Best Buys
Our savvy shopper finds an Oscar de la Renta look at a fraction of the price
I knew the look was good when I spotted the sporty three-quarter-length sleeve jacket on the fall fashion rack at Nordstrom in the Galleria. When I tried it on in the dressing room with a pair of black slacks, I knew I had a winning outfit. But I had no idea that it would be mistaken for an Oscar de la Renta or some other snazzy designer.
When I walked into the CultureMap office, the high-fashion bargain immediately caught the eye of Clifford Pugh, our editor-in-chief and fashion guru. "Well Shelby, that's really nice," he purred, obviously assuming that I had spent a month's salary on a single piece of clothing.
"Oh, it's just a little something I picked up at Nordstrom," I revealed, pleased with his approval.
But when I went to lunch at La Griglia and PR honcho and serious fashionista Dancie Ware thought for certain that I was wearing Oscar, I was over the moon with my find. "Just a little something from Nordstrom!"
The Laura Max jacket (and they showed it in a number of different fabrics) was $108. The well-fittted slacks with a hint of spandex (which actually don't wrinkle, just as the saleswoman promised) were $99. That sum total wouldn't even buy an arm in a big-name designer jacket. The last time I checked the price on an Oscar de la Renta sweater, it was more than $2,200.
Just call me savvy shopper.