Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
I bought a pair of fancy shoes for an interview the other day and I hobbled away with 8 blisters and a twisted ankle. I had to hail a cab to drive me back to my car because I couldn’t make it all the way to the trolley. They seemed like the most comfortable things in the store. I’m going to give these a shot.
But you get a whole tailored suit. The price is worth it in that case.
Maybe you’re already using this trick or it isn’t applicable in your case:
When shoes give you blisters, you can tape the affected parts of your feet. I use electrical tape but I guess other kinds of tape will also work.
A men’s tailored suit at Macy’s is not $100 - its $450+ - before you tailor - pants and jacket. A tailored pair of pants at Macy’s is $100 - mens OR womens. Women’s suits at Macy’s are on average cheaper than men’s suits at Macy’s.
They are flats - i.e. no arch support. But they aren’t very expensive (as far as Italian leather shoes go) hold up pretty well, and come in a zillion colors (which DO change - although I always have Opal and Black). They might run a little narrow. I have a lot of friends with mutant feet who I don’t think these would work for…I do have nice average size seven, no issues feet, and don’t spend my workday standing or walking - I sit at a desk.
My answer to that is something which has thankfully been fully “in style” in Spain for several years now: high-back espadrilles. They give the foot and leg the same shape as stilettos but on a full sole which is both springy and supportive (it’s basically made of hemp braided rope). Someone in Scotland archly asked one of my coworkers “espadrilles?”, to which the coworker answered “they’re all the fashion in Spain!” in the kind of tone which spells out “yes, they’re espadrilles - and you are a bitch, dearie.” No more remarks were heard about our fashion choices from that sector.
Which brings me to another point: what’s stylish varies by location, business type, corporate codes and whatnot.
?? You can get an entire tailored suit for a woman for quite a bit less than you can for a man.
Check out Banana Republic - you can get a full suit there for around $300 - $350 - less if you get it on sale.
Ditto for J Crew. Brooks Brothers you’ll probably pay about what men pay - $450-ish, but there woolen items are excellent quality.
$450+ for a suit at Macy’s…? Sure I think you could pay that price but I’m pretty sure you could find much cheaper there.
Yeah, but then you are in the same places with the “not worth tailoring” that you get when you buy a much cheaper women’s suit at Macy’s. i.e. the quality isn’t worth the extra money - they are “wear once for funeral and weddings” suits. But you CAN get BOTH men and women’s suits off the sale rack for $100 or less.
I’ve noticed in every store that sells shoes there is a rack festooned with some kind of moleskin pads or liners for every part of the foot that might be rubbed raw. Including inserts to keep the ball of your foot from sliding forward, painfully, into the toe of the shoe.
I recently got a lovely Anne Klein red skirt suit there for $140, marked down from $300. It’s my first suit, and I have no idea how long it will last, but there you are.
Dangerosa, I’m going to try out those shoes. I ordered them today. If I’m lucky they’ll get here in time for the big interview Wednesday.
I hate reading these threads and finding out how much more expensive it is to purchase clothes in Australia. A basic suit jacket at somewhere like Country Road (along with Cue and Veronika Maine are middle of the road) would run $300-$400, then add on the cost of a skirt ($149) and trousers ($220-300) and you’re not getting much change from $900. More expensive options include Jigsaw, Farage, Saba and Hugo Boss - well over the $1000 mark. But we were sitting here trying to work out what would be a cheap option. Perhaps Target, Portmans or a Myer homebrand suit? Still costing around $300. Can’t imagine where you could get a suit for $100 here.
And then as a hourglass girl we get into the tailoring of waist and length tp add another $50 to the cost.
Wow, seriously? Australia sucks! How much do people make a year?
[The average weekly pre-tax income in 2010 was $1035, a rise of $40 from the previous year, to take the annual salary to $53,820.
The average male worker earns $1227 a week and their female counterparts $819 a week.
Full-time workers now average $1267 a week in pay, or $65,884 a year, and part-time workers have an average income of $468 a week, or $24,336 a year.](http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/average-weekly-pay-packet-hits-1000/story-e6frf7l6-1226055693989)
Most things are more expensive here - Levis are $120 a pair, and a decent pair of heels from Witchery or Wittner can cost $150-$250. MAC eyeshadows are $33 each. I think they are $14.50 in the US? And our dollar is buying US$1.10 at the moment…
That’s why with the strong Aussie dollar all the retailers here are hurting. Despite exorbitant shipping charges ($60 shipping for a pair of shoes!) it’s often still cheaper to shop in the US.
Man, I didn’t know all that - Australia had always seemed like a great place to live, but that is ridiculous.
Maybe it’s like Hawaii? Everything has to be imported? Somehow I always think of Australians in beach clothes, or dusty khaki shorts.
The thingys that keep your foot from sliding aren’t terrible but the moleskin pads and sticky liners are just annoying.
I’m sure the distance does have an effect, but it unlikely costs a lot more to ship goods here from China, versus shipping China to the US. More economies of scale, and the licencing arrangements. Many importers are have sole import arrangements meaning they have a monopoly.
Our shorts are very stylish by the way!
Are prices comparable to that in Little Australia? Does a guy in Auckland pay about as much as a guy in Melbourne… or Sidney… or is it Melbourne?
It’s surprising to find that some items would be that much more expensive. Is it limited to clothing or is it generally the case for improted goods?
Canada has about the same population and type of economy as Australia and I don’t think we have to deal with the same situation. I got a good 100% wool men’s suit for 200$. My two other 100% wool suits were both 300$. Machine washable 52% wool pants and dry clean only 100% wool pants often go for 100-150$.
Putting in a word for Jcrew for business casual stuff (which is what most people require) as well as well made casual clothing.
Since Michelle Obama started wearing it the prices have crept up and “style” seems to mean putting giant fake flowers on some casual shirts but you can find lots quality things on the sales rack as well as excellent stuff at the factory outlets. I’d rather drive an hour a couple times a year and spend a day shopping than shop once a month at the local store.
Consignment stores are also nice if you’re looking to save money.
But in any situation, tailor tailor tailor. Ill fitting garments look like crap no matter how expensive they are.