Last week while i stopped to grab coffee near my office, i ran into Sarah, a stylist i’ve met through various industry functions. She had her hands filled with two large Primark bags, and looked sheepish. “do not judge me,” she said laughing, “but i just purchased twelve pairs of tights for the cost of one high-quality pair elsewhere.” I totally get it – as someone in the fashion industry, you would think you’d never take advantage of a good deal. However, when you are talking about buying something that makes absolute sense for your line of work, it is hard to pass up.
Everyone in the fashion world has their “secret” Primark buys. We don’t speak about them because there is a stigma attached to admitting that sometimes the £3 version of something will perform as well as the £30 version. Honestly? Many of the most practical items in my wardrobe come from Primark, and i am certainly not ashamed of being responsible with my money.
Honestly, i have too many pairs of their seamless underwear. Too many. However, the point is, when you are dressing professionally in front of clients all day long, panty lines are unacceptable. Their £2.50 seamless underwear performs in the exact same way as their more expensive versions. The additional benefit of purchasing their products is that when they get ruined in the laundry (a common occurrence in my apartment building’s communal laundry facility) you won’t suffer a heart attack, unlike some of their pricier counterparts.
A friend of mine named Emma works at a major fashion magazine and uses their basic cotton underwear similarly. Before big work trips, she likes to purchase the multi-packs. “when you are working fashion weeks and running back and forth between shows for 12 hours non-stop in ridiculously uncomfortable shoes, the last thing you need is fancy lingerie that gets pushed up and/or digs uncomfortably into your skin,” she said to me over cocktails a few months ago. Make no mistake; comfort beats all else when you are working crazy long hours such as those experienced during fashion week.
Where things start to get interesting with regards to tights is when i watch fashion professionals ignore Primark’s fashionable patterned tights and go straight for the basics – specifically their basic black tights. And honestly? You are correct to do so. I have done side-by-side comparison tests with other brands that charge significantly more, and the truth is – i couldn’t tell the difference in terms of longevity. Additionally, if you are ever forced to carry multiple pairs of tights in your bag for emergencies (as often occurs), paying $20+ per pair for the privilege of doing so can add up quickly.
Another colleague of mine named James works in menswear. He has created an entire inventory system using their basic sock offerings. “Models show up to photoshoots wearing all sorts of ridiculous socks that don’t match the aesthetic we are trying to achieve,” he explained. “so having a bunch of their basic black multi-pack socks that look identical to the more expensive alternatives helps us save on almost every shoot.”
Here is something that may surprise people – their pjs are actually quite nice. Not the ones with cartoon characters or obnoxious sayings printed on them, but the basic cotton sets. I bought several for work trips after my higher-end pjs got destroyed in a hotel laundry incident (long story involving wine and poor judgment). The £12 sets are perfect for travel because they pack light, can be washed in hotel sinks, and dry quickly. To top it off, they appear adultlike and uncluttered – qualities that seem somewhat important when you are traveling for business.
What is amusing is how particular fashion people are about which items they will purchase from Primark. While we aren’t buying the obvious trend pieces that scream “designer rip-off”, we are willing to purchase the very least amount of designer knock-offs possible. In addition, we generally only buy shoes from them outside of the basic summer options i previously described.
one example of this is plain white t-shirts. At £2.50 each, they are affordable enough to use as layering underneath expensive jackets/blazers or as throwaway t-shirts when they get dirty/stained.
I know stylists who purchase these white t-shirts en masse for photoshoots. A friend of mine named Priya who works on magazine fashion stories keeps white t-shirts in every size. “when you need a pure white t-shirt for layering purposes and possibly get makeup on it or need to pin it for fit, you want something disposable,” she told me. This makes complete sense – why waste your money on a £50 designer basic white t-shirt when a £2.50 one will accomplish the same task?
It seems that nearly every fashion person i know has established what i refer to as a “Primark strategy”. They plan out exactly what they want/need, identify where within the store they will find these products, and then leave as soon as they obtain these products. In essence, it is a form of “surgical shopping”.
Additionally, some people use headphones to help drown out the noise in Primark stores allowing them to focus better on what they need rather than letting themselves get distracted by impulse buys.
Working in fashion has helped teach me what constitutes a worthwhile expense and when expenses simply aren’t worth it. For instance, my Theory blazers/investment pieces are definitely worth every penny. On the other hand, when it comes to functional underwear? No question – Primark all the way. Ultimately, it is not about being frugal – it is about making Smart financial choices so you can allocate more funds towards items that provide greater value.
Ultimately, the fashion industry operates based upon aspirational ideals/luxury, however; there are also many practical individuals within this industry who understand value. At times, perhaps the most valuable piece of fashion advice is not necessarily saving up for the most expensive option – but understanding when the budget-friendly alternative will perform as desired. And honestly? Having that type of knowledge provides you with a more informed perspective on shopping altogether. .
