Alas, a second trip to my local Nine West store (and Macy's, and Nordstrom) turned out fool's gold.
Being the model of restraint, however, I moved on to Urban Outfitters, which for me is the Starbucks of cool clothing (you loathe yourself a little for going there so often but it's unavoidable, and plus, safe by way of quality control). The sales are like dirty crack (which, according to a friend of a friend, can be found around SF's Tenderloin area; walk a little bit in you're at the Powell Street BART station, an Urban Outfitter's only a stone's throw away, not that I've tried).
After mining the sales racks, I found a dress on sale for $20 (a return?), purchased it although it was loose at my pathetic bust, brought it to an alteration place to take it in, and after a bit of internet "research" (on Urban Outfitter's "website") realized that this was over a 75% markdown (originally $98), not too shabby for your typically overpriced UO duds. The best strategy for dealing with your ideal purchase is just waiting it out; in a couple months that precious dress will probably be half-off, closer to the pricing it really should be -
-although I often speculate that the raw material + means of production + labor probably = around $5, with some give or take for shipping (not that I believe that this kind of labor should be so damn cheap, just that wages for people working in factories that make clothing are likely pittance). (And now a wave of guilt hits.)
Well, I can't wait to pick up the dress from the tailor's.
