Dressing fratty on a budget?

[Dusty6]

old

[Elephant Walk]

Originally Posted by Dusty6

Hey, I just recently joined TKE at my school and all my brothers were telling me I should upgrade my wardrobe, they were naming brands like polo,brooks brothers, locoste and vinyard vines. Problem is all of these brands are really expensive. I support myself and buy all my own clothes and stuff and I can't afford to pay $75 per shirt.....is there any brands that are cheaper and are considered fratty?

*snicker*

QFP

[DSTRen13]

Not a guy, so I'll decline comment on alternative brands, etc., but can't you find these things at places like TJ Maxx for much less money?

[axoalum]

Also not a guy, but could I appeal to you to not use the term "fratty". Maybe I'm just old but it sounds straight out of a television show. On a more helpful note- check the sales now. I have seen Izod polos at JC Penney and Vinyard Vines at Steinmart at much more reasonable prices.

[violetpretty]

Don't forget Southern Proper. Style is not the point, because seriously, who thinks that crap looks good? The point is to wear expensive brands to show you can blow $75 on a shirt. It's not fratty if it's affordable.

</sarcasm>
Why did your brothers give you a bid if they think you need a wardrobe upgrade? It'd be one thing to tell you if you're not well groomed or you're not dressing correctly for a given occassion, but to say you need more brand names in your wardrobe? Fuck them.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Why did your brothers give you a bid if they think you need a wardrobe upgrade?

Is this supposed to be a dealbreaker?

[FSUZeta]

if you live near an outlet mall, you can get great bargains by shopping there. the outlet mall near my house has brooks brothers, polo ralph lauren, vineyard vines, j.crew and banana republic outlet stores, to name but a few. maybe there is an outlet mall near you.

and as axoalum and dstren suggested, look at tj maxx, marshall's, ross and steinmart. at these places you kind of have to keep going back to find exactly what you are looking for. i have seen polo dress shirts at marshall's priced between $20 and $30 dollars, and sometimes less, when on sale. you might even find a blue blazer, if you need one, at a discounted price. if you need a suit, mens warehouse has good sales, as does joseph a. banks.

also, add to your wardrobe in increments. don't rush out and buy a whole new wardrobe. buy one or two shirts now(and maybe a pair of khakis) and then save up some more $ and buy something else in a month or two. when you are shopping just don't think about the present, but think about clothes that you can wear to work after college to a "grownup" job.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Dusty6

Hey, I just recently joined TKE at my school and all my brothers were telling me I should upgrade my wardrobe, they were naming brands like polo,brooks brothers, locoste and vinyard vines. Problem is all of these brands are really expensive. I support myself and buy all my own clothes and stuff and I can't afford to pay $75 per shirt.....is there any brands that are cheaper and are considered fratty?

Now, how did this conversation happen? Were you asking for clothing brand advice, or was it unsolicited?

I don't mean to be the voice of negativity and gloom-and-doom, but if you've just joined and you don't feel like you can keep up financially NOW, what's it going to be like later on? Now it's just clothes, but later on it will be ski vacations, Spring Break trips, and other things. If you're struggling now to "keep up with the Joneses," it won't get any better.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by Dusty6

polo

Are they Purple Label or something? If not, it's very hard to NOT find reasonably priced RL clothing.

My school was very laid back (southern, non-SEC/Big 12 school), so outside of a few "show pieces," most people were very casual around campus. You may wear a school t-shirt around campus, but you'll pull out the high end stuff for the weekend. Maybe you can try that (not sure of your campus climate).

If my (non-IFC) brothers ever told me I needed an upgrade, I'd tell them to buy the outfits or STFU. But that's just me

[HannahXO]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

If my (non-IFC) brothers ever told me I needed an upgrade, I'd tell them to buy the outfits or STFU. But that's just me

I agree with this Obviously some of my sisters have better fashion sense than others, and we all help each other out when it comes to picking clothes for recruitment, etc because we know we need to put our best foot forward as a chapter. But I can't imagine anyone telling a sister that her day to day wardrobe needs work, especially to the tune of lots of $$. Offering hair and makeup tips and occasional shopping trips together is one thing, suggesting a total 180 is another.

/end female rant. I'm just surprised your brothers would have the guts to say that.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by HannahXO

/end female rant. I'm just surprised your brothers would have the guts to say that.

That's why I asked if the OP asked his brothers for advice or they pulled him aside and told him that he needed to start wearing Vineyard Vines.

[33girl]

I want to know where these magical TJ Maxx stores are that have VV, Lily Pulitzer etc. as those things never ever darken the door of ours. We get stuff from The Limited with the tags cut out.

They may be giving you those brands not as a "must" but as an example - i.e. they don't want to say "wear more polo shirts" and have you get them at Hollister and they're see through and skin tight. Instead of the DO, I'll say DON'T. DON'T shop at:

Hollister
Abercrombie
Ed Hardy
American Eagle
Aeropostale
Pac Sun
Hot Topic
Anyplace Jersey Shore-esque

Go to the MEN'S section of a department store and buy things that are better quality. Lots of places are having sales now...ask your mom for her Macy's card and coupons. You'd be surprised...you'll probably actually get better quality for less $$ than you would at the stores I named.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I want to know where these magical TJ Maxx stores are that have VV, Lily Pulitzer etc. as those things never ever darken the door of ours. We get stuff from The Limited with the tags cut out.

The TJ Maxx locations in NYC will have Lilly; the TJ Maxx in my parents' hometown doesn't even get Limited with the tags cut out . You really have to scope it out though because they'll have a ton of tiny sizes (like 2--and Lilly fits smaller than most) and gigantic sizes like 14. Nothing in the middle.

Marshall's will have Vineyard Vines, and you would probably have better luck in the men's section. Filene's Basement will have pretty decent sales on VV for men.

[33girl]

Our Filene's went belly-up. I've actually done better at Gabe's lately than anyplace else ($50 Michael Stars shirts for $2) but saying that you have to wade through a lot of dreck is an understatement.

[HannahXO]

I got adorable Lilly PJs at Marshall's last time I was there

I also just bought 2 Lilly dresses on Ebay- $130 total. So worth it.

I have a problem.