Fashion Field Trip: “Hi, I’m in…Delaware.”

June 13, 2007 by Morgan  Send to a Friend

Like half the DC area, I head to the Delaware beaches when I need to get out of the city in the summertime. And if I’m not looking for cheap places to shop at home that just means I’m out of town and looking for cheap places to shop elsewhere, so here are not only the stops I made this weekend when I found myself sans-suitcase in the First State, but the best/worst FAKE DESIGNER FASHION Ocean City, Maryland has to offer:

In all honesty this piece was just going to be on all the awesome crap you can buy on the Ocean City boardwalk, but as soon as I got out of the car in Bethany Beach I realized that I left my entire weekend bag on my bed in Adams Morgan. Out of sheer necessity, my first stop the next morning was the Salvation Army (4315 Highway 1, Rehoboth DE). It was worth the trip to “Delaware’s Largest Thrift Store” just for the perfectly broken-in brown leather shoulderbag I found for $3.99; the store is large and clean and what it lacks in shoes and jewelry (I recognized a few pairs from LAST summer, and the accessories section seems to have disappeared), it more than makes up for in tops, dresses, and nightgowns perfect for wearing in place of dresses. There are a ton of t-shirts and jackets for guys to dig through, too. On the way back to the beaches, I stopped at All Saints’ Parish Thrift Shop (4294 Highway 1). This is one of those tiny thrift stores that’s only open for about 6 hours every other day, so I was really happy to find it open when driving by. I’ve been going here for a few years now and they consistently have awesome shoes for $1 a pair, and most accessories and tote bags are 50cents. I got some black & grey 80s wedge sandals, a pair of vintage Minnetonka moccasins, and a great gold metal belt - all for a tax-free $2.50.

As Delaware IS the land of tax-free shopping, I can’t really go without mentioning the Tanger Outlets (36470 “Seaside Outlet Drive” - which is them being creative with their address. They’re on 1, you CAN’T MISS them). With the exception of a few stores I try to get to once a year (Calvin Klein for tops and UNDERTHINGS, Vans for slip-ons) I’m usually unwilling to fight the crowds of back-to-school shoppers and their parents. But Sunday night ended up being chilly, and since I’d left my Levi’s in the city I had to make moves to find some jeans. I started at the Wrangler outlet, which was a farce because they only carried men’s jeans of the “wear ‘em to do the yardwork” variety. My boyfriend did appreciate the rack full of Western shirts, though, all for around $15. From there it was a quick walk next door to the Banana Republic Factory Store, which was crowded, but for good reason: if I had a dress-up job I would have totally stocked up on understated but surprisingly cool tops and wide-legged denim trousers. Prices there were a little higher than I wanted to spend on jeans that I may never wear again in the real world (or “the Promised Land,” as my dad likes to refer to DC), so we crossed the parking lot to Old Navy. There’s been lots of talk about Old Navy’s upcoming fall collection (mainly that it’s AMAZING and we’re all going to start shopping there again, a la 9th grade), but I wasn’t really expecting much of the outlet. I wasn’t incorrect, but should you ever forget to bring your bathing suit to Delaware hit them up first - they had a bunch of cute, basic tops and bottoms in every size for about $10 apiece. After leaving Old Navy, I was just about ready to call it quits when I decided, against all odds, to try PacSun. I was there for all of sixty seconds before I found what may have been the only skinny jeans in all of Delaware - and not only were they in my size AND the perfect grey color, but they were only $14.99. I never in my life would have thought to have tried on a pair of Roxy jeans, or even gone into PacSun, but I did and I might even go again. I’d venture to say that my score made me less apprehensive of outlet shopping in general, but you’re still not gonna catch me there in the weeks before schools start.

And since no trip to the Delaware beaches is complete without a sidetrip to the Ocean City, MD boardwalk, I’ll leave you with the most ridiculous fake fashion finds to seek out while you’re there. First up are the $16.99, bubblegum-pink “Baby Phat” hoodies at Cool Topics (none of these places have addresses, but are all on the main strip). I cannot imagine what Kimora Lee Simmons would have to say about these, but I do know that I might have bought one IF THEY CAME IN WOMEN’S SIZES. Baffling. Next up is a blatant Marimekko rip-off of a top, which is actually really cute. Because Marimekko is really cute. It’s at Tre’s for $14.99 and surprisingly, the fabric feels like it might even survive a few runs through the washing machine. The most fantastic, shocking, amazing thing I saw on the Ocean City boardwalk was the “Chanel” bag above. This was literally the fakest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I made a Chanel Cabas out of a trashbag. Even better was the $64.99 price tag and the fact that the store that sold it HAD NO NAME. That will probably make it more difficult for the authorities to find them and shut them down, but it also makes it harder for YOU to find them, in case you wanted to purchase the black version of this bag. The price tag on THAT one said $81.32.

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