https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:38:03 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price/page/2#post-2059374 Tue, 10 Sep 2019 00:52:52 +0000 cindysmith 2059374@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would be willing to pay the 2019 prices if the clothes were made out of the same quality fabrics as the 80s clothes were. The problem I have with 2019 prices is that they are now making the garment with gross fabrics that feel like pot-scrubbers. </p> <p>And don't even get me started on how the 80s garment likely had actual seams instead of two pieces of fabric serged together at the seam line like the 2019 garment does. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058283 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 19:35:13 +0000 Jenn 2058283@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I just looked at my spreadsheet. I think I'm pretty willing to pay more for sustainable manufacture and sourcing, especially recently, but it's pretty telling how vast the spread between the high and low ends are, and all of my medians are below the inflation-adjusted 1986 figure.</p> <p>Blouses,<b> I've paid $12-215, median is $86</b><br />1986 $40-$60<br />2019 $93.64-$140.46</p> <p></p> <p>Skirts,<b> I've paid $20-178, median is $25</b><br />1986 $50-$100<br />2019 $117-$234.10</p> <p></p> <p>Dresses, <b>I've paid $20-265, median is $120</b><br />1986 $80-$180<br />2019 $187.28-$421.38</p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058278 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 19:19:04 +0000 Suz 2058278@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is so very interesting and on point. Thank you for raising the question.&nbsp;</p> <p>As New Zealanders and Aussies have also said, we tend to expect to pay more in Canada for our clothes, and prices are especially high now because our dollar is (again) low in relation to the US dollar.&nbsp;</p> <p>I remember Liz Claiborne seeming like an "expensive but almost possible" line back in the day...my mother had a few pieces she delighted in.&nbsp;</p> <p>I do tend to scour the sales, since, as <b>Anchie</b> says, there are so many of them and it almost seems silly to pay full price unless you know it is going to sell out in your size. </p> <p>This means I spend roughly between $30 and $150 CAD on blouses/ shirts/ tops. (On the lower end for summer items because they wear out quicker due to laundering and besides, they involve less fabric!). </p> <p>My skirts all cost considerably less than the 2019 numbers you calculated. But the full price items are typically in that range. Meanwhile, my <b>jeans</b> (by far the majority of my bottoms) almost all fall into that range.&nbsp;</p> <p>Dresses for me tend to run between $60 and $150 but I buy dresses almost exclusively on sale and most of my dresses are summer wear.&nbsp;</p> <p>Jackets, footwear, and coats are the big ticket items in my closet. And knits, which need a lot of replacement, more's the pity.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058277 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 19:16:47 +0000 Irina 2058277@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I’m with Anchie on this. I buy only a few full priced items a year. This year I bought a black linen shirt, I’ve been looking for one for long time and a pair of shoes from the same store. I wasn’t sure these items would go on sale and I was right. As for the rest of my shopping - I have some clothes in mind and I wait until there is a sale. My shopping at Winners or Nordstrom Rack is similar to someone ‘s shopping at the second hand stores - searching for well known brands and keeping open mind. Without sales my wardrobe would be much smaller and I wouldn’t terribly mind it. But I do mind when I pay a full price for something just to see it at 50% off a couple months later. So, there is that. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058265 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 17:47:32 +0000 rachylou 2058265@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For sure we spend less for more. Also super interesting is how people clothed themselves in Victorian times - all those people slaving in the textile mills, but wearing rags for shoes. And so is how people clothed themselves in medieval times, when you know, you’d have to inherit a sewing needle from your mother. I took some weaving classes in school, where we also learned how to dye yarn and use a drop spindle. It was the fields in the day and spinning at night. Years to make a woven garment. I still don’t understand because there were, until synthetics, basically just four fibers, right? Wool, linen, silk, cotton. Linen and silk were costly. Cotton a late comer I do believe. So... that’s a lot of sheep.</p> <p>ETA: but maybe there were 5, and hemp should be included. Cloth doesn’t survive time. Hard to know. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058262 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 17:10:42 +0000 kkards 2058262@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>ginger--very interesting...and that led me to this very interesting article about how much and % of your incomes we spend on clothing thru the decades..</p> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/7939/madeinamerica">https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/7939/madeinamerica</a></p> <p>so, yes, we are spending less (both real dollars and % of income), but buying more.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058195 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:37:53 +0000 anchie 2058195@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a hard time paying full price for anything because I am so used to all the sales, discounts and promotions. It is also something of a game to me - getting the best possible item for the least amount of money. