Quaintly or Quality?

I guess the trend of opening little quaint boutiques are still very much an 'in' thing these days, with every new business square operating, there sure to be at least a couple of these boutiques, which eventually you will see similar businesses like these mushrooming along the entire row of first-floors.

Sure, never again we girls will lack the choices of RM49 party dresses, or cheaper Zara-lookalike full-sequined tops, but the question is, is it really worth it to stuff our wardrobe with atire from quaint little boutiques?

Of course, it depends on the tastes of individuals, or rather, to put it bluntly, the budget of shoppers.

Even though there is a lot to be thankful for when we are presented with alternatives to shopping for styles, the way I see it, Topshop, Zara, MNG or the likes, brands that put a higher price tags on their today's fashion will always be relevant. Let's face it, you have to agree that their material is always better. I'd rather invest on a timeless good top with better thread count than waste on one that will not withstand more than three times of handwash. True experience.

Two - Colours. Highstreet brands have better sense of colours and patterns I noticed. Just walk in to some bigger stores and you will notice according to seasons, their palette is pleasing to the eyes, even when it isn't your colour of favour, rarely you will find a 'jump' in the colour or style coordination. Step into the little quaint boutiques, well, most of them are a sore sight of jumbled up everything, sometimes just too bold for my liking.

Finally - Cut. A piece of clothing that put effort in its cut does make a lot of difference, even a loose-fitting item has its own 'fit'. It makes or breaks your figure. For me, it always wins over a free size whatever that may just end up looking like you're wearing a sack, really.

To be fair, it is also true that some stuff from all these highstreet brands are not worth it too, but again, it is ultimately up to personal tastes.

To see more affordable pretty stuff (albeit most of them don't last long) become available to us girls (and boys) is something to cheer about. I do love sifting the racks of Bangsar/Dataran Sunway's little boutiques and have found items I treasure, but it is also annoying that there are just TOO MANY emerging, that somehow the novelty is kinda lost. Because it became boring. The stock are the same, it's messy, and shopping became tedious all over again.

There will always be the select few that stands out, but somehow or rather, I always go back to looking for quality. But that's just me, my two cents worth.