Every now and then the fashion mags will come up with the idea of ‘cost per wear’ (CPW) to justify big purchases.  When the ‘It Bags’ were around a few years ago, and could set you back several hundred (or thousand) pounds in one go, the fashion pack became cheerleaders of this idea of ignoring the price tag and instead figuring out how much the bag would cost per wear.

Take, for instance, the classic Chanel 2.55 – the only designer handbag I could ever truly justify owning – which has a price range of £1000-£2000 depending on size and additional features.  That’s a sizable amount of cash to outlay, but if you figure you’ll own it for the rest of your life (I’m 25, let’s say I live to 75, giving me fifty years of use), you can break that price down to £20-£40 per year.  Even if you only used the bag only once a week every year for fifty years, that price could be broken down even further to £0.38-£0.76 per wear.  When you look at it in such small numbers, the overall cost doesn’t seem as bad – but don’t be fooled, for the most part it’s simply a marketing ploy by the fashion mags and luxury brands.

My use of CPW is much more practical.  If you follow the basic theory that investing in good quality fashion items usually means they’ll last longer and stay in fashion for several years, you can usually be confident that you’re going to be buying wisely.  Similarly, while buying cheap fashion can seem like a good idea on the day, often it will go out of fashion quickly or won’t be manufactured properly (it may be uncomfortable or may break or fade).  Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re not yet familiar with the wonders of Etsy.com, get yourself over to the website and have a good old browse.  It’s a haven for hand-made jems, vintage finds and finely crafted jewellery, fashion and art.  There’s only one real problem with Etsy – the site has become so popular with artisans and craftspeople that it’s getting tricky to find a truly unique show-stopper, whether it be a handmade cushion in lush fabric, a quirky pair of vintage earrings, or an item of clothing from an up-and-c0ming designer.  That’s why we’ve come up with another How-To Guide, this time, for ‘Finding Unique Items on Etsy’!

1. Familiarize yourself with the Etsy site.  There are a few basic facts to keep in mind:

• Firstly, prices are shown in US Dollars, even if the seller is based in the UK.  This can be frustrating, especially as payment through Etsy.com goes via PayPal and converts from whatever currency you’re using to USD, meaning there can be teensy differences in price as a result of conversion.  As long as you keep this in mind, however, it shouldn’t be a problem. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  I’m a jewellery addict.  I’m also a poor post-grad student.  That means I’ve had to get creative to keep feeding my addiction.  It’s a fickle world, fashion, and trends change on a near-daily basis, so you’ve got to be flexible, determined and ready to fight (or bid) for your bargains.  Fortunately as a result of years and years of experience, I’ve come up with a How-To Guide for finding new (or near new) brand-name jewellery at bargain prices…

Step 1.  Sign up for ebay.  Yes, it’s kind of gone out of fashion, but I figure with the credit crunch making most peoples lives a misery, even unfashionable solutions are necessary.  Ebay is a great resource for finding brand-name fashion at ridiculously discounted prices, and if you’re picky about your buys being brand new, there is a search function that allows you to select only ‘Brand New’ items.  Most of these will still come with the tags (or jewellery cards/stickers) still attached. Read the rest of this entry »