price of clothes - astronomical!

[diosaarenosa]

hey all. just been on the para ti (woman's mag) website and clicked on a fashion spread to get an idea of prices of clothes in the run up to my imminent move - this being one of my biggest passions in BA. i was frankly shocked as to how expensive everything was, even by UK standards, in fact, almost equivocal, at times more than what one might pay over here.
I wonder how you expats feel about this subject, and if you cut any corners or find that you just refrain from buying clothes as much as possible. it's one thing to go over there on holiday and indulge in a shopping spree, another to live there and have to budget for day to day living/existence.
i'd be especially interested to know what the ladies on this forum opine.
here's me now doing some frantic calculations as to how i'm going to generate $$$ to fund my love of fashion BA-side!

 

[tangobob]

I think if you shop local, you will find the prices very reasonable. I buy Christian Dior shirts for about ar$150 that is about £30. most of the local brands tend to be very poor quality, though if you want shoes this is the place.

 

[katia]

Yes, I was wondering about this too. I have a tight budget but also a love of fashion...are there many vintage clothing shops in BA?

 

[diosaarenosa]

believe me, i am an expert on the subject. i exported 5 designers from the buenos aires fashion week to sell in london. the quality is not up to scratch you are right and the cost of a garment does not automatically signify quality, by an stretch. a lot of the stock i bought had flaws and it was 'high end' by argie standards.
however, as you point out, the shoes are probably the best bet, and in any case what i am most interested in, i have imelda tendencies, and they are made well on the whole. i guess i will continue doing what i do here which is bargain hunting, and as my love is mainly vintage/thrift, i have the feria americanas and caritas (church/charity sales) to get my fix!
looks like i will have to give the main designer drag strips in palermo viejo a very wide birth (sigh)

 

[Stanexpat]

I think people moving to Argentina are going to shocked by the cost of most things, it's not cheap anymore.
I agree with the clothes, poor quality and high prices. Bring your clothes with you and buy when you go back home. The only good things they have are leather goods including shoes.

 

[allcraz]

I save and shop when I go back to the States (once or twice a year). So do many Argentines who travel abroad. My boyfriend (Argentine) already has a full-page list of things he's going to buy in December when we visit back home. Everything from electronics to boxers. Shopping is not impossible here, but I like bargains on quality clothes, and there's just not as much of that to go around as there is in the US.

 

[diosaarenosa]

the thing is, i think the designers have some good ideas, and i love the clothes as concepts, it's the execution of the garment that lets them down (and the hefty price tag). i am thinking of bringing a suitase of clothes with me but do intend to buy over there, now with perhaps more trepidation than before when the prices were cheap/affordable.
even what used to be mid/low end design houses are charging silly prices. this makes me wonder who is buying the items? is it therefore purely tourism that is keeping these fashion houses afloat? if for an argentine a 3000 pesos salary/month is deemed fairly good, how are they ever going to justify purchasing tops in the 100-300 bracket and shoes around the 500 mark, when by all accounts about 2000 pesos is needed a month just to survive (food and lodging).

 

[diosaarenosa]

katia, i've sent you a private note.

 

[RWS]

I recognize that Argentine leathers are very good (though the best hides are exported); but I cannot find very good man's shoes -- I'm not concerned with flashy styles that pain the foot and won't last two years, but, rather, with well-designed, well-executed shoes-for-life (comparable, say, to Alden's in the States or Green's in England).
If anyone has any serious recommendation of a genuinely good man's shoemaker in Bs.As. or the province, I'd be grateful.

 

[tangobob]

I bought some good quality shoes in 2004, half a block from Cafe Tortoni. The shoes are still going strong. I am sorry but I have no idea if the shop is, but it may be worth a try. They were brown brogu, if this is your style.es and black oxfords