<p>Go the nearest wealthy town and find the Thrift Shop -- you won't believe what you'll find sometimes.</p>
<p>Razzle--Some people of "higher intellect," as you say, do have an interest in spending money on things that you deem "trivial," in my case, expensive clothing, not because they are expensive, but because they are higher quality, better aesthetic, etc. </p>
<p>Who said fashion was entirely vapid? That is a misconception. If you think of it as such, please read Cathy Horyn, the NY Times fashion critic's blog, On the Runway. She presents fashion in an intellectual light. Not all fashion-interested people are as insipid as portrayed. And for the record, I attend Choate, so I do have some intellect.</p>
<p>My mom is buying me a ton of designer brands cheaper on ebay. Gap sells pretty good things for dress code, and I get most of my pants at kohls because they look just as good!</p>
<p>ebay is awesome. i just discovered how cool it was a few days ago. </p>
<p>i think i'm going to get my dresscode stuff from a place like jcrew though.</p>
<p>dont get too much ahead of time.. wiat to see what other peopl are wearing... most dress coads are not as bad as they seem</p>
<p>hopeful, dont worry..hotchkiss' dresscode for girls is a joke.....</p>
<p>Good call on the Freeport Maine outlet stores. J. Crew and PRL are next to
each other, very convenient. My d's prep school is pretty strict, boys in
jacket and tie, girls in jacket if wearing pants. I'll never understand the
flip-flops in February business (Rainbows) but on the whole the kids look very neat and put-
together. Everybody seems to spend the winter in a North Face jacket (also
make good backpacks)
You can't go wrong with tons of polos, as an earlier poster said. Girls' basics =
black jacket, Rainbows (beige/brown leather), J. Crew anything, Lily
Pulitzer, PRL/Rugby, lots of stuff from the school store or website, esp.
sweats and shorts, cords, Lacoste, Vineyard Vines/Eliza B. There's an old
thread about this too. More later, I'm probably missing a batch.
Love the Ebay idea, I'm going to take a look.</p>
<p>I've heard at Choate (from a student) that Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, etc. are very popular, so it's a good idea to wait until you get there to buy some of your clothes to see what other kids are wearing. That's directly from a rising sophomore at Choate. :)</p>
<p>On the eBay theme, I had this old pair of Ray Ban sunglasses I found in my grandmother's beach house. They were big, wayfarer style, and in perfect condition. They were also white, which is really in for the summer. I thought they looked like crap, but knew others think differently. I listed them at $0.99 no reserve, and they sold for $547. Supposedly, bidders had been looking for a long time for a white pair of these (discontinued,sold out) for years. I was shocked.. most of the white Ray Bans sold for $80-$120. So I made $547 for writing a 2-minute description and loading 2 pics. I put virtually no effort in. Sweeeet. That $547 bought me a 20's flapper dress in perfect unworn condition, a super rare, antique book about my family's history (priceless), a key to an old trunk I have, some concert tickets, a giant antique vase for my mom, and theres still a couple hundred left. thing is, i put in no effort. eet ees preetee sweeeet. oh, i also sold a $100 itunes gift card for $97.. who would do that! you have to pay shipping and then you get less than $1 worth of credit for "free".. and theres the risk of expiration and whatnot.</p>
<p>So, you can sell your stuff too. I like getting rid of stuff I never use and sending it off to someone who will. And being paid to do that.</p>
<p>Also, on outlet stores.. Outlet stores are rarely as much of a good deal as they seem. Sometimes they mark UP the stuff because they know you think you're getting a good deal, though you're not. Theres an outlet within driving distance of my town that has great stores.. it has dubbed itself a "premium" lot.. American Apparel, Betsey Johnson, Kate Spade, Brooks Brothers, Puma, j crew, Sony, Barneys, Saks, Coach, Harry & David (last season's pears????), Lacoste, etc, etc... none of it is an actual deal though. Yet people come from miles and miles away, dress up to go shopping, and then find themselves in a sea of swarming bargain hunters, viciously searching for that one great find. A Lacoste polo is probably $58 instead of $72, and in some odd color that didn't sell well. But hey, shopping is an experience, have fun, but just keep that in mind... they often mark UP.</p>
<p>Also, you guys, you really shouldn't care so much bout what brands other people are wearing. You should appreciate a high-priced item for its craftsmanship and precision in detailing..not because of a little logo. Paying $72 for an alligator is ridiculous, paying $72 for a well made classic garment is not.</p>
<p>Lacoste is generally considered well-made and classic.</p>
<p>thank you, blairt. Lacoste is ridiculously overpriced and ugly. I would rather pay $$$ for something unique and well made, not something everyone is going to buy.</p>
<p>Try shopping at J.Crew, RL, Lily, basically what other people are saying. Also, shopping on Ebay is a smart idea, I do that a lot. If you go to the online RL, go to the sale section, I shop there a lot. =]</p>
<p>fun is fun is most definitely right
designer clothes... always paying at least 30% more just for a name...</p>
<p>a friend of mine got all of his clothes for exeter from thrift/salvation army shops, a full wardrobe for something like $50, and he is probably the MOST unique and well dressed individual on campus.</p>
<p>buy clothes that are more for practical use than aesthetic, because spending the whole day in dress code can be brutal, as well as changing in and out of dress code for sports and such.</p>
<p>i still feel like paying more than $30 on a machine-made, mass produced piece of clothing made from like <$3 of material is ridiculous...lol</p>
<p>Right, because RL, Lily, J.Crew are not what everyone else will wear...wearing those clothes makes you one of many homogenous boarding school kids,</p>
<p>SYMS is also a great store with great quality and even greater prices (cheaper prices I mean) .... ha, ha.</p>
<p>I don't exactly know where they are, but for sure in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Umm, if you want to go with the vintage prep look, i think you'll look sweet at prep school, i have a set of clothes for this look. I got em at Urban outfitters, although they do overcharge, check thier clearance stuff.</p>
<p>If you want the stuff that everyone else wears, go to the factory outlets for RL, JCrew, Banana, Brook Brothers, The North Face, Lacoste (i have one Lacoste shirt, there all the same and they kinda make me flashy where i live). They have some pretty good deals there. The brand that is getting really popular, especially with me is Vineyard Vines. </p>
<p>Someother places where you can find stuff fairly cheap is NORDSTROM RACK (awesome place), Marshall Fields (woops i meant Macys), Saks off fifth. </p>
<p>Theres still another month till first day of bs/prep school, i cant wait, so i think that spending your thursdays every week at a mall/outlet will get you your wardrobe.</p>
<p>Just went to Goodwill and got a couple decent polo shirts--including a Ralph Lauren one--for $10 in all.</p>
<p>What colors?</p>
<p>The Ralph Lauren one was black and the Sonoma one was white.</p>