Smaller Cities Also Spend Too Much On Clothes

Apr 25, 2008 @ 1:59pm

intermix_home.jpgFriends in New York and LA send constant complaints about the cost of "keeping up," but as any 10th grader at an affluent school can tell you, it happens in the suburbs too.


Witness the latest proof:

A slew of new boutiques from Intermix set to open in Orlando and Charlotte - cosmopolitan, sure, but hardly places where one immediately thinks "fashion" - in fact, in both cases, our first thought is "air conditioning."

So what can we learn from this?

That because of the internet and fashion's pervasive "reality" on TV, more Americans in cities without visible fashion industries are getting obsessed with labels?

Sure.

That if you're visiting cousins in Winter Park, you can now snag a Chloe bag out of boredom?

Definitely.

But also this: That despite the "crashing" economy, women are still really excited to shop. This is especially odd considering a full tank of gas now costs the name as a Marc dress, but it's definitely something to notice.

(3) recommend this link to (20) Comments
 
posted in News, Shopping tags Intermix, Marc Jacobs

Comments

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 2:23PM

wow, fashionista, thanks for that incredibly enlightening article. it might surprise you to find that those of us in the suburbs // the rest of AMERICA, while not part of "the industry", make up most of your consumer lifeblood, and that WOWGEESHUCKS know what labels are. saks is not only on fifth avenue. theres one in indiana too. check your site counters. most of your readers are probably 16 year old aspiring fashionistas in florida or iowa rather than new york city carrie wannabees.

posted by syako

Apr 25, 2008 3:17PM

yeah I agree with guest @ 223... there is life outside of Manhattan.

But I also think that the Internet has had a huge affect on people learning about fashion that cannot experience it first hand (i.e. at fashion shows). Even still, this is definitely NOT a NEW phenomenon.

And, what kind of tank do you drive that it costs a marc dress to fill up!? :p

Also, this so called crashing economy has has absolutely no effect on my household spending whatsoever.

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 3:30PM

the economy has had a heck of a lot to do with how often i go to the mall (gas too much), therefore i shop online way more than i did two years ago. thanks to the bad economy and my having to adjust, i know more about nina ricci and devi kroell than where the mac counter moved to at nordstrom because i spend my time perusing the web and checking out the products i want to buy. and it's nice cause i have more to pick from, saks online carries marni, whereas my local saks doesnt.

anyways, i live in the suburbs and i think this posting is pretty right on the money.

and Intermix is definately not among any of my favorite stores. theyre pretty ick.

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 3:42PM

Although I do agree with the previous posters that there are many of us out here where our heart lies in fashion but our feet reside in the suburbs...I do have to let you know, you totally made my day.

Since I DO live in Winter Park and I AM obsessed with fashion, finding out that Intermix has us in their sites is AWESOME!!!

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 4:37PM

As someone who has lived in Manhattan for nine years, but grew up in FL and has purchased many a frock at Tunis (tiny boutique, which for years *gasp* has been carrying Marc Jacobs, Catherine Malandrino, Anna Sui, etc.) - I have to say - WOW EGO Fashionista. I prefer shopping at the little indy boutiques lining Park Ave in Winter Park over Intermix any day. Also - did you really mean to imply that Intermix is symbolic of Manhattan fashion? Eww.

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 5:28PM

Sorry to jump on the criticism bandwagon, but Fashionista, you really missed the mark on this post.
I don't really know what's worse: the fact that we are still rushing out to buy said Marc Jacob's dresses when the economy's crashing and places like Costco are putting limits on the amount of rice you can by due to impending sky-rocketing food prices, or Fashionista's ignorant, Manhattan-centric view of the fashionable.
This website is much better than this post.

-gigi

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 6:51PM

Oh please bitter much? It is no secret to New Yorkers that shopping in the rest of the country is less than steller. While I'm sure you do have a Saks where you live I can promise you it is not stocked the same as it is here. Theres a difference in stock between a store on Long Island vs. NYC nevermind Idaho. I don't think that noticing what has become available elsewhere to be centric of any sort- its just factual reporting. Rock on Fashionistas!

