Letting Go of the Denim Security Blanket:
A How-To

Jessica Daly

Having recently turned 21, I am just becoming acquainted with the nightly ritual of waiting in line outside East Lansing’s bars.  Typically I wait my turn with one or more of my friends as we observe all sorts of exciting goings-on; stumblers getting kicked out, toolish businessmen throwing hundos at the wimpy door guys to skip the line and the smart people with the foresight to get there early jeering and making faces at us through the windows at Lou & Harry’s. 

Another thing we automatically do in line is observe the people around us because, really, what else is there to look at you’re outside of Rick’s and there are no windows in which to observe your own reflection? 

As we waited in the (non-V.I.P) line at the Landshark Thursday, my friend Lo made an interesting remark.  While staring wistfully into the swarm of hopeful line-cutters, she observed it seems to be much cheaper to wear a cute, trendy dress than it is to wear jeans and a top.  The more I thought about this, the more unparalleled her wisdom seemed.

It is not usually my practice to wear jeans out at night.  If you open my closet door, you will find 24 dresses and not much else.  I have no prejudice toward jeans but I only own two pairs of skinnies, one pair of wide-leg trousers and a pair of boot cuts from a few years ago that actually make me look like I have a butt. (I don’t.) Dresses are so easy; whether you’re heading to class or out to dinner, you can just grab one, throw it on, and go without the hassle of selecting a full outfit.  Another benefit is the relative cheapness of this method.

I work at a boutique in Eastwood Towne Center that specializes in high-end denim including Citizens of Humanity, David Kahn, Joe’s and, my personal favorite, James.  I adore all of the jeans but I will probably only purchase one or two pairs in the next year because of the extremely high cost that comes with the excellent fit and craftsmanship of these designer items.  The denim ranges in cost from about $130 to upward of $220. 

Once you try these jeans on you understand why they cost so much but as a poor college student I have difficulty reconciling paying that price for a pair of pants more than a few times in my life.  Sure, you can find cheap jeans just about anywhere but they will never look and feel like nice brands.  Sometimes it’s better to own one nice pair of jeans rather than five pairs of cheap, ill-fitting ones. 

Thankfully, on the eighth day, the fashion gods realized poor college students deserve to look good too.  Though I obviously am a little biased towards dresses, there are many other options that are low in price, high in fashion and don’t involve demin in any form!

Though Forever 21 does not always stock the most high-quality merchandise, it is full of trendy pieces perfect for going out at night.  It is perfectly acceptable to buy something there that is extremely “in” right now and won’t be wearable in a year’s time because most of the items there are extremely inexpensive.  Sure they fall apart after three washings, but even if you don’t like dresses, you can find plenty of cute tops there very cheaply.

$17.80 each

If you’re willing to travel a bit for your fashion, there are several H&Ms in Michigan that offer many stylish pieces for the shopper on a budget. The best trick: if anyone asks where it’s from, tell them “Hennes and Mauritz.” Few people know what the letters in the store’s name stand for, but you can play on this ignorance and make it seem like your $30 dress was handcrafted by an eccentric German duo.

If you love to shop online, even more options are available. My favorite online store is shopmango.com, the virtual location of Mango, a Spanish retailer.  Mango can run a little higher than H&M but a $79 dress is still a cheaper outfit in many cases than jeans and a top. I love these two stores because they make high fashion available to the masses and since they are constantly restocking and coming up with new designs, you don’t see eight people wearing the same dress every time you go to class.

Right: $89
Left: $69

Right: Parisian-inspired dress $89
Left: $79

Observe my new fashion function entitled the Thriftiness Theorem:

Above right and center: Urban Outfitters top $58 + David Kahn jeans $170 = $228
Above left: Chic H&M dress $39.99

Next time you’re planning your weekend wardrobe, stash that tired pair of True Religions and the halter top in your closet, bust out your Forever 21 fab find and drink an extra martini with the money you saved on your outfit.