Where to Shop.. - Aurora,IL

I love White House Black Market. The clothes I have purchased from them have all held up very well. I had been searching for the perfect leather jacket for years and this past fall I was there and the perfect leather jacket was there for me. I LOVE it. I don't find their items to be too pricey and they always have a markdown area where I've found some cute things as well. I wear a lot of their tops (dressy and casual), a lot of their jeans and a couple of dresses. They carry a selection of jeans that are not "mom" jeans that are stylish comfy and fit well.

I also like to shop at Anthropologie, Nordstrom's sometimes Banana Republic. People rave about Ann Taylor Loft but I've never found anything there for me.. I am petite and picky.

I'm not a regular Neimans shopper for clothing but if I ever need a perfect dress for cocktail, etc, I can always find something there.

I have found that if I buy quality from the get go, I am not replacing my clothes as often as I did when I bought sub par quality clothing.

Happy Shopping!

ETA: I'm sorry Christy... I pay about $80 for a pair of WHBM jeans and wear them for years. My newest pair still looks great and is 4 yrs old. I have bought some very nice blouses and tops reasonably with my membership discount as well. I take advantage of the offer discounts when I shop at WHBM. As for Nordstrom, you can find very good clothing there as well and it is not $100 for 2 pieces unless that is what you choose to buy.

I am not a clothes, shoe purse hound either... the last time I bought any clothes was in September 2014. I have nice classic pieces that are not too trendy that can be worn year after year. I did splurge on my Hoka athletic shoes because I have some foot issues and these shoes have been a God send.

Burlington has some beautiful clothes for great prices. I also shop at Kohl's with coupons.

TF's favorites are NOT reasonably priced, unless your definition of reasonable is $100 or more for 2 pieces. You say you work in a professional environment, so perhaps that is reasonable to you, but it's not reasonable for me down here in the upper middle income bracket. Even their sale prices are steep ($30 for a tank top!?). I'm a bargain shopper and try to find good quality clothes that don't break the bank....but I'm not a clothes hound. I stick to classic pieces that can be mixed and matched and will never go out of style.

Good luck to you!

ETA: Thanks for clarifying, TF. Nothing against you personally at all...I just can't spend $80 for a pair of jeans! Yikes!

My minimalist running shoes are, admittedly, a different story. Like you, I'll splurge on shoes that are right for my feet so I can run injury free. ;-)

I did want to add, for E., check out your local exchange shops. I think we have 4 adorable boutique shops in my town where folks bring their gently used and like new brand name clothes to trade. I do own some BKE jeans, which are WAY pricey new ($80-120, depending upon the style), which I bought at an exchange for $28. They still look new.

Hit the clearance racks in your favorite stores. Right now you will find mostly winter items on clearance. Sometimes you luck out and find last years spring and summer clothes for almost nothing. I plan to take my time when I go shopping and slowly go through every clearance rack. I have found $40 skirts for $2 -$3. I find I can get much better deals by shopping clearance than shopping thrift stores.

Reasonable price is subjective. What I may think is reasonable another may think is pricey. Also style, size and your age also come into play. I believe where ever you buy clothes you are able to get deals on their selections. You just need to become a savvy shopper.

I work in a professional environment too. I buy clothes from The Limited, Lord and Taylor, Macy's, White House Black Market, K&G, and a host of other places. I only buy when I can get a discount or when things are on sale. I sign up for their online deal alerts and I also save my money to go shopping. I consciously build my wardrobe. Litterally everything I own matches with everything else. If I buy a blouse, skirt, suit, or sweater, I think what other things that I already own will this go well with? My selection has to have at least 3 other pieces it will work with before it becomes a part of my closet.

You may also consider shopping at consigment shops in high end neighborhoods for their better quality clothes.

You can always get a deal when you look for the deals.

