Investment Shopping : When Taking Into Account Social Circles, Clothes Costs Add Up to Status and Change
When Orange County businessman and arts supporter Mark Chapin Johnson was quoted in a society column that he would be willing to spend $40,000 a year on a would-be wife’s wardrobe, the buzz around some social circles was: “Is that all?”
“Some of these ladies spend a lot more than that,” said one Newport Beach woman, a regular on the scene.
Of course, many others found the offer to be exceedingly generous.
“That’s a lot of money--where’s he been all my life?” quipped Barbara Magness, owner of B. Magness, a women’s clothing boutique in Newport Beach. “If our customers spent half that much they would be considered good customers. We’d love them forever.”
Johnson’s comment touched on a sensitive topic that’s often whispered about in social circles but seldom openly discussed: How much money do Orange County socialites spend on their wardrobes?
Ballpark estimates vary as to how much well-to-do women invest in clothes, but fashion watchers agree that some will go to great expense to look good.
“In some cases $40,000 is the average,” says Ann Stern, a Newport Beach resident who occasionally attends black-tie galas where women parade their designer dresses. “And there are people who spend more than that. But that’s not me.”
Audrey Patterson says that women of means spend anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000 a year on their clothes. As president of Recycled Rags, a secondhand clothing store in Corona del Mar, she gets the women’s expensive castoffs--designer garments that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and have been worn once or twice.
Some of her best merchandise comes from socialites who “have to have a different gown for each occasion,” Patterson says.
She knows women who buy an entire wardrobe of St. John knits every season: “The bill has to be $7,000 or $8,000,” she says.
“The real (clothes) crazy ones spend $3,000 to $5,000 a month” on clothes, says Joey Sims, owner of Chez Joey, a Laguna Niguel store that also sells secondhand women’s clothing. One of her regular customers spent $3,000 on clothes last month. Where did the money go? “She bought an Escada suit, a St. John dress and a gold Chanel purse. That’ll do it,” Sims says.
Another customer has her house filled with “wall to wall clothes.” She spends $5,000 a month on her wardrobe. Recently she bought 30 pairs of shoes, most of them designer brands in the $200-per-pair range.
“In their circles they wear something once and it’s finished,” Sims says. “It’s a big status thing. Say I belong to the Marbella Country Club. Would I wear the same thing (to lunch) twice? No way. It’s truly a contest.”
How much is a lot to spend on clothes depends on the individual’s situation, fashion experts say.
“To some people $40,000 is astronomical. To others it’s not,” says Mary Dell Barkouras, a Newport Beach fashion consultant. “It depends on her lifestyle, if the woman travels a great deal or has to present herself in a wide variety of lights.”
If one works or travels in circles where a fine wardrobe is almost required, large sums can easily be spent on designer and couture outfits. When buying Chanel, Donna Karan or Armani, $3,000 to $5,000 can be swallowed up by one suit and matching accessories.
“You could spend $800 for just a little short skirt,” Patterson says.
Those who have unlimited clothing budgets own the keys to the county’s upscale, service-oriented department stores and boutiques. Mi Place in Laguna Niguel and Fullerton, Neiman Marcus in Fashion Island Newport Beach, 341 Bayside in Newport Beach, and Chanel and Escada in South Coast Plaza are among the names that crop up often when discussing the favorite fashion haunts of the well-to-do.
“Women with unlimited clothing budgets go to stores with a high standard of customer service. That’s what they’re paying for,” says Dianna Pfaff-Martin, a Newport Beach image consultant.
Many of these stores offer perks such as personal shoppers, phone calls to alert customers when a new collection arrives from favorite designers and even lunches at fine restaurants. Some shop owners send their clients flowers, Sims says.
At 341 Bayside in Newport Beach, the staff works to establish personal relationships with favorite customers.
“We call them as soon as a new collection arrives. They come and might spend $15,000 to $20,000 or more at one sitting,” says Mona Angell, manager of 341 Bayside. “If you buy a whole line, it adds up.”
Still, extravagant shopping sprees are more of an exception than a rule. Many women have become frugal compared to their shopping habits of the 1980s, experts say.
“Five years ago they would spend $1,000 on a gown and wear it one night,” Patterson says. “Their consciences won’t allow them to do that anymore.”
A punishing recession combined with troubling images of tragedy in places such as Rwanda have caused even the wealthiest shoppers to cut back on the amount they spend on clothes.
“Many of my clients used to spend a great deal, like $3,000 to $5,000, for one outfit. Now those people are spending $1,200, and the ones who spent $1,200 are spending $600,” Barkouras says. “They’re saying, ‘I don’t want to spend that anymore,’ and these are people who could still spend anything.”
Women of all economic strata are shopping at discount warehouses and consignment stores such as Chez Joey, Recycled Rags and Labels in Newport Beach, Stern says.
“Society has taken on a more serious note, and it’s reflected in our dress,” Stern says. “Clothing has come down on the agenda of what’s important.”
Some have found they don’t need lots of money to look like they’re worth a fortune.
“You can look wonderful at any price. You don’t have to have much--just a few basic things you can add and subtract from your wardrobe,” Barkouras says. “Just make the best statement you can afford.”
