I didn't remember when they first came out, but after a brief Web search, I discovered they were from last year's Christmas collection. There's an example of a past-season item that's still cute.
Gap Inc. also owns Banana Republic, which has an outlet in Tulare. The corporation develops products specifically for its outlets, said company spokeswoman Catherine Rhoades. That means you won't necessarily find the same items in your retail Gap. She said the outlets bring Gap brands to a broader and more cost-conscious customer base.
I bought three sweaters, including the Crazy Stripe, originally priced between $34.99 to $39.99 and discounted to $17.49 to $19.99.
No matter where you shop, you have to hunt for the right sizes and styles. I find it difficult to buy skirts and pants that fit and look right. I steer away from tapered and straight-leg pants and go for wide and boot-cut styles.
When good pants come my way, I go a little crazy. All year I'd searched for reasonably priced trousers that were comfortable and professional. I found them at the Gap and bought three pairs in denim, black and beige.
I picked up two discounted pairs of wide-leg pants for $31.99 each and the denim pair at regular price, $39.99. A pencil skirt at regular price set me back $32.99.
Total discount at Gap? $72. Whoa.
When I waltzed into the Valley Plaza Gap shop last weekend, I found a pair of straight leg trousers in the same denim material on clearance for $48.99, nine bucks more than mine.
Valley Plaza's Gap offered a four-day $25 sale on similar V-neck and cable-knit sweaters, but alas, no Crazy Stripe. They were originally $38 and $44, so I saved $5 to $7.50 off the special price. A pencil skirt in the clearance section went for $25.99, a better deal than my full-price skirt (if they'd carried my size).
At the G.H. Bass & Co. outlet, I scored a pair of tall, heeled brown Bass boots for $40.50, after two special discounts that brought them down from $90.
It's nearly impossible to find a sturdy brand-name pair at that price. Macy's in Valley Plaza offered similar boots from Chinese Laundry for $74 after a 25 percent discount and a pair by Anne Klein at $107.40 after a 40 percent discount.
There's always your neighborhood Payless ShoeSource. Boots there go for about $30.
FIERCE, DAH-LING
So these aren't Goodwill prices, but with solid fabric and classic styles, I expect my clothes to retain their good looks in five years, at least.
This is where I turn to my catty style mentors, Stacy London and Clinton Kelly of TLC's "What Not to Wear," who once compared a muumuu'ed woman to Mrs. Roper on "Three's Company," or a drunk '70s landlady.
Here's what the dashing duo told a thrift store girl with a frugal upbringing. One hundred bucks could get her 100 pieces of junk or a few classic, durable pieces.
That doesn't mean expensive always equals quality. My grandma, one of seven poor farmer's daughters who knew how to restitch and restore hand-me-downs to their former glory, used to inspect pricey retail dresses and say, "There's not even $100 worth of material here."
Another concept the ladies of my family have stuck by: If it's a beauty with unusual details, buy it now because you never know when it'll come back. Unless it's an outrageous price.
I have found that to be true, in most cases. A few new-twist-on-a-classic pieces in my closet still get compliments years after purchase and I haven't seen similar outfits return to stores.
Besides, whether you're on a Goodwill or Gap budget, your clothing's fate is ultimately is in your Woolite-soaked hands.
-----
To see more of The Bakersfield Californian, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bakersfield.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Bakersfield Californian
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
NYSE:FD, NASDAQ-NMS:SBUX, NYSE:GPS,
A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
