Do you love Zara, but feel like the prices are getting a lil too much ? Are you too impatient waiting for their sales? Well join the cub, sis! You are far from alone.For far too long Zara has been harassing my pockets with their tempting prints, and street style silhouttes.Of course they have had me in their grips for far too long and I am sick of it.I found a way out from my fashion /high fashion knockoff dependency of them and into a lower priced street style "inspired' deal of sorts. First things first let's discuss 'fast fashion' which is what Zara and many other retail fashion giants are known for(Asos, Mango, Forever 21, GoJane,H&M,Top Shop, pretty much most of your faves) . Fast fashion is the expedited process in which runway designs hits the shelves of retailers. This rushed process involves fast and far from catwalk-quality which results in low prices for consumers .It sounds like a win-win for all with retailers pushing pieces in and out year round and consumers reaping fashion week street style looks for a mere fraction of the cost, but.... --there is and will always be a but. Read more about fast fashion here. Increased production of low quality goods flying off the shelves means consumers are always shopping for the latest trends ;and if you are always shopping there is no way you are wearing everything you buy all the time.This has lead to what we call disposable fashion. Pieces are worn a few times and then discarded or either fall apart.We are facing an epidemic.The average American tosses about 68lbs of clothes a year in the garbage and cheaply made clothes do not decompose due to being made with synthetic fibers.However, there are many things that can be done to ensure both the health of Mother Earth and to keep you stylish on a budget.
Now that I have you feeling in the dumps about fast fashion (no pun intended) let me tell you about my little diva on a dime honey-hole.Shein is a Chinese-based retailer that sells lots of knock-offs. Well damn that was harsh. Well it is what it is guys. However, what makes them different that a lot of other 'style express' companies is that the reviews show actual consumer purchases and can guide you on how to shop and their prices match the quality. For the most part, I have had great experiences with the pieces I bought, but that shipping though...Sometimes I feel like I have to start a petition just to make sure my order shipped in the time they said it would.I stay in their DMs.I will say that their customer service in response to such issues is expedient and the problem resolution is as well for the most part.They also have no problem shelling out coupon codes. I don't expect much out of a pair of $20 pants, but dammit Shein delivers.The pants I am wearing today are also being sold at Zara for $50; the exact same print, the same cut , same colors,errrthang y'all! So why would I spend more money on a piece I might wear a few times and sell and give away? That would be foolish #honestly #truly.My whole look today except my sold out H&M mules are from Shein.You can shop all the available pieces below! You can go to Zara right now and then shimmy right on over to Shein's website and see about 50 of the exact same pieces for much less at any given time. Is the quality always the same? No. Will you get it as fast? girl bye. What you are getting is an on-trend piece that you are likely to forget about in 2 months for a justifiable price. Spending less means less regret and then you can celebrate the savings by ordering something else. What great logic huh? As far as how I came up with this look? The same logic from above (simple nonsense).You are going to find wonderful fruits (my crop top print-shein sold out) in most tropical locations (my pants) .Boom! Forests and fruits go together like peanut butter and jelly.If it's good enough for nature its good enough for my outfit.When it comes to printmixing, the less you think the better.Think of it as one of those Kindergarten games where you are grouping like or complimentary items ;colors,shapes,scenery,etc. Now I want you all to understand something about what I am saying in this post. First off fast fashion has increased the amount of unethical business practices. That is not a good thing in the slightest. From workers getting paid for pennies on the dollar, terrible work conditions,the toxic chemical laden fibers, and more. The fashion industry as a whole has to do better. While I am fully aware that buying fast fashion is not helping how I genuinely feel about the issue, there are pieces that I can not find locally in my rural area , can thrift, or even get made. It sounds like an excuse (and is slightly) but I am not yet in a point where I can fully cut it out of my life.I can proudly say since starting this blog I have shopped so many American-made, small businesses than ever before in my life. I also still thrift and buy consignment so while the street style express maybe still in my budget, I largely diversify my pieces amongst local and more ethically made , and hand made pieces. Many are going to shop fast fashion because it is cheap and trendy, so I figured why not give some tips on how to help them reduce the amount spent and make good use of clothes no longer worn? Oh yea, one last heads up.Chinese sites have clothes made in sizes for Chinese people .With that being said, when you order you need to know your measurements to the inch and match it with the size for the piece.Most pieces that have been sold for a few weeks have reviews and sometimes buyers include pictures of the pieces too (this also helps with seeing quality of the piece)! Use that as a rule of thumb when available.Some pieces are made true to size, but many are true to a 12 year-old.If you need help on 'how to shop online' or 'how to get your measurements to shop online' , you can check out one of my older posts here.
4 Comments
CJ
5/31/2017 12:47:47 pm
Great tips! I will have to check Shein out for sure.
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Linz
5/31/2017 04:58:31 pm
Love his article. I just ordered a pair for my vacation trip.
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keysonpoint@IG
6/2/2017 11:02:57 am
Yes, I'm a SheIn fanatic. Cheap, Cheap and Cheap. Everything you've mentioned about their site is true. I've bought many pieces and shoes. ( waiting on a package myself, I cant help it).Only less than1/3 did not fit properly. I jus gave away. That delivery tho... Lord
Reply
Terhas
6/10/2017 06:24:56 pm
Super helpful tips especially for us mamas 😉💜
Reply
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