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March 7, 2003
Cheap, cheerful clothes
Old Navy is one of many stores with reasonable prices.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
In just about every social group, there's that one guy or gal who
absolutely has to have the latest fashion from the trendiest store
with the best-known labels and brands. Their favorite store is usually
one that the rest of the group bypasses on their shopping route.
Since spending a lot of money on clothes is lower on my priority
list than buying a new hockey stick or having a freezer full of
french fries, I'm certainly not that guy. With that said, I still
do take a certain pride in my appearance, which often leaves me
struggling to find the perfect balance between finding a nice pair
of pants at an even nicer price.
A few years ago, while visiting my brother in Houston, Tex., I discovered
the wonderful shopping world of Old Navy. The clothes at Old Navy
are a cross between preppy and trendy and their large, department-sized
stores have sections for men, women, kids and babies.
Old Navy is actually owned by the Gap, so the two stores sell similar
styles. The difference is that Old Navy is a little more playful
and, more importantly, a lot less expensive. As a basic example,
a pair of khaki pants at the Gap are currently running between $50
and $60 and a sweater could also set you back $60. At Old Navy,
all of their men's khakis range from $34.50 to $44.50 and most of
their sweaters are selling for around $30.
What makes Old Navy an even more exciting shopping venture for a
guy like me is their clearance section, which almost always has
something I find worth trying on. And, after major seasonal sales
(like in early January), the clearance section can sometimes compete
in size with the regularly priced sections. Clearance prices range
from $7 to $20 for pants and sweaters.
While a quick tour through my closet might lead someone to believe
that I am actually an Old Navy model, it's not the only store where
I have been able to find clothes that I like in the cheaper-than-a-hockey-stick
price range.
For men, Mark's Work Wearhouse has a good selection of casual to
informal dress wear at reasonable prices. I recently bought a pair
of wool sweaters for $19.99 each and, of course, they also have
plenty of options for the more rugged look. For a man looking for
something more formal at a less formal price,
Tip Top Tailors sells suits for as low $149 and they often have
sales on dress shirts, ties and sweaters.
For women, when my wife is looking for something new, but still
wants to be able to afford to buy me a hockey stick when she's done,
she goes to Reitman's. At Reitman's she has bought a suit for work,
a skirt for Shabbat and a couple pair of jeans. And, according to
her, everything at the store is $29.99.
It is important that consumers judge for themselves as far as quality
is concerned. However, in many cases it seems that prices vary more
on the name brand than they do on quality. So if the logo on your
pants isn't important to you, there's no sense in paying extra for
it.
^TOP
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