Most people shop under 3 criteria
1.Brand (if you only shop at Urban Outfitters you are guilty as well)
2. Trend (if you avoid trends then you must be aware of them)
3.Cost
As a teenage girl I was obsessed with shopping. every birthday, September, Christmas and April my twin and I would hop on a train and bus to New Jersey for the Malls and tax free shopping (yes spending on transport saves on tax). I thought this is as good as it gets, I get all of my favorite brands in one place. On our way back from the mall I began to notice this high end boutique in Washington Heights and as much as I wanted to go in and take a look I felt a bit intimidated. Perhaps it was out of my price range, perhaps the girls who work there are snobs, what if I go in and everything is a size 2? I'd be embarrassed to even think I belonged there. So I'd continue home twirling around the name 'Privada' in my head. Until prom season came along, considering how much I hated the shiny princess gowns my delusional peers had custom made and pre ordered (only to get there and find another girl in the same exact dress), I was convinced I had to have a Nicole Miller dress. I loved the grecian style and the soft silky material that draped right over the body. So disillusioned I searched every department store in NY and NJ in search of the dress that would make me the envy of all of the faculty and students alike. No Luck. Down but not out I decided I might as well try Privada they can't make me feel any worse then I do now. I entered through the glass doors and was immediately greeted by this beautiful hispanic woman who was very classy, unlike the drug dealer's girlfriends that shopped at the trendier boutiques buying the whole store in cash (I secretly envied them). I immediately noticed the Nicole Miller dresses yet out of every major store I'd been to none carried the styles I saw here. I scanned the rack and found nothing in my size :-( all I could think was of course I knew this would happen. Until the lady walked over and apologetically explained that thy hadn't ordered very many and pointed me towards a beautiful halter silk dress with a floral print. "These are meant to drape so even though it might be a smaller size than you are looking for it will fit nicely since it will hug your body more". I read the label Hoss Intropia, never heard of it but it was worth a try. Just as she said, the dress was a perfect fit, "It just came in from Spain" she shouted through the curtain. I tore the dress off in search of the price tag, I had fallen in love but what if it was out of my price range? To my surprise the dress was actually cheaper than what I planned on spending. She took the dress and rung me up while I continued browsing her jeans and tops. In the year of the Ed Hardy and True Religion it was refreshing to see that she didn't carry either and instead had other more settle brands. "The jeans in the bucket are on sale, $50 and $75" I dashed to the bucket I found my size in a pair of GoldSign jeans and Taverniti, I couldn't believe it $250 Jeans on sale for $50. I took them to the register and paid. I got home and as I hoped the dress was mother approved. So I looked up the designer and found not only is the designer amazing but my dress had been featured in their runway show. This made it extra special and when I wore it to prom I got the exact reaction I wanted. Female teachers asking me "where did you get that dress?" and my delusional princess peers "dag thats different I'm mad so n so has my dress too". I didn't win prom queen (I wasn't campaigning) but that was my Cinderella moment.
Moral of the story Boutiques are amazing and you never know what you'll find until you walk in and if all else fails catch the Sale :-)
