The FABRIC in that skirt is lovely, the construction, not so much. I think the sales person needs to rethink her vocabulary.

I was one of the folks who commented that $100 was pretty much my limit. Many, many years of shopping on a monthly budget and knowing that one expensive item would lock me out quickly.

That said, I will look at a higher price point for shoes. And this year, as I am limiting by number of items instead of $, I note that I am willing to pay more. That navy Cos vest makes me so happy! And my orange Docs! Both well over my magic number, even though the Docs were on sale.

The skirt was pretty!

I have a perennial goal of spending $1000 on a blouse or trousers - not coat, shoes or bag - but I can never bring myself to do it. I can’t see a blouse being 1K useful like a good coat or pair of shoes.

Also, I think cheap as chips is $5 for a knit top, $7.99 for athletic leggings and $20 for sneakers. I also think those are rational, reasonable prices based on what people are actually willing to pay their employees working full time.

I notice though you can’t get anything at those prices anymore even at Ross, the discount reseller. The public university in my town is charging students $2K for a bed. Two beds to a single room. It doesn’t pay for any of the city services it relies on and it’s charging students this. Off-campus, $900 for a room is *cheap*, which is also egregious.

Jenni, you know, here, even doctors are treated like hourly wage workers. A doctor here has to be one of those people who rents out a room for $900 to make it themselves. It’s a bad negative feedback loop.

Basically, I think the zombie apocalypse is here and no one has faced up to it yet. Also it’s March and we have had roofs collapse from snow in California! I think I’ll start saving my soda can tabs and weaving armour from them

You’re all awesome! I’m going out early today so will have to reply much later in more detail, but I feel vindicated.

What an interesting thread. I agree- $175 is not a cheap skirt.

I know my spending has increased per item over the last few years - mostly by buying from NZ or Aussie labels. I watch my overall budget by also buying second hand or some budget retailers (Ezibuy) who seem to be in constant sale mode.

The pieces I pay more for are shoes, coats (well only my one last year), pants or jeans snd dresses. I am cautious re knitwear, tee shirts, skirts and blouses.

I am not a sales stalker - I am not good at it. I do buy on sale - my new 70s style dress was final sale and at 50% off - but I also buy early in the season at full price too like my two new pairs of pants which were both over $200.

I do like that skirt Jenni - I think it’s the sort of piece that will turn up somewhere so bring patient and picky will work!

Jenni, I have been in similar boutiques. It reminds me of the scene from the movie Pretty Woman.

The skirt is very nice, but I wouldn't call $150.00 cheap as chips. Whether someone wants to pay that much is a personal decision.

Suz's response is how I feel. I have a set budget for clothing for the year. I have spent a lot on footwear because it is orthopedic and all I can wear. I have also spent a lot on a Burberry trench coat (15 + years ago), Jesse Kamm pants (6 or more years ago) and jeans. I have worn these pieces for a long time and a lot. The trench coat is still going strong. I would wear the JK pants, but they are too big. The jeans I buy fit me the best, and the denim feels nice against my skin.

I spent zero on my first wedding dress. I got the fabric for free, and my sister-in-law made it for me. My second wedding dress was on a sale rack and was $50.00. Both dresses are stored in boxes with my wedding photos and other mementos.

I think what that sales clerk said was absurd! Snooty sales people baffle me--why would they want to be offputting to potential customers and thus limit their sales? I mean, I get the whole idea of exclusivity and desirability with certain brands (not that I agree with it, but I do understand what they are trying to do), but a small neighborhood boutique should be welcoming and warm to everyone, and refrain from making ridiculous statements like that, IMHO.

Jenni, it's a lovely skirt! I can see you have fun with it! And not cheap as chips. At all! I'm with Jonesy on how odd - and I'll add hilarious! - that was for the sales assistant to blurt out

I'm also nodding along with Suz and Tanya. My wardrobe item purchasing strategies are similar.

Late to this and nothing smart to add, but sometimes I'm just amazed by these little boutiques and wonder how in the world they stay in business. It's seems for so many of them, at least in my area, their target market must be 20-somethings with trust funds. It's just hard to imagine there are enough of those to keep a store open.

