Cross-Shopping …
… describes shopping in different stores, of different price ranges and has become vastly popular with the majority of Americans. Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the economy had been hard on most of the citizens of the United States – a consequence was easily detected in the retail sector. People weren’t just spending their money as thoughtlessly on anything anymore. They started thinking: “If I get this from a cheaper retailer, will anyone notice?” Soon, as it was a popular trend, people were proud of having found a bargain. Maybe they still bought their overcoat at Burberry now, but the shirt might be from H&M, or a pocket square from Zara?! Obviously this is also applicable to other industries than the fashion industry. So this look is a pretty good example for exactly that:
I’m wearing a coat by Sandro, a Parisien label that if you don’t know it yet, I highly recommend to check out. It has an excellent slim fit, basically like a blazer, and impeccably subtle leather details. The most obvious one, in this case, being the leather strip as a transition to the collar. Underneath, I’m wearing a knit stretch blazer by Uniqlo. Since the coat fits so nicely, this is one of the few blazers that will easily fit underneath, since it is not padded at the shoulders. The blazer itself is super lightweight and comfortable. They are a staple item at Uniqlo, if you’d like to take a look in person. My shirt is from John Varvatos, but I actually got it at Buffalo Exchange, a second hand store in NYC. I loved the checkered pattern of different shades of purple and it has a dapper looking collar. The jeans on the contrary I bought on sale from H&M. Simple, black, used wash and slim fitting. I decided to go for some contrast with my cognac Aldo wingtips. I love how they look very expensive, which can be said of the entire Mr. B’s collection at Aldo’s, but they are certainly affordable even for a student.
So you see, that your outfit can easily incorporate expensive and cheaper pieces and still totally work. Second hand shopping and shopping sales certainly helps getting those expensive pieces as a student 😉
