A couple of months prior, when I realised I was obsessed with broderie anglaise, I started to look everywhere for it. Especially white. Not cream, white. White looks best even if the quality of the embroidery isnt super duper top shelf.
I made mental lists if where I saw various pieces, tops, dresses mainly & the prices.
OK, I lie - I carry a note book with me & I was writing it all down in the pages headed "Broderie Anglaise Hunt Nov 2011". Perfectly normal. Not OCD at all.
So what did I find?
I saw loads of cottons/rayons - eeeewwwww
Then there were the linen mixes - not good enough.
& then I went & bought a 100% cotton top from Witchery ($60), an 100% cotton beach cover from Zara ($50)
& for some reason I love broderie that much that I STILL kept my eyes open for me.
Then I saw the tee shirts - easy to wear over old faithful jeans...cant have enough white tees....
Sussan $79.95 - 50% cotton/ 50% modal
Knowing that this stuff doesnt move overnight & they have a gazillion stores, I could "watch" it for a while until it was reduced......& voila! Its now $49.95.
Tar-jay $29 - 100% cotton
While I was "watching", I did a double take at Tar-jay.....its almost twin sister appeared.....and its twin was in one of the catalogues too & had an identical twin in coral. It was priced at $29. It was 100% cotton.
& then.......... its price was reduced to ...wait for it.....$19. So I finally made a purchase.
What factors influenced me to buy?
Sure there are differences in shape - bear in mind the Tar-jay version is a very large size (not alot left to photograph & mine was in the wash...) while the Sussan version was from the web (where they use tiny sizes & pin & adjust at the back to made the garments look amazing)......
But in terms of stitching & pattern - any differences didnt matter to me it was just a casual tee for jeans.
(In this case, in terms of fabric quality - the Tar-jay was my preference - this was a bonus).
But I was more than happy to pay $19 for Tar-jay and leave the Sussan version alone on the basis that it was a simple item which my value system didnt feel the need to pay alot of money for.....
Now there is a moral to this story, actually, 2 morals.....
1. It pays to shop around.
2. Know thyself & know what you are looking for and how much you are prepared to pay.....let me explain.....
Which garments should you be willing to pay more for?
Sometimes the quality & look of a garment will matter greatly. In those cases it is worth paying more for that item. Things that come to mind in that category are good quality core pieces of your wardrobe that you intend to have for many years - jackets & structured suits, wool/cashmere sweaters, coats, a trench.
Which garments should you be willing to pay less for?
In contrast you can get away with lesser quality (& lesser price & lesser "labels") for things like jeans, tees, casual shirts, beach wear (unless your on a resort with Kate & William) & anything trendy & of the moment that you dont expect to wear beyond the one season.
What if you have an unhealthy obsession with something?
Then you may not be able to hold back & you will spend gobs of money. We've all been there!
& NO, I am NOT tempted to go back & also get the Sussan version, nor a back up of the Tar-jay version.....at least not yet.....
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