Are You A Recessionista?

Recently, while I was reading an article in Bazaar magazine, I paid attention, for the first time, to a word that had been creeping up on us: "recessionista." I also noticed the unusual preponderance of lower-priced fashion goods featured in the magazine, a marked departure for this very high-end magazine (as most avid readers of fashion magazines have noted, there is a hierarchy among them with some focusing mainly on low-end goods, while others focus almost exclusively on high-end ones). What is a recessionista? Wordspy defines a recessionista as "a person who dresses stylishly on a tight budget."

The word is used endearingly for those of us hit by the recently gloomy bear market, but what's next? Depressionista? That's certainly how I feel these days about fashion's high cost. Now, I feel guilty when I buy anything full price. I rationalize, I reason, I fret. And yet the reality remains: high-end fashion has high-end prices.

Fashion Addict has recently written an article on "thrifting," the recessionista's solution to the fiscal crisis. My mother, always a stylish woman, resorts to thrifting--that "cheap thrill" we experience when snagging an inexpensive item dazzles us. But I'm equally dazzled when I see prices these days. $1,200 for a pair of shoes? $5,000 for an exotic handbag? $3,000 for a lace skirt?

This year, I'll turn to end of the season sales, high-end consignment and outlet stores (Woodbury Commons, here I come!), and a select few splurge-worthy "must have" items. But, in sooth, I've narrowed down my fall shopping list to a handful of items: a purple Fendi dress, a Fendi belt, a Prada lace skirt, and a Lanvin statement necklace. As always, I'd rather have a few remarkable items than a closet-full of unremarkable ones.

What about you--how are you dealing with the fashion crisis?