Dear Budget Fashionista,
I’m a teacher & I’m looking for new pants to wear for work. I want longer pants so I can wear heels with them (I’m also 5’10”) & I’m having trouble finding pants that I like. Do you have suggestions on the best places to buy some good quality work pants on a teacher’s budget?
Answer: It’s always hard to find great fitting pants, but there’s a few options out there. We’re fans of the RightFit brand of pants at Lane Bryant and coming this fall, Fashion Bug stores. The system, developed after scanning over 14,000 women nationwide and compiling the data to get the 411 on how to make our pants fit better. The line features three fit categories based on individual body shape and size — not just the size that fits your largest body part. A Yellow body type is straight from the waist through the hips (us flat bootie girls), Red fit are slightly curved from the waist to the hips (those of us stuck in the middle), and a Blue body type has a small waist and is fullest at the hips (aka for those of us with A LOT of extra junk in our trunks). And, this is what we really love—most of the pants are well under $50.
Other options include the Express Editor pants, which run under $50 (less if you have a coupon or catch them on sale) and also have a pretty good fit, and pants by the INC line at Macys, which are crazy expensive full priced, but can drop below $30 once they hit the sales racks.
We prefer not to pay full price if at all possible, but there are some brands that you should never ever pay full price for—because you don’t have to. Here are five:
1. Jones New York. JNY tends to go on sale faster than other mid-range women’s career wear. I suspect, although it’s not confirmed, that it’s because they produce a lot of volume and the fact that stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, where the line tends to be sold, aren’t buying as much stock as before due to customers reducing their spending.
2. Nine West. DO NOT EVER, EVER pay full price or even sale price for this line without first checking out your local Filene’s Basement. You can often find the same styles that are currently full price in department stores for 40-50% less at your Filene’s basement.
3. Rock and Republic, Hudson, and Paige Premium Denim. All of these overpriced jeans lines can be found at your local Filene’s Basement, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls for more than 50% off, sometimes even less.
4. Calvin Klein (bridge line). For some reason Calvin’s bridge line, both plus and misses, is always on sale. In the case of department stores, wait 3 to 4 weeks and you can find the line on sale at your local Macy’s for 30 to 40% off retail. If you’re plus size, you’re in even more luck as the line struggles to be a success and you can find discounts of up to 60% off.
5. INC We like the INC line at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. We really like the line. But there’s no way we’re going to pay $99.00 for a pair of pants from the line, especially when we can find it for 50% off (plus a 20% off Macy’s coupon, holla!) if we just wait 2 to 3 weeks.
Pictured: Don’t pay full price for this Nine West Swirl Ribbon Dress ($134) until you’ve checked out Filene’s Basement . . .
Do you have other fashion brands you regularly find for well under full price? Tell us more on the TBF forum.
We prefer not to pay full price if at all possible, but there are some brands that you should never ever pay full price for—because you don’t have to. Here are five:
1. Jones New York. JNY tends to go on sale faster than other mid-range women’s career wear. I suspect, although it’s not confirmed, that it’s because they produce a lot of volume and the fact that stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, where the line tends to be sold, aren’t buying as much stock as before due to customers reducing their spending.
2. Nine West. DO NOT EVER, EVER pay full price or even sale price for this line without first checking out your local Filene’s Basement. You can often find the same styles that are currently full price in department stores for 40-50% less at your Filene’s basement.
3. Rock and Republic, Hudson, and Paige Premium Denim. All of these overpriced jeans lines can be found at your local Filene’s Basement, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls for more than 50% off, sometimes even less.
4. Calvin Klein (bridge line). For some reason Calvin’s bridge line, both plus and misses, is always on sale. In the case of department stores, wait 3 to 4 weeks and you can find the line on sale at your local Macy’s for 30 to 40% off retail. If you’re plus size, you’re in even more luck as the line struggles to be a success and you can find discounts of up to 60% off.
5. INC We like the INC line at Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. We really like the line. But there’s no way we’re going to pay $99.00 for a pair of pants from the line, especially when we can find it for 50% off (plus a 20% off Macy’s coupon, holla!) if we just wait 2 to 3 weeks.
Pictured: Don’t pay full price for this Nine West Swirl Ribbon Dress ($134) until you’ve checked out Filene’s Basement . . .
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