Posted in
2012,
February 2012 on February 4th, 2012 by Susana Enriquez –
Be the first to comment
In a matter of hours, Manhattan-based designer Jason Wu will single-handedly increase the amount of clutter in homes across the country.
Wu was the “who” that First Lady Michelle Obama was wearing on her husband’s inauguration. One look at the white, one-shouldered, chiffon ball gown that she wore was all it took for the nation to become obsessed with the designer.
With the launch of Jason Wu for Target on Sunday, Feb. 5, Wu will join the growing list of designers who have released affordable clothing lines at local retailers. In September, the Target launch of the Italian fashion house, Missoni, was met with such demand that shoppers scooped up all the merchandise within hours and crashed the retailer’s website in the process.
If this any indication, there is little doubt that people will be stockpiling anything bearing the Wu name. And it’s precisely this kind of hype that results in our homes being filled with a bunch of stuff we don’t need – or even want.
When everyone around you is grabbing stuff by the armful, feverishly loading up their carts, it throws you into a tizzy and makes you feel like you have to get as much as possible or risk being left with nothing – a mass hysteria, of sorts.
Even though I’m ambivalent about Wu’s collection, I feel like I should be part of the buzz that day – bragging about all the stuff I got that so many others couldn’t. It’s one of the reasons people shop on Black Friday. And it’s how I ended up with 100+ Beanie Babies.
So here’s some advice from someone who has gotten caught up in the hype on more than one occasion:
- If you really are a fan of Wu’s designs, browse the lookbook before the collection goes on sale and pick out the pieces you’d like to get.
- Get ONLY those pieces. But only if they will fit you NOW. None of that “they’re-out-of-my-size-so-I’ll-get-one-(or two)-sizes-smaller-because-I’ve-been-meaning-to-lose-weight-anyway” nonsense.
- Enjoy your purchases! Because if you don’t plan to use them, why buy them? (Unless you just want the Wu stuff so that you can rub it in your friends’ faces that you got something that they didn’t.)
For those who plan to flip their purchases:
- Take inventory. If you want to do it the organizer way, create a spreadsheet with the name/description of the item, quantities and what you paid. You can also add the selling price and the buyers’ information.
- Get to flipping right away! The value of the goods decreases proportionally to the hype.
- Don’t let the goods take over your house. Put them in plastic bins to keep the pet hair/odors and accidental spills from ruining your investment.
Happy shopping and selling!
