This week, The New York Times branded a new kind of fashionista: The Recessionista. When we first read it, to be honest, we thought it sounded a lot like someone who takes advantage of the recession in a superhero-type fashion: Those hedge fund managers are losing money ... Raid their girlfriends' closets!
But no, in fact the newspaper was introducing us to the next breed of shopper: one who scours in the internet for deals and purchases look-a-like styles for much less. Perhaps out of sheer enthusiasm for the new term (or perhaps because they just didn't get that far in terms of research), The New York Times highlighted a new blog called therecessionista.blogspot.com. Meanwhile, across town, The Budget Fashionista was thinking, "Hell-O? I'm celebrating my 5th anniversary this year! I've even been putting out a series of "Economic Survival Guides" this month covering everything from event dressing to weekend outfits.
On the one hand, hasn't anyone ever heard of investment fashion? Why can't we shop like Europeans who pick a few key pieces every season and spend money for quality? Are we to become a nation of knock-offs? What will happen when the world sacrifices fashion for retail?
