Want to get a whole lot of mileage out of that tax rebate check (or, as my Australian friend recently referred to it, "government hush money")? After paying off rent, car insurance, the credit card bill, student loans, dental bills, phone charges and parking tickets, why not use the remaining $8.98 to pick up a new summer dress at Steve & Barry's? A story in the Thursday edition of the New York Times style section reports that the discount mall chain is quietly running circles around its competition. In addition to snagging a few exclusive celeb clothing lines -- most notably, Sarah Jessica Parker and her so-so label, Bitten -- the megastore undersells the competition. Forever 21, Target and Old Navy sell thrifty wares, but not quite this thrifty. Everything at Steve & Barry's is $8.98, but the key is, it doesn't look that cheap (it doesn't exactly look pricey, either, so take it for what it's worth). The natural concern, when seeing prices that low is, "Why is this so cheap? Something can't be right." Visions of an unpaid, overseas worker slumped over in a sweatshop, stitching away at a floral sundress come to mind, and you slowly put the dress back on the rack and inch away ( at least that's what happened to me). Store creators Steve Shore and Barry Prevor are quick to dissuade the notion the cheap prices are a product of cruel labor practices. Instead, they say the prices are a result of thrifty in-house spending and a lack of brand glitz. The low-key approach to marketing and affordable "fashions" are the reasons it's an under-the-radar success. Does this mean I'll give SJP's Bitten a second chance? I suppose it can't hurt, and I do need something to wear to the theater on May 30. Email Tricia Woolfenden at twoolfenden@grpress.com.
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