Recently one of our customers brought in a pair of her favorite Not Your Daughter's Jeans.  Eight years old and washed 1,000 times, the jeans looked amazingly new.  The only sign of their age and wear was a a few rough edges and a seam coming apart on the inner thigh.  Why did she bring them in, you ask?  She wanted us to be able to demonstrate to other customers that quality counts. 

Since then, I've been thinking about how true that is.  At a $110 original purchase price, those jeans cost her about $13.75 a year.  And during those 8 years of wearing her NYDJs she was able to enjoy an incredibly comfortable jean that stretches with her every move yet never stretches out.  She also looked slimmer because the tummy tuck feature helped smooth her mid section.  That is an amazing value. 

Much of the time, it seems that we live in a throw away society.  Everything, from electronics to appliances and yes, clothing are made cheaply and sold cheaply.  It seems the American consumer has forgotten what quality buys her.  Yes, you may have to pay more up front.  Your top may be $60 instead of $35.99 or your jeans may be $110 instead of $40.00 but consider the benefit to you over time.  When you buy quality, you are getting better fabrics and better construction.  The print patterns match all the way around the garment rather than coming together at the seams at odd angles.  The seams are sewn well.  The fabric is a higher grade and will resist pilling.  The garmet has extra features like a tummy tuck or special details and embellishments.  Taken care of properly, it will last longer while still looking new. 

Take this as a hypothetical- your bargain top for $35.99 will likely need replaced at the end of the year, while your more expensive top will still be in your closet several years from now.  Even if the more expensive top lasted 3 years, it will have cost you $20 a year.  That's a savings of $31.00 ($35.99 – $20 =$15.99.  $15.99 times 2 years = $31) over the less expensive top that fell apart.  So in the end, it was less expensive to buy the more expensive top! 

Now, to be fair, sometimes you can get a really good deal on a high quality item.  When this happens, celebrate!  You are getting the best of both worlds – quality and price.  However, be very suspicious of a garmet that is very inexpensive to begin with.  There is a reason clothing is priced what it is.  Fabrics like rayon are inexpensive and tempermental when you wash them.  Pay attention to the way the item is made.  Are the seams sewn well?  Are the buttons sewn well?  Is the fabric light weight or heavy? Does the print match up?  Is it lined?  What is the fabric?  All of these factors go into determining price. 

Be assured, pricing is not arbitrary and you really do get what you pay for.