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058193 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:31:40 +0000 Ginger 2058193@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a good point, and I'm very glad you brought it up. Another factor to consider is our changing expectations of wardrobe size and variety. It makes sense to spend proportionally more on a few items of clothing if those are truly the backbone of your wardrobe and being worn on a daily&nbsp; basis.</p> <p>I have several textbooks from the 1930s and 1940s on wardrobe planning and sewing, focused on high schoolers. They all suggest a core wardrobe, basically consisting of a good quality coat, skirt suit, shoes, and a hat in the same neutral, then a print or colored dress and blouse. The original mix-and-match wardrobe. Of course this was the ideal, and formed from frugality, but it was how people thought.</p> <p>I read a book from the 1910s about a girl working in an office in New York City. She had ONE office dress. She changed when she got home each night, brushed it carefully, spot-cleaned if necessary, mended any damage, and wore it again the next day. She was not a wealthy girl, but by no means was she impoverished.</p> <p>It's a complex issue, and I know I'm adding another factor. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058189 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 12:08:16 +0000 nemosmom 2058189@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It's interesting to see the numbers. The quality of garments hasn't kept up IMO; I would feel much more comfortable paying $100 for a blouse if it held up as well as a $40 one. There are certainly exceptions (per Runcarla's thread), but you have to be willing to hunt for them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058180 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 10:35:00 +0000 Kathie 2058180@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I thoroughly enjoyed the NYT article about Liz Claiborne. The points about starting the line specifically for women in the workforce reminded me of MMLaFleur, and their marketing- and, in fact, MM clothes are similarly priced to the 2019 prices. I happily pay their prices for classic designs, nice seam finishing, and items that last. Some of the clothes are made in New York, and many are washable, and I’m also happy to pay higher prices to support manufacturing closer to home, and decrease my dry-cleaning costs. What I’m willing to pay does vary quite a bit, depending on how long I think I’ll have an item. For a good wool coat or classic trench, that I’ll have for 10+ years, I’d be willing to spend quite a bit. For summer clothes, I’m much more price sensitive, since the clothes are subject to quite a bit more washing. When I was on a tighter budget, I thrifted, since that was really the only way to get the quality I wanted, for a price I could afford. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058178 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 10:27:00 +0000 Tammyb 2058178@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I often struggle with how much is appropriate for clothing. Y parents both had jobs - not careers- that required uniforms. So clothing had little use for them since they worked many, many hours. Sunday clothes and occasion clothes were important. I have many siblings so I wore handmedowns until I could buy my own clothes. </p> <p>On many things in life I could look to my parents as models for how to do something or NOT do something. On this one I don’t have them. I am so interested in your opinions because this is a bit of a taboo subject sometimes and I guess I am looking for that role model. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058174 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 09:58:33 +0000 kkards 2058174@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>such interesting responses...i don't have a lot of time to comment this morning, but will try to get back at lunch time with a more detail response...Runclara's and Gigi's comments re the lack of understanding of what it takes to actually make a garment are very interesting and probably play a larger role in the the price/value ratio than i considered, food for thought.... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058171 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 09:18:11 +0000 Jenni NZ 2058171@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It’s so difficult to compare across decades I feel when my life has changed so much? I bought second-hand or the occasional small boutique that had perhaps a good sale- I think- as a university student, but I think I had quite a small wardrobe at the time. And then newly qualified and single I bought some different moderately priced things on a trip to Australia and about 3 very expensive items here in NZ, one of which I still wear 33 years later! Two of those were a $75 shirt and the most expensive a $300 jumper, in 1985/6. They compare or are higher than your 1986 article prices. But isn’t that when you might expect to spend a lot on clothing, as a new young professional with very few responsibilities and looking maybe cuter than I’ve ever looked before or since? I wasn’t looking at the middle aged middle range. And then I sort of missed the trends in the 1990s as a young Mum, then by the time I was coming out of that we had 3 children and a mortgage, so I couldn’t by necessity pay as much as I might have a decade or more earlier? It’s a perception of the value you will get from the purchase, as well.<br /> Sorry not sure where I’m going with this! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058166 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 08:28:00 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 2058166@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My first thought was “I’m old, stuck in the last!” But you are probably correct that many people would say the lower prices are the “right” ones. Looking at the different directions that worker pay vs c-suite salaries and stockholder “earnings” have taken makes it even harder to discern a “fair” price. