Recent Anthro Thoughts

Anthropologie just added a ton of stuff to their sale section and further slashed prices on already-reduced merchandise, so I finally caved and bought a couple of things that I've had my eye on. I justified this top by the fact that I've had my eye on the "Blossoming Rainfall" top since the fall and it finally went down to $39. Mine's actually in a powder blue color, but you can get the idea. That placket is amazing:

And the "Button Pathway" skirt by Plenty by Tracy Reese just came out only last month and it's already on sale! YES! I guess it was a bit too eighties for the normal Anthro clientele? I love this thing. I'll wear it for years:

I'm super happy with my new clothes, but sometimes I feel like such a tool when I shop at Anthropologie since the store has gotten so incredibly more mainstream than it ever was before. After coming back from abroad after so long, I've been really disappointed to see pretty much everyone wearing their clothes these days. They're not nearly as special as they used to be. But, Anthro, when it comes down to it, is what we call in Japan, a Select Shop; they're really just a monster boutique that picks and chooses from designers in addition to their in-house designs. So, arguably, you could find their clothing in many other smaller businesses across the country and the world, but it's so much easier to have everything picked out for you already than to spend so much time weeding through stores. Their extensive online catalog, current offer of free shipping, plus the fact that there's no sales tax on clothing in Minnesota makes it an easy choice.

Maybe I feel that Anthropologie isn't what it used to be because the closest one to me here in the City of Minneapolis is out in Edina, where things are more...to put it nicely...suburban. Let's just say that the store and the clientele there are pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from my firsthand experiences with the company at its downtown Seattle store full of international patrons. I'm so spoiled. My mom, who rocks the Anthro girlie look beautifully by combining it with her own traveling gypsy aesthetic, is really upset that there's now a store in Milwaukee's Third Ward since everyone in the suburbs is "stealing her look." It's hard to be a fashion pioneer in the Midwest...

Another reason I may be down on Anthro so much lately is that Minneapolis, sadly, only has a handful of interesting clothing outlets (Design Collective, you've saved me in my short time here!) and it's just an easy go-t0 for anyone who doesn't want to shop at le mall or stock up on gross, overtrendy clubwear at the jokes of stores in the heart of Uptown. Everyone heads to St. Paul for the real goods, or shops online from stores in Chicago, SF, and Seattle. Or buys locally, like they should!