And no, that skirt was in no was cheap as chips.

I chalk that up to a person no knowing the right meaning and context for various expressions from an earlier time. It’s not a good fit for the situation.

I used to buy so many work clothes and often looking for sales and got a lot of things sort of mid- range.
I think I might be moving toward more potentially high- low. I’m in mostly casual clothes and not needing as many of any one category , not even as many casual or at home since it’s just me a lot I days, and being able to get by unless I find various things at reasonable prices, but being open to a” splurge “ that might be in a different category from what’s commonly mentioned as what people treat themselves to or think of as splurge- worthy. Meaning, it might be something casual- ish or sporty but just a fab version, or it might be a dressier item that I could say I don’t wear “enough “ to
justify a typical CPW analysis but I do need several times a year and then it’s perfect. However, “ perfect “ for less frequently-worn items has a high bar if expensive, because need to have that elusive longevity factor.

Normally I wouldn't pay $175 for this skirt for the reasons many of you have brought up.

One exception: if the skirt felt wonderful and silky and looked great on me, and I already had a beautiful top, shoes, and jewelry that would look wonderful with this very skirt. And if I had an important event to wear it to.

Once I did pay $1200 for a dress at NM. It was a Judy Hornby dress (she now designs furniture--or was last time I checked.) I bought it for the very first Silicon Valley Charity Ball, which was a fabulous event. Within the next couple of years I wore it several times, bringing the CPW to $200. Well worth it. Then middle age started to catch up and my waistline grew.

I think it's a foolish strategy for sales people to act snooty.

I bought another Judy Hornby dress a year or so later. Not as dressy or as expensive. Wore it many times as well.

@Jenni
Lol the things that 'just won't compute' vary so much from person to person, don't they?My parents' area STILL has a charity shop that sells clothing for £1.99 (accessories are 99p)! So you can imagine how badly that skewed my perception of 'reasonably' priced!
If she's not a clothing designer first, I can see how the skirt might be overpriced just to match a pair of shoes. Quality & versatility do matter - even for £1.99!

@April
I'll join you in the minority there - with less than a month to execute our initial UK wedding, I paid £750 for my UK wedding dress because it fit off the rack (wanted to spent less but NO alterations on what was essentially a heavy chainmail suit of bling wasn't too bad going, lol!)
For my HK wedding dress, it was £300-400 for a much simpler lace qipao/ cheongsam made from scratch (don't know exact ££ as we also made MrZ's suit there).
I've been wanting to do a much less rushed UK wedding party (where I can invite everyone with enough notice) but COVID lol - think I'll go @Style Fan's route if I do though (or maybe rent?).

@unfrumped
Your strategy makes sense - I can spend more on the items that need to resist daily wear & tear (bar my wedding dresses lol).
E.g. I bought a cheap sequin bag from ASOS (just for going out/ parties), but am still contemplating springing for that wool coat if I know I'll be wearing it for years to come...

Thanks to everyone who has replied!
Irina, I was talking NZ$ since that is what I earn my money in. I just put it into the XE.com app and it’s around $110 in US$ and $150 in Canadian$ and $160 in Australian$ and about 90GB pounds. Obviously the US$ is the strongest currency of all those. So you can compare across the world, if you are interested. We do pay a lot for clothing here or can do, because we are a small island in the South Pacific with only 5 million people. It takes a lot to ship stuff here.
Thank you April for the term “bridge” brands. I never buy actual designer (like Prada or Gucci or Louis Vuitton) but I don’t usually buy the KMart level either (maybe socks or undies). I feel like I am in between. So a chain of boutiques may have brands that suit that level, but often there I prefer not to pay full price so am happy to look on the sale racks for the sort of things that may fill a hole. This small boutique was not part of a chain. I agree with Rachylou that so many people are paid low hourly rates that they would have to work so many hours to afford that skirt! Along with actual costs of living!
Will have more thoughts but might need a wee rest first after an early start and big day today.

