<p>^
Isn’t that funny? my kids were the same way-
you know the saying " shop your closet"? I shop my * daughter’s * closet, or at least her discards- ( and my husbands closet- there are advantages to ( relatively) close in size, except we get our 501s mixed up)she has found lots of adorable banana republic stuff at Redlight ( 2nd hand store), and urban outfitters has similar stuff to Anthropologie, but cheaper.
( as do several catalogs that cater to teens can’t think of their names off hand)</p>
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[QUOTE=emeraldkity4]
…urban outfitters has similar stuff to Anthropologie, but cheaper.
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<p>I believe Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie go together in the same way that Old Navy, The Gap, and Banana Republic do. In other words, Urban Outfitters is the budget Anthropologie. However, I have to say I see more of a difference in quality - and overall level of trendiness - between Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie than I do between Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic. I’ve never found something appropriate for me at Urban Outfitters while I can shop at ON/G/BR.</p>
<p>Does anybody else think the quality at Old Navy has really gone down?
I know it was never top drawer stuff to begin with but in years past I found some cute stuff for work there now and then and bought a lot of jeans there for S1,S2 and DH.</p>
<p>In the past year or so, every time I stopped in, it all looked so cheap and flimsy.
DH (no fashion expert) even said the same thing the last time he went in there with me.</p>
<p>PackMom- Before I even read your post I was ready to type about the quality decline at Old Navy. When the recession really hit hard last fall, I took myself to Old Navy for some basic pants and tops for work. I was so proud of myself for how CHEAPLY I shopped (not something for which I had been known). A lot of the stuff is pure cr*p. It’s cute, but very flimsy and doesn’t hold up well. It’s still worth it for a few fun things, but don’t expect it to last or look classy. Gap is better and Banana better yet, but Banana can be a little TOO high. I miss Nordstrom.</p>
<p>I don’t have a teen daughter (yet) but have ‘shopped the closet/discards’ of teen girls in my area – at yard sales. Some of these kids are very indulged, and I’ll find tons of upscale, barely worn stuff for $1 or $2 each. Two summers ago I got a whole spring outfit of J. Crew shorts & capris, Juicy and other cute tops for about $15 total. The daughter had gone to college and family just wanted to get rid of it. Last weekend I picked up a pair of olive capris, an Anthropologie t-shirt and one of (the mom’s) black, knit sleeveless tops all for $4. Nice. It’s better than consignment stores. </p>
<p>A fun find was a girl who looked about my size unloading tons of stuff – I got a pair of distressed, Hollister jeans for $2 (then found two dollar bills in the pocket!).</p>
<p>I find the best stuff at 2nd hand shops- there are some that will only take clothing that is one or two years old and if you get at the right time, you can find stuff that you never would see in your area.</p>
<p>One of the biggest perks of having lost weight in the last few years is wearing several sizes down- and finding new clothing that someone must have decided just didn’t fit.</p>
<p>I don’t even go in Nordstrom anymore ( and I grew up shopping there), except for underwear, cause the stuff is so expensive and weird.</p>
<p>I have actually been having pretty good luck at Costco- but I have to remember to wear a bra tank, so that I can try on tops before I buy them. I just bought a cute Kristen Blake coat at Costco ( although I thought it had a zip out lining- it doesn’t), and last year I bought a synthetic motorcycle jacket at Target that my mother ( who only shops at Nordstroms) thought was lambskin. ;)</p>
<p>Portland has way better 2ndhand shops though, in Seattle you can spend more for a pair of jeans at Kathy’s Closet, than you would if you bought them at Target.</p>
<p>I’ve noticed “Juicy” mentioned a couple times. I’m not familiar with Juicy. Is Juicy a store? Ironically I was at the mall yesterday because my youngest asked a girl to Homecoming and needed a nicer pair of pants to wear with his blazer. AS we cut through one female area on our way to mens there was a mannequin with a short fake fur vest in some fur pattern unknown to nature and my son stopped in his tracks and just looked at the outfit and said “Who in their right mind would wear that?” Out of the mouth of babes. I couldn’t have agreed more although there is one mom in the school who can’t stay out of juniors (and should LOL) who will probably wear something like that to a football game or parent meeting.</p>
<p>Juicy Couture. Started as a line of velour “track” suits with zip up jackets. Cute and in fun colors. VERY expensive. Very popular. Looks best on twiggy figures. They have expanded the line a little, but the core item is still the velour track suit. Comfortable for lounging around or post-workout. Less impressive worn at malls or grocery stores.</p>
<p>Juicy is a brand and the fake fur vest could have well been a Juicy. When I think of Juicy, I think of Brooke Hogan’s mother, Brittany Spears and the Real Housewives, but I’m sure it’s not all like that. I think it is a brand that you have to be careful with though if you are over 40 so you don’t look like you’re trying to compete with your daughter. One thing they are famous for is a velour track suit - hideous IMO. A lot of it has “Juicy” written on it.</p>
<p>I think the quality of Juicy clothes and accessories is not good. Given the price of most items, the materials are flimsy and the workmanship leaves something to be desired. The company started with the velour track suits and has really branched out from there. There are now Juicy purses, shoes, jewelry, etc.</p>
<p>My oldest loves Juicy sweatpants and loves them for throwing on and going to class. She prefers the terry cloth over the velour. Her one criteria though is she will only wear the plain one’s. No rhinestones, no juicy written on it. She also likes the plain hooded jacket but would not be caught dead in a matching set.
