Quick Review: Charlotte Russe

Like the big-time fast-fashion store Forever 21, Charlotte Russe offers women and teen girls stylish choices at the fraction of the price. However, what makes Charlotte Russe different from Forever 21 is the styles of the clothes offered: while Forever 21 sometimes cuts and pastes ideas from the runway to their clothes and carries more wild styles, Charlotte Russe offers classier choices while following trends.

Left: Leopard Lace Tank, $18.99

Price

For tops and dresses, the prices are similar to Forever 21, ranging from $15 to $24. But for jeans, Charlotte Russe's prices range from $30 to $60, compared with Forever 21's jeans which range from $12 to $30.

The sales online aren't as stellar as the in-store sales. Not much is usually on sale aside from super-trendy tops, although if you catch the end-of-season sales that come when Charlotte Russe is changing inventory, you can find some sweet flats.

If you sign up for the email newsletter, Charlotte Russe will send you a coupon code for 10% off your purchase. I have reused this code many times. Also, a great place to get more coupon codes and sales info is at retailmenot.com. Just put in charlotterusse.com in the search bar.

Online: 7/10. I took a couple points off for the jeans, and one point off for the online sales.

While Charlotte Russe can have good sales on their website at www.charlotterusse.com, I think the place where they really get their customers are the sales racks inside their physical stores, with racks of clothes ranging from $3 to $9. The sales range from store to store, but the racks often have a big variety of clothes, especially tops.

In-store: 8/10

Quality

The regular clothes at Charlotte Russe are of decent quality for their price. While the materials they're made of are cheap, like plastic buttons, the clothes turn out to be durable and don't fall apart after a few washes.

However, the underwear at Charlotte Russe falls apart after a few wears and washes.. They're regularly priced at around 3 dollars. Some of the tags say "Charlotte Russe" or "Blu-Chic by Charlotte Russe." At the store, they were being sold 5 for $10, so I bought ten for twenty dollars. Upon further inspection, I noticed loose stitches. After a few washes, half the liner bottom of the underwear broke loose. They look awfully cute, but they don't last.

I gave one of the unworn underwears to my friend and she reported itching after wearing them. I didn't feel itching, but maybe she had some sensitivity to the spandex.

Quality: 8.5/10 - Just avoid the underwear.

Starting Over

What do you do when you lose everything and can't afford to replace them? Maybe you lost your luggage or your home was destroyed in a natural disaster, or you moved away and someone took away all your stuff. The last one is what happened to me. I miss my clothes, and I miss being able to pick and plan out outfits for the day. I also miss a few specific pieces that I loved, including gifts from friends, like scarves, jackets, and shirts.

At this point I can't afford to follow trends or experiment with different looks. Gotta stick with the basics, like a few shirts, tanks, jeans, undies, and shoes.

On the bright side, now I can begin a new wardrobe with the basics. No more clothes that I don't need but keep just for old times' sake.

My current wardrobe consists of:

• 1 charcoal cardigan
• 6-7 shirts, tanks
• 3-4 pairs of jeans
• 2 pairs of flats (in brown and gray)
• 1 pair of sandals (the American Eagle ones that I got for $5 a long time ago)
• 8-10 pairs of underwear
• 3 pairs of nude bras

Rant: Ripped Jeans

Tools needed to achieve these ripped jeans on the left:

bleach

sandpaper

X-acto knife

I don't think those jeans are functional anymore. Unlike the look of the DIY'ed free shirt, I don't really understand the appeal behind the destruction of a valuable closet staple that you actually pay for. I know a few people who grab a razor and add in a few rips in their denim, but the Thing on the left looks like something from a horror movie, AND takes a lot of work and effort to achieve, according to this InStyle article.

And what are these designers trying to emulate? Are they mocking the fashion of an impoverished lifestyle, where a person can't afford to buy new jeans and wears the same jeans even after they rip (gloriously)? Or promoting the rich lifestyle of I'm-so-rich-that-I-don't-care-anymore-because-I-can-afford-these-ugly-jeans? The idea of paying fifty-dollars for new jeans that look like they're older than you sounds pretty dumb to me.

On left: American Eagle, $49.50

These jeans look familiar. They look like (and worse than) a pair of jeans I've had for years, and those tears across the knees look like what would happen to them after I kneel on the ground to lock and un-lock my bike a million times. Their cost? Fifty-freaking dollars.

What I Wore to My Chinese Final

I snuck into the classroom where my English 10 LC class took place this quarter and took the table.

I was surprised by how easy it was. The Girvetz building was unlocked; the classroom door was unlocked... So I went in and ate a cookie while spying on people walking down the arbor.



Light Blue Tank Top: Ellemenno, from Mervyn's
Mustard Yellow Top: BB Dakota, from Miss Behavin'
Shorts: American Eagle, from Craigslist

East Asian Banquet

I got an award yesterday that came with a small sum of money at the East Asian End of Year Reception, where I was recognized for being an Outstanding Student in my Heritage Chinese class. :-) Woot! This is me before I went.

I look really washed out in this picture, but I like it.

Gray Striped Cardigan: Abercrombie
Gray Ruffled Dress: American Eagle
Sunglasses: Calvin Klein

How I was Before Dead Week

Black Sweater: American Eagle, from swap bin: Free
Black Camisole: from swap bin: Free
Denim Shorts: American Eagle, from Craigslist


Typical Asian girl picture where they attempt to look like an eleven year-old.



Brown Patterned Scarf: gift from Kevin
Green Henley Shirt: Hollister, from Swap Bin, Free
Gray Lace Camisole: Wet Seal


Big Sunglasses: A J Morgan, from Miss Behavin'
Brown Patterned Scarf: Gift from Kevin
Brown Sweater Cardigan: Gift from Kevin
Black w/ White Hearts Henley: Ellemenno, from Mervyn's
Red Corduroy Pants: American Rag, gift from Renee



I was so exhausted after my theater final skit and Chinese skit (on the same day!!!) that I decided to nap on campus.

Then, when I woke up, my sunglasses were gone.

Goodbye, big sunglasses. My boyfriend never liked you, but you will always have a special place in my heart.


Towel: from San diego
Black Top: DIY'd from a free XL T-shirt that I turned inside-out, ribbon given to me from Aerie, and a black belt from a black cardigan sweater.
Khaki Shorts: cut from old cargo pants

I look like I'm not wearing anything underneath my black top, but I'm wearing khaki shorts that just happen to blend in with my skin.


Brown Cardigan: Guess, from Isla Vista free bin
Polka Dot Shirt: Forever 21
White Jeans: Z. Cavaricci, from swap bin, free


Black Camisole: Forever 21
Pink Shirt: Vol. 1 Couture, from Isla Vista free bin
Plaid Jacket: Ellemenno, from Mervyn's
Black Jeans: Plastic by Gly, from swap bin, free

My Fifth Grade Picture

I always wondered why it was that a few of my friends always looked awesome in pictures. I've always been one of the most un-photogenic people of all time.

Check out my hot picture from fifth grade on the left. Aside from the unique white collar of my fashionable school uniform, that was me trying to smile.





Then I realized the trick. I actually got this from the magazines. To look thinner, put one leg behind the other. Lean on your back leg.


Notice how my camera also carefully cropped out the bottom of this picture to give the illusion of me having long legs...






Blue Striped Sweater: New York & Company
Gray Lace Camisole: Wet Seal
Shorts: Bongo

Note: Because of laptop problems I haven't been able to update every day. This isn't what I wore today. It's what I wore during the week.