Well you never know if the sales person wasn't responding to her perception of you when she said the skirt was "cheap as chips". Maybe you look like you eat gilded chips Jenni!
My clothing budget is somewhat elastic since it is self generating, but I don't think I have ever spent more than $200 (and that is very unusual) on any item, even shoes, which would be where I imagine I would spend more, if you know what I mean .

Thank you Jaime but I don’t think so! My hair was a little untidy (needs a cut soon) and a 2017 red tunic top over white jeans with little red crochet shoes. The silhouette was not the latest thing. I’m trying to up wears on the 2017 top

I’m back from my little rest.
I appreciated OliveGreen’s idea of my being a utilitarian shopper. I remember that term from when my now 26 year old son was studying Economics at university, so I looked it up. I think I have gradually become one over time. I used to be more of a hedonic shopper before I found YLF. Now I am only a hedonic shopper on the Styletread site when I put lots of shoes on my Wishlist but not in my cart. I hope they don’t mind too much since I do convert those to an actual sale for them sometimes.

I do not have a set upper limit number. The buy decision is based on factors like wearability, quality, personal financial goals and strictures, and, the ever-elusive “does it come in my size,” among other considerations.

So appreciate hearing the process that people go through to acquire wants and needs.
I do love the occasional hedonistic splurge, but I found I seldom wore it.
I will spend a lot on comfortable gear and outwear. My karate gi was probably the most expensive thing I bought in ten years. And I passed it on to another lady when I left the sport. Same with many other items.
I am finding a lot of happiness buying hella colourful, slightly elevated basics these days, and splashed out on a few things this last year.
Your cost per wear awareness makes it utilitarian, in my book.
Cheap as chips, hah. That is so very relative.

Well, $175 certainly isn’t my idea of “cheap as chips” for a skirt which, while pretty, is maybe a little more trendy and short-lived than I would want to buy. I have a snooty SA story, too. Many years ago we were shopping in Toronto, when my husband saw a zippered jacket in a window which he liked. A cotton casual jacket. When he asked about it, the SA said “it’s $175; is that all right?” He said it certainly wasn’t and we left.

I have enjoyed this thread! Thanks, Jenni!

I have to add to the wedding dress story...on my first, I spent nothing -- except a few dollars for alterations. I wore my mother's dress. It was her dream that I would do so, and luckily, I liked it, and it more or less fit.

Alas, that marriage did not last (although I still have the dress!). For my second marriage I went to Banana Republic and got a very simple, off the rack maxi dress in white with pale grey large-scale modern floral pattern. I think I spent $60 or something. Maybe less. I don't have that dress any more. But I do have the marriage.

I was interested in this distinction between utilitarian and hedonistic shoppers. I'm sometimes one, and sometimes the other, and perhaps the blend of the two is what Angie calls "organized emotional" shopping.

I wanted to thank some more contributors to this thread. Thank you Anchie, Tanya, Suntiger, Irina, CarolS and Runcarla for being willing to reveal some of the pricing you consider. It does help. I think what Tanya does with the Veronica Beard blazers is similar to what I do with good “bridge” brands like NZ brands Sabatini and Verge. I prefer to get them on sale if possible because the original prices are a bit steep for me but I like the quality and design.
Kkards I also really appreciated your contribution. Maybe I need to rethink a bit. It’s true that it is way harder to get my CPW down on certain categories, like say dresses I buy to wear as a wedding guest, and my MOB dress for that matter, even though it happened to be on sale I did get it altered for a better fit and that added to the cost. I can probably cope if such things don’t necessarily hit #30 wears or reach a under-$5 CPW, since I have had a lot of pleasure out of being appropriately dressed for such events. Maybe my utilitarian approach can involve other considerations in such a case.