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058164 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 07:53:00 +0000 rachylou 2058164@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>On the one hand, I think people ARE disconnected from what it takes to make something and how hard it is to make payroll. On the other hand, I also know that, esp in manufacturing, people are not paid a living wage and there are a lot of schemes deployed to get around paying people. No one says ‘let’s exploit people’. What they say is ‘labour is costly, let’s minimize it.’ The disconnect is not only on the customer side as to what it takes: employees pay to play and the cost is hidden from employers (or employers hide from those costs). As an enlightened customer, you may want to pay a higher price so the workers who make a shirt get a fair wage... but I guarantee that the extra money you shell out will NOT go to them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058154 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:29:02 +0000 Gigi 2058154@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Very interesting indeed. The adjusted prices for today's clothing do strike me as high, which is your point. I am generally willing to pay $60-100 for a top (that's not a t-shirt), $80-100 for a skirt, and $100-160 for a dress. I expect these to be decent quality.</p> <p>People have good points above. I agree that the middle class is really crunched and doesn't have as much disposable income as in years past, hence the focus on cheaper items. I also agree that the quality of the garments we get nowadays is usually not on par with years past; they are produced more cheaply (cheaper materials and cheaper seams), so they can be sold for less than the modern dollar equivalent.</p> <p>I also wonder whether disconnect with the sewing industry leads people to assume costs should be lower. With fewer people around who can actually sew garments in the U.S., there is little understanding of the amount of labor required to sew a garment, or the amount of planning that goes into designing one. People assume it must be easy, and so they don't want to pay top dollar. They don't necessarily look at an item and say, "Wow, look at all those pleats. That was really labor intensive" or "This is really slippery fabric and was probably difficult to sew" or "Look how nicely these seams were finished." They just see a top with a $100 price tag and say, "No way! Why should I pay that when I can get a $6 shirt at Old Navy?" </p> <p>There is also a loss of the desire for quality. People are used to wearing crap and seeing crap. I think some people have never felt high-quality fabric on their bodies or have worn an outfit that actually fits properly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058151 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 03:56:38 +0000 Anonymous 2058151@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Those prices seem fair to me - and is still pretty much the range in which I spend . I need to be convinced to spend more - I want superior design, fabric and construction . I’ll spend right across the entire range though but I’m always very clear about what I’m getting for that $$. I really wish second hand stores were better here - or maybe I’m the one that needs to me better at shopping them . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058132 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:15:57 +0000 Brooklyn 2058132@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with BJ111.</p> <p>I think part of the issue with middle range brands is that they often skew classic. So I buy a nice, good quality, fairly classic jacket from a mid range brand. It lasts and doesn’t date. I don’t need to buy another (similar) one next year. But retailers want to sell you another one. If they opt for trendier styles that are different from last years offerings, consumers will buy more because of the novelty but expect to pay less because it’s disposable. If they stick with a more classic style they will sell fewer items because there is not a lot of variation on offer. It’s also harder to generate some excitement around the brand.</p> <p>We have brands Cue and Veronika Maine that are mid range pricing and ethically made AND quite fashion forward in their offerings while still being fairly conservative/office appropriate. VM is definitely made for a mature woman too. I wish we had more like that but I suspect it’s a hard balance to get right. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058126 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:08:27 +0000 Sal 2058126@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In NZ so we expect to pay more....</p> <p>What I pay currently.....</p> <p>Blouses - somewhere from $60-$180<br />Skirts - last new one was $220, one before that was $160<br />Dresses $120-$350 outside special occasion</p> <p></p> <p>I do pay less on final sale or thrifting and expect to get a few bargains every year for between $10 and $30.</p> <p>I think the fact we can pay less means we expect to pay less.&nbsp; And I agree that quality at higher price points can be disappointing....</p> <p>And we have more.&nbsp; I suspect my Mum never had 18 pairs of shoes - she would have had more like 5-6 across all seasons.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058125 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:08:27 +0000 Jaime 2058125@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Very interesting! My perspective is very warped as I buy almost everything second hand. If that was not possible I would be a minimalist with a few high end pieces. Maybe. Actually I have no idea.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058123 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:00:52 +0000 rachylou 2058123@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Carla, when prices are lower than what materials and labour should be, that tells me someone is not only not paying taxes, someone is getting money from the government (which means the little man is paying) as well as from goods sold. The little man is paying twice. