Big Box Sell Out

These days, designers seem to be moving from major department stores and boutiques to big box emporiums around the country. Does this mean we can classify them as sell-outs? Or are they spreading fashion around the country to towns consisting of people who can’t afford to be frivolous and spend their income on designer frocks.

Whether your pockets are filled with our green friend Benjamin or suffering from a cash flow shopping big box is spreading like wild fire across our nation.

Pick up your favorite gossip magazine and you’ll see major A-list celebrities shopping at Target buying everything from toilet paper to Shabby Chic. While Chanel hasn’t taken over Charmin’s quilted success, other brands such as Shabby Chic are sky rocketing in the fashion industry to the mass demand in affordable yet trendy clothes. However, the quality in craftsmanship and material isn’t as chic but rather on the shabby side of the spectrum! The thread count is less, the materials are faulty but that’s the price you pay to go home with a designer label- ironically enough it’s the price you aren’t paying for poorly crafted designs. What’s in a name anyway? Shakespeares Juliet once said “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet�” well these roses are exuding more of a putrid smell than any rose I’ve ever smelled. The problem with designers moving into these stores is that it hurts the boutiques that carry the higher end line. People would rather buy the lower price point to have the name rather then pay the price for the actual merit behind the name.

On the other hand, Major designers like Erin Fetherston and Luella Bartley bring their lines in only for a short span of time. This strategy balances the effect of boutique vs. bargain store. Boutiques aren’t suffering and fashion can be hung in every American closet across the country. Yes it may fall apart from washing just only once but with trends constantly changing it just gives us an excuse to help out the economy and shop. Regardless of whether you agree with the recent influx in designers creating lines that are cheap and chic the truth of the matter is that you pay for what you get.

What is your opinion? Do you wear both high and low-end designers? Let us know what you think!