Last week while grabbing coffee near my office i saw Sarah a stylist i know from various industry events and she was carrying two large Primark bags with her and looked a little embarrassed about it. “do not judge me,” she said laughing, “but i just bought twelve pairs of tights for the price of one high-quality pair elsewhere.” I get it. As someone in fashion work you would think you’d never take advantage of a good deal but when you are buying something that makes absolute sense for your line of work it’s hard to pass up on.
Everyone in fashion has their secret Primark buys we don’t speak about them because there is a shame attached to admitting that at times the £3 version will perform as well as the £30 version honestly many of the most practical items in my wardrobe come from Primark and i am certainly not ashamed of being responsible with my money.
Honestly i have too many pairs of their seamless underwear. Too many however the point is when you are dressing professionally in front of clients all day long panty lines are unacceptable their £2.50 seamless underwear perform in exactly the same way as their more expensive versions additionally purchasing their products provides the benefit of being able to replace them if they get ruined in the laundry (which happens frequently in the community laundry facility in my apartment building) without breaking out into a heart attack like some of their pricier alternatives.
My friend Emma who works at a major fashion magazine uses their basic cotton underwear similarly before big trips she likes to buy the multi-packs. “when you are working fashion weeks and running back and forth between shows for 12 hours non stop in ridiculously uncomfortable shoes the last thing you need is fancy lingerie that get pushed up and/or digs comfortably into your skin,” she said to me over cocktails a few months ago. Make no mistake comfort beats all else when you are working crazy long hours such as those experienced during fashion week.
Where things start to get interesting with regards to tights is when i watch fashion professionals ignore Primark’s trendy patterned tights and go straight for the basics specifically their black tights and honestly you are right to do so. I have done side by side comparements with other brands that charge significantly more and the truth is – i couldnt tell the difference in terms of longevity. Additionally if you ever find yourself needing to carry multiple pairs of tights in your bag for emergencies (as often occurs) paying +$20 per pair for this privilege can add up quickly.
Another colleague of mines named James works in menswear and has created an entire inventory system using their basic sock offerings. “Models show up to photoshoots wearing all sorts of ridiculous socks that don’t match the aesthetic we are trying to create,” he explained. “so having a bunch of their basic black multi pack socks that look identical to the more expensive alternatives helps us save on almost every shoot.”
Here is something that may surprise people – their pj sets are actually quite nice. Not the ones with cartoon characters or obnoxious sayings printed on them but the basic cotton sets. I bought several for work trips after my higher-end pj sets got destroyed in a hotel laundry incident (long story involving wine and poor judgment). The £12 sets are perfect for travel because they pack light can be washed in hotel sinks and dry fast. Additionally they look adultlike and uncluttered – qualities that seem somehow important when you are traveling for business.
What is funny is how particular fashion people are about which items they will purchase from Primark. While we aren’t buying the obvious trend pieces that scream “designer rip-off” we are willing to purchase the very least amount of designer knick-knack possible in addition we generally only buy shoes from them outside of the basic summer options i previously described.
Example of this is plain white t-shirts. At £2.50 each they are cheap enough to use as layering underneath expensive jackets/blazers or as throw away t-shirts when they get dirty/stained.
I know stylists who purchase these white t-shirts in mass quantity for photoshoots. A friend of mine named Priya who works on magazine fashion stories keeps white t-shirts in every size. “when you need pure white t-shirts for layering purposes and possibly get makeup on it or need to pin it for fit you want disposable,” she told me. This makes complete sense why waste your money on a £50 designer basic white t-shirt when a £2.50 one will accomplish the same task?
It seems that nearly every fashion person i know has established what i refer to as a “Primark strategy”. They plan out exactly what they want/need identify where within the store they will find these products and then leave as soon as they obtain these products. In essence it is a form of “surgical shopping”.
Additionally some people use headphones to help block out the noise in Primark stores allowing them to focus better on what they need rather than letting themselves get distracted by impulse buys.
Working in fashion has taught me what constitutes a worthwhile expense and when expenses simply arent worth it. For example my Theory blazers/investment pieces are definitely worth every penny on the other hand when it comes to functional underwear? No question – Primark all the way. Ultimately it is not about being frugal it is about making Smart financial choices so you can allocate more funds towards items that provide greater value.
Ultimately the fashion industry operates based upon ideals/luxury however; there are also many practical individuals within this industry who understand value at times perhaps the most valuable piece of fashion advice is not necessarily saving up for the most expensive option but understanding when the budget-friendly alternative will perform as required and honestly? Having that type of knowledge gives you a more informed perspective on shopping altogether