She buys them on ebay or at Nordstroms on sale.</p>
<p>I couldn’t have agreed more although there is one mom in the school who can’t stay out of juniors (and should LOL) who will probably wear something like that to a football game or parent meeting.</p>
<p>My older daughters school had an all school camping trip every year during the first few weeks of school. I went to help her get settled ( she was in 1st grade & it was in a city park), and ws highly amused by a woman ( but whom I later got to know because our kids were friends and she was very sweet), who had on cream leather pants. ( and all the accoutrements to go with)</p>
<p>I had never even seen anyone in cream leather pants, let alone camping.</p>
<p>^^ I think the trick is to stay w/understated styles & colors in the junior depts. I don’t wear Juicy track suits (tho other moms do & of course the teens) or anything else that’s flashy or even super trendy. Just stay w/flattering styles that aren’t ‘too much.’ I will say certain brands (like Hollister) have very nice shirts that are fitted in a slim cut (which I look for) – I’ll chose them (at consignment, of course) even before I see the brand. </p>
<p>I don’t even go for the flashy, decorative purses that all the moms/girls in my area have. Just seems too much (for me). I think it depends on the person, though. My hair is a little on the youngish style (maybe too much) so I try to play it fairly conservative elsewhere.</p>
<p>Momofwildchild, terrific facebook picture…to the rest of us: don’t try the look unless you have her body!</p>
<p>The only thing I’ll buy at the Gap for myself are fitted tees and fleece. I get Son’s khakis and sometimes jeans there.</p>
<p>I agree that the overall quality of Juicy is poor. My girls have some of their stuff, but all from TJ Maxx, Centruy 21, Off 5th, etc. (never close to full price).</p>
<p>Nordstrom Rack always seems to have quite a bit of Free People. (I’d never heard of the brand until my D bought some from Century 21 this summer.)</p>
<p>Note to self: do not even try wearing skinny pants/boots again! I have not seen MOfWC picture (banned from Facebook by the Bunsen Jr), but I trust missypie’s judgement :)</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of this Free People stuff until someone on CC educated me (Soozie, I think). Then DD “discovered” it and became the brand addict. A few weeks ago, I found a really cute black Free Pople top for only 25 bucks at the local Rack. I thought I’d put it in one of the care packages for her, but tried it on and decided to keep it. Heck, I’m not too old to wear some fun stuff once in a while. And my lame excuse is that D would ruin it anyway by putting it in a dryer!</p>
<p>I have a Juicy swimsuit which I bought because it has a “skirt” on the bottom which covers my very faint stretch marks (I do not think that was the intent of the designer ;))</p>
<p>There are 149 Urban Outfitters, 127 Anthropologies, and 33 Free People (Persons??) and they are all owned by the same company. They also have 1 Terrain (home & garden items). They also have a clothing line, Leifsdottir, that is sold in high end stores such as Nordstroms and Neiman Marcus. </p>
<p>All of those brand are at the nearby mall and Terrain is about half an hour away. Wow, I feel lucky…and broke!</p>
<p>Good find, Bunsen – I bet that shirt is cute & you’ll probably wear it more than your D!</p>
<p>Thank you, ladies. My motivation is simply not wanting to carry any extra weight with me on these absurd 26.2 mile journeys I persist on undertaking. If I get injured and can’t run, it’s back to Chico’s elastic waists for me!</p>
<p>I don’t think there is a Juicy in the entire state of Maine. If so I’ve never heard of it or seen it around which sounds like it might be OK. Free People - never heard of that one, either but I wish we did have it, sounds good. D1 is a vintage shopper and Sal Army and Goodwill…D2 is a JCrew addict. Worlds apart!</p>
<p>I’m cracking up, I can’t imagine wearing something that said “juicy” on it.The potential connotation alone would stop me in my tracks. I do remember a few years ago when S1 female friends were wearing those velous track suits, though. That’s what happens when you don’t have any daughters, you loose track of the trendy names. I just looked at the Free People web site, cute stuff for the young teen, might have to do some Christmas shopping for my nieces since there are no stores anywhere close. Not so much for me, though. I’m way tall and the skirts wouldn’t even cover my butt. I can wear skinny jeans and leggins, but the tops have to be long since I’m so tall and that is a hard “look” to put together for me, too much trouble to be that trendy LOL. I do still have my Frye boots from college, though, and have dug those out, never could toss those…does that count?</p>