a shopping mall (personal-ish) history, thoughts on the state of retail plus a round-up of vintage and secondhand finds that are better than current fast fashion new arrivals
(just stumbled onto this substack and am so happy to be here) fellow bay area girlie here and the way i LONGED for the hilltop mall to be a regular fixture in my life when i was younger!
agree with you so much on the state of retail/"new" clothes. i used to work at a couple of secondhand clothing stores and was constantly surprised by how poorly made (and frankly, not particularly applicable to many people's styles) the fast fashion i encountered was.
I grew up adjacent to Danbury Fair Mall in CT, with a super famous foundation back in the day, and it was THE PLACE to hang out. Then they remodeled an it lost its charm and I think it's still a fairly active mall but it just isn't as cool as it was. It's got a Simon soullessness. Valley Fair though I think has been really smart in how it expanded with more food, a movie theater, bowling alley, etc. and it seems like it's still pretty busy BUT yes, the fast fashion quality has been so downhill, or rather more obviously not good. There have been some good linen or cotton pieces at Gap or Uniqlo, but overall it's felt very 'you get what you pay for' to "this is not $79 quality BFFR"
Loved this angle! Had me thinking about how the only times I’ve felt really pulled into fast fashion in the last few years have been moments where I’m on a time crunch or haven’t planned ahead.. validates how much time I do usually spend thinking about what I’m going to wear and when! 🤓
(just stumbled onto this substack and am so happy to be here) fellow bay area girlie here and the way i LONGED for the hilltop mall to be a regular fixture in my life when i was younger!
agree with you so much on the state of retail/"new" clothes. i used to work at a couple of secondhand clothing stores and was constantly surprised by how poorly made (and frankly, not particularly applicable to many people's styles) the fast fashion i encountered was.
Thank you for reading from one Bay Area girlie to another!
I 100% agree that fast fashion often times is not remotely applicable to the actual real life world its consumers are living in! It's ridiculous.
Appreciate a history lesson tied to so much nostalgia! This gave me all the feels for the Collin Creel Mall in Plano, TX lol.
I grew up adjacent to Danbury Fair Mall in CT, with a super famous foundation back in the day, and it was THE PLACE to hang out. Then they remodeled an it lost its charm and I think it's still a fairly active mall but it just isn't as cool as it was. It's got a Simon soullessness. Valley Fair though I think has been really smart in how it expanded with more food, a movie theater, bowling alley, etc. and it seems like it's still pretty busy BUT yes, the fast fashion quality has been so downhill, or rather more obviously not good. There have been some good linen or cotton pieces at Gap or Uniqlo, but overall it's felt very 'you get what you pay for' to "this is not $79 quality BFFR"
"It's got a Simon soullessness" YES, down with Simon malls!!
Also I definitely think "BFFR" when peeking at most price tags these days 🫠
Ugh so much nostalgia. I loved every word of this! And that vintage pinstriped dress 🤤
Loved this angle! Had me thinking about how the only times I’ve felt really pulled into fast fashion in the last few years have been moments where I’m on a time crunch or haven’t planned ahead.. validates how much time I do usually spend thinking about what I’m going to wear and when! 🤓
10000% validation in mulling over outfit ideas for days! I never ever end up liking what I panic buy 🫠