So, last pregnancy, I said that maternity clothes weren't so bad. You don't have to wear a baby-pink mumu anymore. I find, second round, that this is still a more or less true statement. But this time, I had no choice. I had to buy one-step-away-from-a-suit business formal. I've got too many serious client meetings I attend with another consulting group who always show up in full suits and it was starting to be embarassing.
I'd been dreading doing this bit of shopping because in order to buy anything that's not true casual wear or really sleazy construction, the full-price tag seems to run from 75 - 200 dollars A GARMENT. Which is idiotic for stuff you'll only wear 3-6 months. I just wasn't finding enough of what I need at Target (my favorite maternity clothing vendor), Sears (second choice) or Motherhood (yuck). So in desperation, I went to the only other store I knew. The evilly expensive Pea In the Pod. And there I made a brilliant discovery.
February is a serious sale season, and since in maternity clothes, no one will buy a good garment for use "next winter", ALL of their winter clothes go down a full 50%. It's February and the full price clothes are ultra light cottons and linens I won't buy until I feel the lack of them in May/June when I'll buy as few as possible.
Thing is, most "winter" office clothes are really 3 season garments if you buy intelligently. I can wear everything I bought through mid May since it's just a couple of nice midweight pairs of dress slacks, a skirt and a light quilted jacket. (My stomach doesn't fit my dress coat anymore, dammit.) Anyhow, it still wasn't *cheap* but 35 bucks for a well cut skirt in good fabric and 60 for a pair of really nice dress slacks was more like what the doctor ordered than 70 and 120 (did I mention the 120 was for UNLINED slacks?? Robbery I tell you!)
Anyhow, the whole thing is still a scam -- but if you can stall until a "change of season" month, at least you won't be ripped off so badly.
Posted by karen at February 24, 2005 08:32 PM