You’ve likely heard this before: if you’re looking for something that is low cost, easy and high quality - you can only have 2 out of 3. This cardinal rule applies to clothes shopping as well. If you’re able to find all 3 things nowadays, you’ve found a unicorn! Here’s the typical combos you’re going to find and why you’re rarely going to find all 3 together.
You Can Only Choose Two
Low Cost + Easy to Find ≠ High Quality
This is most of the fast fashion category - especially from culprits like Shein, Amazon and Temu. They offer a high variety of styles replicating (or copying) trends at such an alarming rate that it’ll likely be easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. Or easy because an influencer linked directly to it. It’ll also be cheap by most people’s standards. The problem is that in order to be that cheap, quality has to be sacrificed. Many of these items are made with cheap fabrics and made quickly to promote a constant cycle of buying, wearing out, buying again. If you take really good care of your clothes (I’m talking hand wash, hang to dry) - you might be able to get a good lifespan out of these items, but chances are they will start falling apart after a few wears.
High Quality + Easy to Find ≠ Low Cost
While high quality in fashion is a lot more rare these days, it does exist. If you know what to search for, you can find brands that make their clothing sustainably or have a focus on high quality construction methods. These are the boutiques, ateliers and smaller artisan type of brands that charge a premium for their clothing because they source good materials and focus on construction that will make the item last for years to come. Some even have guarantees around the longevity of their pieces. These my friends, will not be cheap right off the rack. They are investment pieces that should take a level of consideration before buying. For many though, if you calculate the cost per wear of an item that you love and that you’ll wear for a long time, the value ends up being better than any fast fashion piece.
High Quality + Low Cost ≠ Easy to Find
If you’ve found an item that is high quality and affordable, start the car!! These gems do exist, but you’re most likely to find them in the secondhand market - whether that be at a thrift store, estate sale or buying second hand on a marketplace (like FB Marketplace, Poshmark, etc.). This type of find requires time, patience and sometimes sore shoulders and dirty hands (thrifters get it) but is SO worth it when you find something good. You get something unique, affordable, long lasting and good for the environment. Need I say more?
High Quality + Low Cost + Easy to Find
99% of clothing items fall into one of the 3 categories above. If you’re extra super duper lucky, something has been passed down to you or gifted from a friend or relative - and I’ll try not to turn green with envy. But I will try to be your best friend in hopes that you share the luck next time.
