Fall is underway, so who doesn’t want an authentic Prada handbag, a pair of Burberry shoes, or a black label cocktail dress? There is nothing like an impressive new closet of fall fashion items to walk into the next few months. Like me, I am sure you want to say farewell to the heat, the humidity, the mosquitoes and those annoying a** flies and say hello to trendy scarves, suede pumps, knee high boots and platform shoes.
Let me be frank, the name brand fashions sold at the big retail stores can be expensive. There is nothing wrong with a walk through a consignment store or a browse of your favorite online consignment boutique. Online consignment shopping is on the rise. No need to pay for the impostors and replicas when you can have authentic designer clothing like purses, clutches, sneakers and shoes for a fraction of what the retail stores charge.
Speaking of impostors, and since we’re being so frank; I’ll admit, back in the 90’s I strapped a replica bag or two on my shoulder. But it seemed the more I became involved with the world of fashion, the more these blatantly obvious impostors started to concern me. To the trained eye, the difference is easy to discern. The authentic is sleek and strong whereas a replica is rather eccentric, odd, and sometimes really weird looking. The apprehension over unauthentic merchandise however goes further than what is considered fashionable. Embellishing yourself in the not so authentic, be it a replica Prada handbag, a knock off pair of Chloe sunglasses or an alleged bottle of Tom Ford perfume purchased from the unfamiliar kiosk in the mall, makes a declaration.
Unauthentic conveys a mixed perception of who you are, and who you are becoming. Perhaps you are trying to impress a few of your colleagues at work or some of the ladies at the church meeting. Regardless of the intent, a lasting impression is made.
One of our staff members recently posed a question on knock off items to a Facebook group. The answers were, shall we say, quite interesting….
We offer pristine authentic items at Especially For You Thrift & Consignment. Some items are new with tags still on them, while others are new without tags. Some are used, or as we at Especially For You like to call them, previously loved. Consignment shops offer customers authentic apparel, at a fraction of the cost of retail stores and for just a few dollars more than Lenny selling impostor handbags out the back of his trunk.
Fall is underway!!! Happy shopping and…Keep it authentic.
