I've been to a planet named Prada (RL)

[thistlechaser]

I went to the mall today. I haven't been to a mall in fifteen years or more. I dislike shopping (and crowds of people), so really, staying away from malls works best for me. However, when I ordered my iPad I ordered a case as well. Unfortunately the case was due to arrive 2-3 weeks after the pad. Since the pad is basically one big touchscreen, it kinda needs a case. So off I went to the closest Apple Store! (In Valley Fair Mall, for those in the area.)

What a wacky place. I felt like it was for some species totally different than mine. Every designer had a store (I saw Devil Wears Prada, so I knew them all!). Jewelry stores (Cartier, Tiffany's). Stores with nothing but just one designer's handbag. There was an entire store just for eyebrows. Seriously. Hollywood Eyebrows. An entire, full-sized store just for shaping eyebrows. Endless designer shoe stores. Fashion stores for newborns. Gah.

It just boggles me so much. You can be as not-naked when wearing a $20 pair of pants as you are when wearing a $500 pair.

Irony of this trip? The store was out of cases. Luckily they found one in the back for me!

Comments

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

I actually semi-enjoy shopping, but I still feel very "Is this place for another species?"ish when I go to Valley Fair, so I tend to avoid that place whenever possible. It used to be just an ordinary mall, but now it's just bizarre. I haven't even seen the eyebrow place. I wonder what the 'technicians' would think of my virgin eyebrows. They'd probably be horrified that I've been walking around like this for 40-odd years.

Yay that you got a case- it'd suck to have to go back!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes! I didn't linger long around that place, in fear that they'd all swarm out and circle around me, waving their hands in a rather distressed, frantic way.

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

You can be as not-naked when wearing a $20 pair of pants as you are when wearing a $500 pair.

Gotta remember that one for later.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

One of the directors I worked with bought his wife some Tiffany jewelry for Christmas. He got it while at work and showed it to the curious gaggle of office gals. I remember being utterly underwhelmed...for $4000 I could have bought a lot more interesting things than a small necklace and earring set!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Agreed! There's so much fun, interesting, useful stuff out there! I'd rather a guy got me something useful!

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

Must...resist...iPad...comment...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Good example! Would you rather have a pair of pants or an iPad!

See what I did there~?

[veloxe.livejournal.com]

Pants for sure. I need new pants anyways >.>

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

"Need your bare butt covered? There's an app for that!"

[mark356.livejournal.com]

Forget $20 pants; most of the time I wear $5 pants from the thrift store!

I have been known to splurge on expensive clothing, though. When you spend $300 on a pair of pants, you're probably paying for a very specific material, fabrication, cut, and tailoring. And you'd wear it to very different places than you'd wear the $5 jeans from the thrift store.

On the other hand, though, I can never go shopping in malls like the one you just went to. (Where do you live, New York City??) The scale of prices is just too different than what I've got. It's not every day-- or, heck, every year-- that I can afford to spend $300 on a pair of pants! I so hate going into a nice store, finding a sweater that I think I could get away with, and then finding it's $150. I don't have $150!

I do like the process of shopping, of checking out stores and seeing what they've got, but whenever I go into ritzy places like the one you probably went to, I feel a sense of dislocation-- like you said, like it's another planet.

[fealubryne.livejournal.com]

When you spend $300 on a pair of pants, you're probably paying for a very specific material, fabrication, cut, and tailoring. And you'd wear it to very different places than you'd wear the $5 jeans from the thrift store.

I wish this was true. While I agree, I prefer my cheap jeans (despite the fact that for a girl $20 is cheap -- there's no way I can find jeans that fit my bizarre body shape for $5), I have a male friend who will very easily blow $250 on a pair of jeans that he wears around like you might wear "normal" jeans. His reasoning is that they fit better and look nicer.

Fit better... perhaps. But if I could find a pair of jeans that fit, I wouldn't want them to look like they were bleached to death and my dog chewed the knees out...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I approve of $5 pants! In truth I've not bought a pair in a couple years, I wasn't sure what a reasonable price might be! I picked $20 at semi-random. :)

And true, I suppose if there were events you needed to dress up for, then it would make sense to buy more expensive things.

Edit: Oops, and nope! Opposite side from NYC. Silicon Valley CA (San Jose).