Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

I think this will work until the economy picks up - and then no one will want to go near anything that's been positioned as "discount".

(BTW, stumbled this - great article!)

I think that, unlike the reflex prexumption that high street/high end collaborations will be on the up and up as the economy declines, these projects are destined to perform less and less.

Those markets who would previously have splurged their sparse disposable income on mass retailers' designer collections are now seeing the product for what it is - a positioning tactic for the retailer, and cash cow for the designer.

Those who have the cash, will continue to spend it on designer products - such is the aspirational nature of luxury goods. Others, however, will revert to spending their money on inexpensive, sturdy products that will last (if anything at all).

Or am I getting ahead of myself?

I've been blogging about being a recessionista today. I've always been a bargain shopper. I was ahead of my time.

I consider myself frugal (one of my sites being FruWiki.com) and yes, I'm also a bit of a fashionista -- and neither is because of the recession.

I don't think spending money on nice clothes is a bad thing per se. Buying stuff you can't afford is generally a bad idea, but we all wear clothes and awful clothes are often just as expensive as nice looking clothes, if not more so. I think the difference is that it generally takes longer to weed through all the stuff out there to find those great pieces instead of settling on the first thing that 'fits'. For me, personal style is maybe less about what I buy and more about what I don't buy. I don't (or try not to) buy clothes that look awful, don't fit, are poor quality, aren't flattering, aren't reasonably comfortable, etc. The price of something is less of an issue for me because I'd rather have fewer pieces even if they're more expensive (within reason), so long as they meet my criteria. However, since I tend to shop at places like Ross and T.J. Maxx (our local thrift stores being sadly lacking), I don't end up spending that much on clothes. When I do spend more on a piece, I still make sure that it is absolutely worth the money -- and yes, sometimes you do have to spend a little more for quality.

So do I think it's a problem that people are trying to market cheaper clothes to me? No, not really. That's their job, to connect their products with people who want to buy them. And besides, I *want* to know where I can find nice clothes for less. That helps me and I can decide for myself whether or not to buy something.

What I do fear, though, is more cheaply made, disposable clothing. As people want lower and lower prices, it's getting harder and harder to find quality pieces that don't come apart after the first few wearing. Then there are the many, many pieces whose cloth is so thin that no amount of layering will make it look right. Plus, a lot of pieces just don't fit right because too many corners were cut in the design and production (a big problem for us gals since our bodies aren't as linear as guys' bodies). Buying those kinds of pieces isn't frugal at any price, it's a waste of money and cloth.

Awesome article Heather. I couldn't have stated my position any better than Miss Britt.