Am I the only one who realizes how ludicrous this is? We're supposed to spend $945 to save a few dollars on tailoring bills. The fashion magazines are trying desperately to be "au courant" and tie in with the economy, and the only way they know how is to push $945 sewing kits.
In another article, the writer, a contributing editor, relates how happy she is having lost weight on a particular diet because now her "Yves St. Laurent's fit so much better."
This reminds me more and more of Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat cake."
They also tell us in another article how to save money on Christmas gifts. A page of gift ideas, no more than $100 each. Do they know people who can't afford $100 on a gift? Do they even know such people exist?
I have always loved looking at fashion magazines and dreaming. But now they seem obscene. They have lost all touch with reality.
If you really want to save money, you'll think twice, or even three times, before buying something. You'll put a lock on your change purse and open it so rarely that when you do, moths will fly out. It can be done.
I love beautiful clothes and I have an enormous wardrobe. But I'm more and more careful about what I spend. Often I receive a catalog in the mail and will mark off something I "must" have. Instead of ordering it immediately, I'll sit on it for a day or two. It's amazing how often a former "must have" becomes something I don't even want anymore.
Why not shop in your closet? Most of us have plenty of clothes. We forget how much we really have. Go through your closet and bureau draws. Experiment, pairing things with other items you never thought of putting together. A suit jacket paired with jeans makes an outfit. The same jacket paired with another skirt, a second suit. Different accessories can dress the same outfit up or down.
We have no idea how long this recession will last so let's be creative.
Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity agency in Manhattan. She can be reached at silverbergm@mindspring.com.
