the simplest things are the hardest to find
Mango, as a maker of fast fashion, doesn't quite have the fashion cachet brands like Zara and H&M and Topshop do - it's not the sort of name fashionistas enjoying flaunting. It doesn't quite reproduce the runway stuff with the same haughty panache as Zara, it lacks the fashion-forward, hipster-cool, edgy-for-the-masses thrill that Topshop provides. And it does carry a lot of questionable crap.
That doesn't mean Mango isn't popular - it's certainly doing well enough to open in far flung places like Uzbekistan, and Mango sales in Singapore are events that send loads of sane women in shopping frenzies. But it's a little lacking in the buzziness factor, still a bit of a hick cousin compared to its more lauded, slightly glossier counterparts. You can't explain these things - it's just the way trends and the collective consciousness works.
It's a bit of a pity though, because there are infinitely cool things at Mango that I think they do very well, stuff you don't find elsewhere, in very good quality and good (but not dirt cheap) prices. Far more interesting than carbon copies of catwalk trends, a lot of Mango stuff doesn't duplicate a certain designer look or big trend.
Anyway, after that incredibly digressive introduction, the point that I wanted to make is that during the sales, I was pleasantly thrilled to find a bunch of incredibly specific but difficult to locate pieces that I've been wanting to fill some spaces in my wardrobe with.
Enter excellent buy #1: The rumpled boyfriend tee that does not make me look too much like an indie kid.
I love thin cottons, and I love white tees, and I love anything that doesn't cling but doesn't make me look shapeless. Irresistable when it's $13.
Then there's excellent buy #2: The prim knit that doesn't cling and is thin enough to wear on hot days, but won't pill or shed.
It's not clear from the picture, but it's got really cute pockets in the side. Slashed from $60 to $33. Bargain.
And #3: Another non-clingy knit, in the form of a slouchy short-sleeve cardigan with cute oversized buttons.
So that I can do that layer-y Vera Wang thing. I've been lusting for something like this ever size I decided I looked dumb in boleros. I think I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of this one.
I like the basic-ness of what I bought - lately I am more keen on the idea of mixing and matching the really simple things in my closet to create something new each time. Statement pieces are easy in the sense that it stands on its own - you don't really need to think about it. Very economical and efficient, but it means that I tend to tire of them a little quicker too.
I still love a good frock, but I think having assembled a fair number of them, it's time to buy some interesting separates - a sweater, a tank, a waistcoat - to jazz them up.
But these pieces, as I indicated in the title of my post, are hard to find. Bumping into three of them in one sale is like a parcel dropped from heaven. Sartorially speaking, I'm in pretty good spirits. And yeah, Mango still rocks for me.
That doesn't mean Mango isn't popular - it's certainly doing well enough to open in far flung places like Uzbekistan, and Mango sales in Singapore are events that send loads of sane women in shopping frenzies. But it's a little lacking in the buzziness factor, still a bit of a hick cousin compared to its more lauded, slightly glossier counterparts. You can't explain these things - it's just the way trends and the collective consciousness works.
It's a bit of a pity though, because there are infinitely cool things at Mango that I think they do very well, stuff you don't find elsewhere, in very good quality and good (but not dirt cheap) prices. Far more interesting than carbon copies of catwalk trends, a lot of Mango stuff doesn't duplicate a certain designer look or big trend.
Anyway, after that incredibly digressive introduction, the point that I wanted to make is that during the sales, I was pleasantly thrilled to find a bunch of incredibly specific but difficult to locate pieces that I've been wanting to fill some spaces in my wardrobe with.
Enter excellent buy #1: The rumpled boyfriend tee that does not make me look too much like an indie kid.
I love thin cottons, and I love white tees, and I love anything that doesn't cling but doesn't make me look shapeless. Irresistable when it's $13.
Then there's excellent buy #2: The prim knit that doesn't cling and is thin enough to wear on hot days, but won't pill or shed.
It's not clear from the picture, but it's got really cute pockets in the side. Slashed from $60 to $33. Bargain.
And #3: Another non-clingy knit, in the form of a slouchy short-sleeve cardigan with cute oversized buttons.
So that I can do that layer-y Vera Wang thing. I've been lusting for something like this ever size I decided I looked dumb in boleros. I think I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of this one.
I like the basic-ness of what I bought - lately I am more keen on the idea of mixing and matching the really simple things in my closet to create something new each time. Statement pieces are easy in the sense that it stands on its own - you don't really need to think about it. Very economical and efficient, but it means that I tend to tire of them a little quicker too.
I still love a good frock, but I think having assembled a fair number of them, it's time to buy some interesting separates - a sweater, a tank, a waistcoat - to jazz them up.
But these pieces, as I indicated in the title of my post, are hard to find. Bumping into three of them in one sale is like a parcel dropped from heaven. Sartorially speaking, I'm in pretty good spirits. And yeah, Mango still rocks for me.
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