel, the best clothing in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you. Expensive designer duds, or fast fashion from Zara and H&M -- you're going to look cheap if the clothes don't fit. There are a whole gangway of resources out there if you are uncertain about fit.

Finally, as a younger woman you may want to consider dressing slightly more professionally than your age. Because of your youth people will be predisposed to take you less seriously, you don't want to add clothing to be another distraction.
posted by cheez-it at 10:50 AM on July 28

I don't know if you have Kohls in Canada, but I find them to be really good for junior's size dress pants (looks for sales, combine with flyer coupons). I usually don't pay more than 20$ for dress pants, but like someone upthread I tend to "casually shop" about once every month and pick up a piece or 2 of clothing.

An easy way to dress professionally, but not look too "above age" or conservative is to wear really basic work clothes (trousers and a button down shirt) but have a funky accessory, like a cool necklace. Forever 21 has trendy costume jewelry for dirt cheap (2-10$US a piece). Just keep it limited to 1 cool accessory.

Also, as you enter the working world, try not to be too lured in by trendy looks, even if they look smashin on you. What I've found (I'm 23 and graduated college 2 years ago) is that 5 days of the week that I'm working, I'm wearing more or less a uniform of dress pants and a button down / sweater / short sleeve silky blouse depending on the weather. Only on the weekends do the jeans/ t shirts/ trendy girly clothes really get to come out, so buy accordingly. I really only use 2 pairs of jeans and could probably get by with 2 t shirts and 3 trendy girly tops to go on dates in, because really, most of the time I am (and I assume you will be too) dressed for work.
posted by WeekendJen at 1:44 PM on July 28

I'm very late to the party, but no one else has said this in the comments.

Equally as important as whether you buy expensive/cheap is how you plan the clothes you do have.

Pick one base color -- charcoal gray, black, navy blue, or khaki taupe -- and make all your work clothes revolve around this color. I.e.; don't buy each color of a nice pair of pants. Buy two gray OR two black, for example.

Then pick shoes (either black or brown for khaki clothes). Then pick a coat. Pick a skirt. Pick a jacket/blazer -- ALL in your base color. No patterns; solid color.

And THEN when it comes to shirts/sweaters/scarves, have fun but still stay with things that go with your base color. I.e.: maroon can go with any of the colors above except navy blue. Yellows generally don't go with grays and blacks very well (you'll look like a bee.) Bright pink does not go well with black in a work environment. Pale blue and pale pink work with all of the above colors. Avoid red if your face gets flushed a lot or you have skin blemishes.

The thing you are trying to avoid is having a bunch of nice separates that don't go well together -- your closet is stuffed full of stuff but you still can't make your favorite outfits till the wash is done. If you have three or four black skirts, black shoes, and a bunch of tops, you are set for the week.

DO spend money on shoes -- they last longer and keep your feet happy.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck.
posted by jfwlucy at 9:02 AM on August 29