I can definitely relate. I'm an American, but have lived abroad for the last 16 years, including 3 years in Toronto (when the exchange rate was not favorable for Canadians at all). I live in China now and although pretty much everything is made here, we have to pay significantly more for clothes in international brand shops. Higher end and luxury items can be up to 100% more expensive. My Chinese friends save like fiends and go crazy buying in Tokyo, Hong Kong, etc. whenever they have a chance (or a friend or relative is traveling), maybe you've heard some stories about Chinese shoppers abroad? In the last few years I was unable to travel due to serious illness, but this year I will be in the US twice. I am devoting a large part of my budget to shopping for new clothes at the stores I love and miss like crazy, like JCrew and Nordstroms (excited my trip will coincide with NAS!)

To compensate for lack of affordable and available high quality items I started sewing again (not an option for all), and I spend a lot of time on a website called Taobao (Chinese shopping site with small retailers selling pretty much everything ever made) looking for higher quality clothes and shoes. It's exhausting!

One bright side? Uniqlo is cheaper here than in the US.

I'm a spender, but prices are scaring me, too! I used to buy a Lafayette 148 jacket here or there, under $500, sometimes I had Nordstrom notes to put towards it. But now they're $600 and up and I can't justify that. So I guess I'll take very good care of the things I have and sit on the sidelines unless something is a must have.

Yes I have noticed this too in Australia. This has impacted me most in relation to the price of shoes. My problem is that I am quite hard on shoes and I like them to look pristine. I may just have to get into the RATE look this year!

I feel your pain, Lisa and other overseas shoppers. I remember having the same frustration over the years when the dollar weakened at times and I couldn't afford my favourite UK brands (Jaeger closed its US stores in one of these downturns as they couldn't compete).

I agree with Jenanded about the quality of high-end items right now. I have bought Vince and Vince Camuto over the years and find that the quality of the lower-priced brand has been consistently *higher* than the Vince brand, at least in the items I purchased.

Maybe we need a YLF meetup where Diane, Firecracker, Ginger and our other fab dressmakers teach us the fine arts of fitting and sewing.