I know it’s 2 days later, but coming back to it as 2 more people to thank.
Firstly, Zaeobi for the beautiful shots of your two wedding gowns. So pretty! Excellent choices.
And secondly, Ms Maven for your comments. Your first Judy Hornby dress sounds like you felt really amazing in it and I agree that psychologically that can be worth a lot. I bought a full-length black evening dress when I was about 40 which was quite expensive but really made me feel amazing and as close to a movie star as I was ever likely to get. I wore it about 3 times but was also able to lend it to DD1 as a teenager for her to attend a dance, and she looked stunning too.
I no longer have it because I gained weight but remember it fondly. It’s a bit like the wedding dress. The odd item in one’s life doesn’t need to meet a lower CPW standard!

@ Jenni - I think you’ve got to honour that feeling you get when you splash out for something that makes you feel like a million bucks! I knew when I went to a specialty bathing suit boutique, that I was going to pay $$$ for a vacation bikini or bathing suit, and that it probably wasn’t going to amortize down to a particularly low CPW. On the other hand, I don’t think you can put a dollar value on the feeling of knowing you look your absolute best for an occasion - especially a very special occasion. In situations like that, you just have to plunk down the cash (or card) and say: “I’m worth it!”

I agree Carla and thank you. So long as we can afford it and it doesn’t put us in consumer debt and we don’t do it all the time to justify every single purchase (I really hate that L’Oreal Paris tagline of “Because you’re worth it”- I personally think that’s just an excuse to make women spend on overpriced products that won’t make them as beautiful as they may hope anyway). In my case looking back on 62 years of life it has only been a few purchases over time and they really have made me feel wonderful.
The rest of the time I feel good knowing I am being sensible with my purchases for both my own financial benefit and now to help the planet too.

Interesting thread! Short answer, no, I don't think $175 is cheap as chips. I'd give the SA the benefit of the doubt, though. Customer service is a rough job and it can hard to hit the right note all the time. I think I'd be slightly flattered that she perceived me as someone for whom $175 is trifling.

I think the important thing to remember about hedonistic vs utilitarian consumers is that those of us on the utilitarian end of the spectrum do (or can) derive a lot of pleasure from those practical, highly-considered purchases. Impulse shopping, spending money I didn't plan on spending, or buying things that don't serve a clearly defined purpose, typically results in a lot of anxiety for me, which in turn can make it harder to enjoy the item I've bought. When something catches me eye unexpectedly, it's much better for me to sit with it for a few days/weeks/months before I make the decision to buy. The exception to this is thrift stores, where prices are low enough that I am more tolerant of the occasional mistake and the chances are high that the thing I'm looking at will be long gone the next time I come in.

My per-item thresholds have gone up quite a bit over the past few years largely due to inflation, but also because I've gotten stricter about quality, longevity, and ethical business practices. I used to be be under triple-digits for everything except winter outerwear/footwear, but these days, even summer footwear is likely to be close to or over $100. Pants and knitwear, too. I'm well-stocked enough that at this point, I can usually hold out until I find a secondhand option, but for true essentials I'll shop retail if need be. CPW is a significant consideration for me. I am more comfortable and more likely to spend $$$ on gear than on formalwear, because the gear will be in heavy rotation, while dressy outfits will only see a few wears per year. (Really, I just don't buy dressy clothes right now. Unless my life changes dramatically, my current dressy capsule has the depth and seasonal variety to last me through at least a couple of years' worth of weddings, holiday parties, and memorial services before it needs updating.)

Thank you La Ped for such a thoughtful response. You are right about the anxiety I feel if I am not going to get the wear out of something! Never thought of it like that before. I think it has developed more gradually because of how big and out of control my wardrobe felt in those years 2008-16 when I had gained the weight as well as had more money from working more with kids being older, so was desperately shopping to try and feel better about my looks.
Now I can feel more comfortable about the odd item that I may not wear that much (like wedding guest clothes) so long as I love them and am very happy at whatever the occasion is. What you and Kkards and Runcarla have said have been helpful in that regard.
Such a lot of great responses on this thread yay.
I will continue being mostly a utilitarian shopper but might allow a little bit of being more hedonistic (or as the article I found said, hedonic) on the very occasional purchase. Even then I will want to totally love it and plan to keep a long time hopefully.