Excluding sales of course because even the best stores take on sales to get rid of the passing seasons stock of items. For example, just to make it clear what I'm talking about, buying a pair of corduroy pants at Old Navy for $30 isn't going to be the same as buying a pair of corduroy pants at Madewell for $70. The price difference is large and to some that's enough to walk into Old Navy and buy those corduroy pants but what does the price difference cover? the fit, the life time of the pants, the quality. It may not seem like much but I've been through quite a few cheaper pants in my day and lets just say those $20 skinny jeans that I thought I was getting a great deal on and so bought two pairs of two years ago are sitting in my closet hardly worn at all. How come they bunch at the knees? How come those pockets keep wanting to crawl out? How come the hips keep sliding down? How come they become overly loose after only a day of wearing them? Why do they smell like rubber?! Yes, I should have known what I was getting myself into by purchasing $20 pants. And the $70 or $90 jeans I bought from Madewell and Lucky Brand? They're comfortable, fit perfectly and they've last me without getting warped out of shape for how long? I've lost track of time with the good ones.
Yes, I'm all up for saving as much as the next fashion fanatic shopper but I can't help but notice that you kind of get what you pay for. Of course that isn't to say that everything that is pricey is the good quality I speak of, unfortunately there are a few stores out there who boast good quality in their price tag but are far from it (ahem, Zara)- this is unfortunate and makes life quite difficult when it comes to finding the items that are truly worthy of the price we are hesitant to pay. Luckily, the skilled buyer can always see with their own two eyes whether the quality is there and if you are not the skilled buyer I speak of you can thank the good fashion fairy for the internet and "consumer reviews".
The bottom line, you can easily spend twice or three times as much on repeatedly buying cheaper items that should have had a longer life in your wardrobe, oh if only you had just bought that $70 pair of skinny jeans.