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058117 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 01:29:29 +0000 bj1111 2058117@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It’s not just change in price expectation but also downward pressure on “value”. If longevity if a valued commodity in clothing, fast fashion would be a harder sell. But it’s not...novelty seems to drive many purchasing decisions. </p> <p>Perhaps not just novelty, but also consumers being trained in the expected obsolescence of an item. If it won’t last, then a fair price would be less than something I can wear for the next 10 years (maybe with some updating and /or alteration) like angie’s hero theory suit.</p> <p>Another consideration is the pace of “current fashion” even in the “you do you” phase we are in now. Won’t pay more if I expect to replace soon. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058116 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 01:16:53 +0000 Becky 2058116@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><div>It is fair if the items in that price range have the quality to make them worth it. I don't think they do. Most of the items I see at that price range is not of significantly better quality than what is at Banana Republic or Loft.&nbsp; Sometimes they have inferior quality. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058113 Thu, 05 Sep 2019 00:44:56 +0000 Janet 2058113@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Rachy, exactly. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058105 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 23:52:18 +0000 Carla 2058105@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@kkards - prices look fair</p> <p>@racheylou - really low clothing prices scare me - when cost of materials and labour just don't add up. </p> <p>:-) my red linen dress is Liz Claibourne (thrifted!) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058103 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 23:39:46 +0000 rachylou 2058103@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think one has to consider the prices in terms of the real value of wages. Prices have gone up. Wages have gone up. But real wages have gone down. In the 80s you could still own a home, have a family of four, two cars and a yearly vacation on $12/hr. That would be ending soon, but you could still do it then. 25% of your take-home was what home economists told you to budget for housing. That’s laughable now. So where is all the money from these raised prices going? It’s not to the people who do the work. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058099 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 22:31:19 +0000 Gretchen 2058099@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great point KKards! </p> <p>I think there’s a resetting of expected price point for value that needs to happen. Looking at the cost trends over time is a great way to do that. </p> <p>As a question, would you compare Liz Claiborne more to a Nordstrom house brand (like Classiques) or more like an Ann Taylor? </p> <p>I remember swallowing hard when I bought my Classiques suit 5 years ago. But I’m still wearing it, and have definitely earned out the price. Most of my AT suits have not made it past the 3 year mark before needing replacement. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058097 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 22:25:08 +0000 Janet 2058097@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting perspective.&nbsp;</p> <p>Taking my own biases out of it (I rarely paid full price for items on that level in 1986, since I was a college student then, but I was also starting to work in a professional environment, so I DID require professional looking clothing)... I don't think it's too out of line for a balance of reasonable quality for a mid-level line.&nbsp;</p> <p>However, I expect many people would say the translation to today's pricing makes the items too high. The proliferation of fast fashion and even more cheap options, plus the ability to source items online, has (I think) nudged perceptions of "affordable" downward.&nbsp;</p> <p>Plus, on a broader level of consumer behavior and perception, the earning power of the middle class has not kept pace with prices. Not for clothing, and especially not for housing or health care. Median rent for an apartment in 1980 was $308, vs. $1492 in 2017.&nbsp;<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/200223/median-apartment-rent-in-the-us-since-1980/">https://www.statista.com/stati.....ince-1980/</a>&nbsp;When you look at the numbers for housing, clothing costs have approximately doubled (which is roughly in line with general rates of inflation), but rents have gone up many times over.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058095 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 22:17:08 +0000 JAileen 2058095@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I use this website a fair amount. When I read of costs in different times, I’m curious to know the modern equivalent:</p> <p><a href="https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl" rel="nofollow">https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl</a></p> <p>For example, in 1971 I went with my parents to Europe. Just before we went I got a pair of Clarks Wallabees. (They were having a fashion moment, and they were the most comfortable shoes I had ever worn.) I think they were $22 then. Per the BLS website, the same price, adjusted for inflation is $138. They are now $140 on Zappos website, or virtually the same cost. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/sowhat-is-a-fair-price#post-2058094 Wed, 04 Sep 2019 22:09:02 +0000 Gennifyr 2058094@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not willing to pay any of those prices. I'd have no clothes if that was my budget. This is why I thrift. The most I'll pay new is $30. I have plenty of cheap new items that I've bought over the last decade that hold up fine but thrifting has the extra benefit of being less harmful. </p>