Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Highstreet stores

Among ebay purchases, designer items, cheap finds from factory stores in Romania, a main supply of clothes (at least for me) are the highstreet stores. Mango, Zara, BSB, they all have trendy clothes, inspired by the latest fashion shows from Milan, New York or Paris (Mango even has a limited collection for every "fashion city", with clothes inspired by the trends there).

Among all, Zara is my least favorite. I can't deny that occasionally i buy a (mostly basic or a so this season that is not worth spending more on it) item from it, but i don't like the way they literally copy every trend the big guns designers launch in their fashion shows. Banana heels a la Miu Miu? Go to Zara to buy them at a 10% of the price... Degrade coat like we saw in the Prada shows? Yup, Zara has it! And so on... Apart from their designer almost identical clothes, they do have a nice range of basics: classic shirts and blazers, ok suits at reasonable prices, that don't change much from one season to the other (of course, that's why they are called classics).

Mango has a different policy that Zara: they take a trend and they simplify it. Mango does not sell naughty clothes or adventurous ones. No sir, only nice clothes for nice persons. Yup! That is Mango! Yet again, you can find cute items (i especially like to go to a Mango outlet - the one near Wien is quite ok - and enjoy huge discounts). And i like that they had some initiative and begun those celebrity collaboration with Milla Jojovich and Penelope Cruz. A fresh breeze, although they didn't make such a huge impact on the public comparing with the H&M collaborations.



But among the high street stores, I've recently made a rediscover. Stefanel is a high street store all right, but it seems to me that its clothes has personality of their own. Stefanel takes a trend, and gives it "Stefanel" personality. The collection every season seems unitary, and not a bunch of different designer-inspired clothes gathered together. But, hellas, i could see a weak point: the prices! Stefanel prices are a little bit higher than Zara or Mango or BSB, and that my friends is quite sadly, considering the fact that i want like a zillion tops and blouses from this season collection only!

2 comments:

astrid said...

ce magazin e asta din fotografie, pacatele mele?! E foarte frumoasa jacheta gri si o vreau, cu pretul vietii! :p

Dana said...

Stefanel, dar e o imagine de la ei de pe site...