How do they do it?

How do you wear $2,000

using a 50 dollar bill?

Your first response would possibly be: "yeah right". 

But really and fact is: Yeah (you actually can do it), right.

Lending a memory and if memory serves right, this has happened to many of us more than once. You skim through the most recent Vogue issue and there's this beautiful, perfectly hemmed, looks-like-the-right-kind-of-fit dress thats just staring back at you.

Kind of like this:

WELL, good news. That fresh-off the runway dress is yours for $50. Catch? One night.

Before listing down all the reasons why you wouldn't want to rent a dress, here's why maybe you should:

We keep buying from "fast-fashion" chains that sell decent looking dresses that can be worn for 1 ocassion (and one ocassion only). Say, if you buy a Zara version of the dress above, you'd spend around $60-$80 on it, good news is you'll own it.

But the truth is, the fit, fabric, and fabulous feeling wont be the same. Besides, it saves you the worry of running into someone who picked out the same dress from the same retailer in another branch.

In essence, this is how RENT THE RUNWAY was conceptualized and its also the same reason why this NY-based web company is doing so well. How they do it? "Rent the Runway buys designer clothes wholesale and rents them out, charging between $50 and $200 for two days. That may not sound cheap for a rental, but these are current and recent-season dresses that mostly cost between $400 and $2,000 at retail. Generally, rentals are priced in the neighborhood of 10% of the retail price." (read more here)

It literally is "dressing for less"- 'dressing' here being the operative word and in other words, STYLISH.

and in the lack of a better analogy- its a cinderella story. Wear it for the night, return it. But remember, you dont always buy clothes to own them, you buy them because you think they make you look good. and for an important social event, looking good is 50% bulk of your reasons to even be at an event.

Need another angle? Why would you prefer to buy a Apple laptop over a Toshiba or Acer?

think about it.

Retail Spotting: Forte dei Marmi

Use your eyes: Flea Markets at their best.

Jumping off from an interesting article published in the Wall Street Journal, I can't stress enough the true importance of understanding the countless possible retail scenarios.

With the whole culture of fashion blogs eating into the industry, rarely do you find outstanding outfits put-together simply from shopping at a mall.

These days, the best and most followed fashionistas are those who know how to get deals from hole-in-the-wall retailers and at the same time, use established fashion brands to accent their outfits.

So, in light of embracing how people today love to shop, we will be dropping tidbits on the great flea markets around the world.

Here's our first choice:

FORTE DEI MARMI, Italy- Piazza Marconi is  "a shopping Mecca every Wednesday and on Sundays during the summer. This is the place to be if you are visiting Forte Dei Marmi. The market opens at 8.00 and stays open until 14.00. Various traders from all over Italy ravel down to the market to sell their wares. If you are looking for some big designer names, you will find them too in Forte Dei Marmi’s weekly market. Valentino, Gucci and Prada Armani are just some of the designer brands that you will find here.

'This market has something for everyone, from expensive and exclusive designer wear to cut-price imitations of some of your favorite designer wears.'

Apart from clothing and accessories, the open air boutiques also offer you an exceptional collection of linens, exquisitely crafted house hold items, ceramics and shoes at real bargain prices." (world66)