Indie fashion feature: Romwe

Frugal fashion

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

Finding that perfect date outfit for Valentine’s Day can be hard, not to mention expensive. For one, you might not know where you’re going—curse whoever invented the idea that surprises are romantic!—then of course there’s the issue of money. As student fashionistas, we will never have enough disposable income to satisfy that vain little creature inside ourselves. That’s not an insult, it’s just a fact. So then where can you go to ensure that you not only look great, but don’t break the bank?

If you’re panicking because you don’t have an answer to that, don’t worry—gather ’round, children, and listen to my tale of Romwe!

Romwe is another independent clothing manufacturer available online. They take inspiration from more expensive online brands such as Black Milk and Nasty Gal. The difference is that their price point is a lot lower. This does come at an expense, though: the quality of the fabrics is often far below the labels that Romwe mimics—but in truth, as someone who owns pieces from Romwe as well as the more expensive brands, there are certain things I am willing to concede to save a couple bucks.

For our scenario, where we need an outfit perfect for a date that we might not know the destination of, a cocktail dress is the most appropriate option. The reason behind this is that cocktail dresses fall into that strange category of being both formal and casual, depending on your accessories.

Luckily, Romwe has us covered. The majority of their dresses are under $40, with regular sales going on all the time. The loose or knit clothing options from this site are perfect, but I would advise you to avoid anything that’s meant to be extremely structured because of the problems with fabric quality. Even if you are able to find something structured that’s made out of a proper fabric able to maintain the shape, this is an online store. Anything you buy is sight-unseen—meaning you can’t try it on—and the likelihood that you’ll receive a perfectly-fitted structured garment is extremely low, meaning it will need to be tailored. So if that’s the look you want, don’t buy online—save the cost of shipping and tailoring, and just go down to Forever 21 or H&M.

For those of use keen on the mod look, or who like the idea of wearing a fancy looking sack that will hang off of us like a draped masterpiece—you might want to bookmark this one.

You can shop Romwe’s extensive selection at www.romwe.com. They ship internationally for a fairly reasonable rate, and they offer a large selection of purses and jewelry to complete whatever look you are after. Some items will even have links to suggested companion pieces. Overall, it’s a very pleasant shopping experience—made more so by the fact I can wear my pyjamas!