January 28, 2008 | Quick Tips, What to Wear
I think I’ve mentioned this in passing before, but having just picked up some t-shirts for $2 apiece, I think it bears repeating: Don’t be afraid to walk into a different department at the store to find some deals. On What Not to Wear Stacy and Clinton are forever chiding grown women for shopping in Juniors—and well they should. If you’re an adult, please don’t dress like you’re fourteen, of course, but sometimes you can get tank tops (to wear under other things) or plain t-shirts (just check the length before you buy) for cheap in the Juniors department.
If you’re a larger woman, ditto for scooching over into Men’s. If you’re a very small woman, maybe you can even wear some stuff from Girls.
Again: This is not an invitation to dress inappropriately, just to think outside the box when it comes to a few basic items.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Great advice, Mir. I love Stacy and Clinton!!!
I would second this on a larger item like a coat. My hubby and I were looking for new winter coats at Kohl’s over a year ago (we ended up a lot of stuff so that’s when we opened our Kohl’s account to get 15% off that sale…and we’ve also saved a ton since!). I didn’t like what I saw in the women’s department, so I moseyed over to find my hubby. I ended up getting a small men’s Columbia Sportswear jacket that I still adore. It’s green/grey/black.
January 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I agree with Andrea - I buy ski jackets in the boys’ section. The colors and styles are pretty standard regardless of age/gender, and I can always find a nice black, blue, or green jacket for half of what they would charge for practically the *same* jacket with a women’s label on it. It’s one of the few instances where being built like a 12 year old boy has been helpful!
January 28th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I discovered quite by accident (through a laundry “misfiling”) that I can wear teen boys’ sizes of jeans and in some cases those fit better than women’s jeans (and were more flattering too).
January 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Good tip, but I’d add that it’s especially worthwhile for women with small to average sized feet to try on athletic shoes from the kids’ department. If there’s a particular style of sneaker you like, check to see if the same style is available in Boys or Girls. Often you can get not just a better price, but a funkier color combination as well.
What I find very odd, though, is that I wear a size 6 in women’s shoes, but a 4.5 in youth sizes. Wouldn’t you think that the kids size should be a larger number than the adult size?
I also find it very amusing that my MIL (who always “upsizes” us and gets us clothes that are way too large) ordered family reunion T-shirts that were so much too large that my husband wears the one she got for me, and I wear my son’s as a baggy sleep-T… and my son just turned FIVE. The one she got for my husband could probably serve as a twin-size duvet cover.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
There we go…more creative shopping…a ginormous t-shirt can serve as a twin duvet cover!
I love it.
I have purchased smaller-sized men’s athletic socks for myself (also at Kohl’s). The women’s selection was HORRIBLE–either super thin, no-brand socks or overpriced Nike/adidas ones. I found some great Hanes brand socks for myself, on sale, in the men’s dept. Woohoo!
January 28th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a plus-sized woman like me, and especially if you are tall, don’t discount maternity, especially for t-shirts that are actually long enough.
January 28th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’ve hit the men’s dept at Wal-Mart for years for plain t-shirts in plus sizes. Why not get a one-pocket tee for $5 instead of $12 just because it has a woman’s v-neck on it? And bonus, I get a pocket for my sunglasses…
January 28th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Great advice! Who sees the tag anyway?
Kohl’s is a great place for shopping Junior’s tee shirts and tanks. They tend to run a bit roomy anyway.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Sometimes I buy my daughter (petite, age 21) casual clothes like sweatshirts or tees from the kids’ dept. In fact, sometimes the youth Large fits her better than the XL.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I am a woman’s size small on top, and have bought Ralph Lauren polos from the boys department before. They’re about half the price, still come in great colors (aqua! pink!), and the length is perfect. It’s more of a fitted look than the polos for adults, but I’m happy with it.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:29 am
My husband is, um, of shorter stature. I buy him boys shirts and jeans at half the price of the men’s dept. you do have to be careful about jeans and pants tho. Boys are cut a little differently and don’t take in to account a mans wider hips and thights. Usually it works for us.
I too, shop in the men’s dept.
Great post.
~K!