« The Paradox of Perception | Main | “The more you do, the more you do” »
April 13, 2007
The Paradox I Have Pondered
Does everyone have a trust fund but me?
First, a great big welcome to the marvelous Julie Kenner, who has graciously agreed to guest blog at the L.C. this month. You should stop whatever you’re doing, and run right out and buy a copy of her new book, The Prada Paradox. In fact, buy several copies, and pass them out to your friends!
To celebrate Julie’s new book, this week we’re talking paradoxes. And Prada. Which, put together, brings me to something I've always wondered about – the marketing of over-priced clothes to the 20-something crowd.
If you’ve ever picked up an issue of Lucky, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Almost all of the chicks they feature in the magazine – they call them Lucky Girls – are in their 20’s, and all have sexy (but not necessarily lucrative) jobs in expensive cities like New York and L.A. And yet every last one of these Lucky Girls apparently has a limitless budget for clothes, accessories and make-up.
How is this possible? I spent the first half of my twenties in college and law school, and the second half praying I’d have enough money left over after paying off the greedy student loan company to make my rent.
Five thousand dollar cocktail dresses? Don’t make me laugh. I didn’t even spend that much on my wedding dress (which was a very cute white silk BCBG cocktail dress I bought on sale).
And then there are those “budget” outfits the glossies like to feature -- which actually cost more than my monthly car payment -- and are supposed to convince you that $200 flip flops and $800 cotton skirts are really great deals.
Please . . . sell crazy somewhere else.
And nowadays, when I actually have a job and a bit of pocket money – okay, perhaps not enough to frequent the Prada store, but at least I no longer have to purchase my t-shirts in 6-packs from the men’s underwear section of Target – the last thing I’d spend my hard earned cash on are overpriced designer clothes.
For one thing, I have a preschooler, which pretty much requires that everything I put on be wash and wear and impervious to finger paint. For another, I work at home, which means that most days find me wearing sweats, my hair in a pony tail.
So if I had a few extra grand kicking around, I certainly wouldn’t blow it all on a single dress. I’d rather spend it on a fabulous trip, or replace my fugly kitchen cupboards.
So, seriously . . . how do all of these fashionable 20-somethings do it? Or is it all just a mirage?
This blog was brought to you by The Prada Pardox, Julie’s hip, funny novel about sex, adventure and fashion – not necessarily in that order.
Posted by Whitney at 6:00 AM | Comments (2)
Comments
I blame "Sex and the City." Carrie's a newspaper columnist who manages to afford a brownstone apartment on the upper east side and all the Manolos she can cram into her (huge) closet?
I don't think so!
Posted by: Beth at April 13, 2007 12:49 PM
Um, credit cards.
Not that I know anything about maxing out Visas, MasterCards, AmExes, the store cards for Banana Republic, Macy's, Bloomies, Nordstrom, etc. as a weak-willed twentysomething living on a Hollywood assistant salary and succumbing to the peer pressure to dress and look a certain way.
No, I know nothing.
(Except that they are, now, finally all paid off. Long after I left my twenties. Oh, the cautionary tale I used to be...but I did have a nice wardrobe.)
Posted by: Chandra at April 13, 2007 1:12 PM