I love CAbi (but you have to have the consultant come to your house, and the prices are not exactly "reasonable", depending upon your definition of the word). I also like White House Black Market. What I really like about both CAbi and WHBM is that the pieces from season to season tend to go well together, so as long as you buy classic pieces, you can wear them forever.

As far as trendier things, I've actually found some great stuff at Ross, believe it or not. Their prices are ridiculously cheap, and a lot of it is brand name stuff that you actually recognize.

I try to go off the beaten track and find a store or two that have classic styles. The town I live in has Dillards and Tankersly for the high clothing. Yes, there is JC Penney, Bealls, Sears and Wal-Mart. There are a few boutique stores to pick from but have not visited them.

A long time ago my aunt stated that you should buy the best quality item possible so that you don't have to replace it several times. If you figure the low end prices multiplied by the number of times you have replaced it it may cost you more than the costly one did. So there is a trade off on what you can spend or not. Just set up a budget for clothes and set that amount aside monthly so when you go shopping the money will be there. It is part of your working expenses.

I have made many of my clothes for the professional side of things so that they fit my body and were appropriate.

Good luck to you. I am not trying to bash anyone. We all have to buy what we can afford and that is that.

Have a great day.

the other S.

Go to a high-end consignment shop. I'm sure that Illinois has plenty!!! You can get great clothes at a better price.

Try outlets as well.

Macy's, Talbots, White House/Black Market.

What is your idea of reasonable??

I shop at Cato clothes. They have a few big girls clothes, adult ladies, and plus size. They have some shoes and purses, jammies, and jewelry too.

https://www.catofashions.com/catostores.cfm?locRad=10&amp...

They have slacks, tops, skirts, dresses, and more. I have purchased most of my garments off the clearance rack and paid $4-$6 for black dress slacks, $4-$9 for dressy tops, same range for dresses and skirts too.

I went to find something for my adult daughter one time, not really knowing what I'd like to get her. I found an adorable light weight denim dress with skinny straps with tiny daisies sewn on them, elastic gathered empire bodice, and an A-line bottom. It's was $19.95. I thought that was what I wanted to get her but I wanted to make sure. I went to another store in town and while I was walking around I found the exact same dress. It was $39.95. I went back to Cato and got her the dress.

I have clothes on right now that I bought at Cato at least 5 years ago. I wear these slacks to work at least 2-3 times per month. I wash on warm and dry on delicate or perma press. The look just as nice now as when new.

I love the clothes from there because they are on one hand timeless and I can wear them year after year but they're also up to date looking.

Check out this site: www.metrostyle.com. I have bought some clothes from them and I always get compliments.

I like Goodwill, ARC, and a few other Thrift Stores. I can get much better clothes than I could otherwise afford. The key is to go somewhere that does not smell funky (because that thrift shop smell is hard to wash out) and has a dressing room when you have time to "treasure hunt."

Well, my go to stores used to be JcP, Kohls and Carsons. But since they closed the Carsons downtown it has been pick and choose. If you have a larger JcP near you that is a good place to go. The one near me is samall and has pitiful variety. Same with Kohls. The Aurora outlet mall had a Jones store that last time I was there but that was years ago. I got some good deals on casual and business wear. I love Kasper but it does cost more. However, I still have a suit I bought 6 years ago. Coworkers like Nordstrom Rack and Macy's. If you get the paper, there is usually a coupon for 10 to 25% off a purchase.

Everywhere. Thrift stores, Target, Kohls....I also am on Ann Taylor's email list and get items on discount. I got 2 pencil skirts a year or so back for something like $20 each (originally $100) on clearance. I buy a lot of shoes at Payless - plain pumps. And it depends on what I want. I agree that some quality base pieces are worth a few more $. I have a black pencil skirt that I wear all the time. White blouses are another classic for the office. Also, depending on your size, consider getting things on sale and then altering them. More $ for the alterations, but if the pants were $20 to start with, it's still reasonable for quality.

I like Kohl's and New York & Company.

Have you ever been to Bella Gia in Oswego?