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 6:56PM

OMG! how can you talk about the gas price in the US!!

have you any idea what's the fuel price in europe?? ahaha i am really laughing with this!!!

i guess if you could buy a marc dress with your gas money, we europeans could buy birkin bags!

please, do study a bit of world economy before you try and post something on this subject!!

posted by poseur

Apr 25, 2008 7:53PM

i agree with the observation that the exploding tv shows about fashion is creating a lot of pull to purchasing brand names. people who have been passionate about fashion already knew and already bought many things-those are the readers of this website. but accept it: now anyone who watches the hills, whether they have a sense of fashion or they have the means to it, crave to get a marc dress. they talk about how great marc is this marc is that, and nothing beyond that actually. "the internets" is also making this go further. in the last two years the blogs about fashion have exploded as well.

i don't think this is bad. if by watching it, or reading it, they educate themselves and then get a real sense of fashion, i think that's great.

crashing economy usually ends up hurting the people who don't have means to buy the first place. people who can afford 300+ for a dress will not be as affected- i think at this point. except those people who don't eat or drink and save up for that "it" item. they're in for a treat.

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 9:54PM

this is a little bit ridiculous, i am from middle of no-where Pennsylvania and yeah we know designer labels & we do actually care about what we look like & yeah we actually do have to keep up with the latest too. wow fashion exists in more than new york! (not that i don't love the selection there)

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posted by guest

Apr 25, 2008 10:39PM

i live in orlando and i don't follow fashion because of tv or the internet, i have a genuine interest in the way people dress themselves every day and read vogue, harpers, w, nylon and nymag back to back every single month. however i am actually a tenth grader at a private school in the area and am sooooo excited for intermix to open in may but only because i have been to the stores in other cities like vegas, newyork, and boca! and please don't act as if we don't have any upscale stores in our mall, unless chanel, dior, jimmy cho, saks, and louis don't count. i really wish i live in newyork and can't wait to move there as soon as i graduate!

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posted by guest

Apr 26, 2008 1:01AM

Ha...I live in Charlotte...and I dont get to enjoy Intermix? Tisk. Just because I am in a small city does not mean I am not fashionable.

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posted by guest

Apr 26, 2008 1:40AM

I told the style editor at the Charlotte paper that I had seen that Intermix was coming to town.

She asked what it was.

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posted by guest

Apr 26, 2008 2:11PM

Guest @ 6:56 PM. It's true that Europe has to pay a heck a lot more gas per gallon but Americans use their own transportation at a far higher rate. The average amount of cars per household in America is most likely greater than that of Europe. Furthermore, American suburbia is far more dependent upon gas than probably any other place in the world.

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posted by guest

Apr 26, 2008 5:49PM

I agree with the rest of the sentiment expressed that "Fashionistas" do exist outside of New York.

@guests 1:01am & 1:40am - Hi! I live in the Charlotte area as well, maybe I'll run into you at Intermix!

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posted by guest

Apr 26, 2008 6:22PM

The style is in the city, in the country, it's everywhere! You only have to look at where some of the worlds biggest fashion icons come from to realize this!

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posted by guest

Apr 27, 2008 4:41PM

actually "poseur" poster, I think if you knew something about the economy you'd know that people who can very well afford $300 dresses are not buying them as often anymore. You know why? The people who are recession proof do not shop at Intermix. They are the top 1% wealthy and can afford couture. Your run-of-the-mill rich are being hit hard--not by gas prices, although that plays a small role--but by a shrinking financial sector and a tanking stock market. Wall Street isn't so flush these days. That hits the $300 dress people. The $3,000 dress people, well, they're still fine and shopping in Dubai.

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posted by guest

Apr 27, 2008 4:43PM

Ugh, don't you wish this post was about more boutiques springing up in smaller cities--there are! Instead its about how we can all dress like hookers in Intermix. The buyers for Intermix are like Donatella on a coke binge in 2000.

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posted by guest

Apr 27, 2008 8:41PM

woah girlfriends need to chill.

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posted by guest

Apr 27, 2008 9:50PM

ok, a lot of commenters are getting way too offended at this post that was probably well-intentioned but i think, my dear fashionista, you should learn something from the reaction you're getting. while this story shows that you guys are interested in creating a more insightful blog, it also shows how unaware you are of your provincial mindset. overall the post was biased and very unfocused, from the offensive comments about your suburban readers to the feeble attempt to economic commentary. basically, you started out sounding like you felt "air-conditioned" cities were unworthy of designer shopping (which i really hope isn't what you meant to say) and ended up making convoluted social commentary. so please, stick to the fashion reporting you do so well and stop with the attempts at making profound cultural insights. you come off as hypocritically elitist and horrendously inaccurate each and every time.
but hey, this post probably will go unread by you considering my lack of a 212 or 917 area code.

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