When  you see fashion bloggers today, and most of them are in their 20’s, if that, they are all carrying purses or shoes or clothes with a designers logo. Sometimes you don’t even see the blogger, all you see is the purse with the logo.  When did we become more about the logo than about the style? When  Street Style is posted during Fashion Weeks you see the craziest “get ups”.  Photographers and the media are helping to destroy true style in exchange for a LOGO, or a known brand, or something Trendy.  When is someone going to bring back style? Well, I personally am going to try and I am going to prove a point:  you don’t need a logo or to spend a lot of money to have style. primark-logo There is a new store to the U.S. called Primark.  It is all over Europe and if the same quality clothing comes to the U.S. that you find in Europe, H&M and other fast fashion stores will go out of business.  Their style is classic, yet there are trendy and more “high style” knock offs as well.  During early Fall I was in New York City and I had read that there were some Primarks that had recently opened on the East Coast. In April I was in London and Madrid and stumbled upon this store, and went there every day. I was  thrilled to no end that they were coming here. So, I set aside an entire day to make it to one of their stores. The closest one I could find was in Danbury Connecticut.  So off to the Port Authority I went and hopped on a bus to Danbury which took about an hour and a half.  From there I took a cab to the Danbury Mall where one of the first Primark stores to the U.S. is located. This is the first outfit that I put together.  The sweater dress was under $20.00. The long vest was also under $20 dollars.  The ecologically sustainable purse (a la Stella McCartney, also known as pleather) was $$8.00. The animal print pumps (which were not comfortable) were $10.00, I swear. The cream scarf around my neck was under $5.00.  So, if you do the math, this entire outfit was under $65.00.  In the cooler months I would add stockings which would bump up the price. Some gold jewelry would have added some interest, however, in the 4 hours I was at the store, I did not have time for jewelry!! I ask you, can you tell the difference between these clothes and clothes you might buy at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s?  RedHeadCreativeStudio As a blogger for women Over Fifty I try not to just wear “trendy” or designer clothes with labels, but I try to find stylish items that are suitable for women who might also be on a fixed budget.  After all, I am on a fixed budget as well.  This agelessly stylish ensemble below would be suitable for a meeting, a luncheon, a dinner and even a play (for those women who still get dressed up for plays). The only thing missing is a gold necklace, but I didn’t want to add anything that wasn’t from Primark!! Portrait Photography At the very end of my shopping spree I found this very cute little pleather belt with an attached pursette!! This belt and pursette were $8.00 and I had to really examine it to see if it was leather or not. So, another variation of this outfit is closing the vest and belting it.  It might have looked a bit better if it had been bloused over the belt a bit, but then you wouldn’t be able to see the adorable belt. Portrait Photography As an addendum to Primark’s wonderful qualities: Their slim fitting jeans are made for women Over Fifty ( or anyone who has had a baby, or anyone who may not be really skinny!!).  The waists are high and loose, so while the legs are tight fitting, the pants are still comfortable. The only thing is, is that you need a lot of time.  There are so many different styles, shapes, colors, etc., and their sizing runs small, so you need to take the time to try them on.  I was in the dressing room for at least 2 hours while at Danbury and I only had about 3 hours before I had to be back at the bus!! The slim legged pants I am wearing in the photo below from the summer are from Primark. You can’t tell (deliberately), that they are at my waist and there is ample room for my problem area, my gut!!! Later this Fall, I will put together a couple of other looks from Primark and you will be even more convinced.  You will be doing what I do every month or so, which is to Google the name Primark and locations, to see if any new ones are coming to town!! red-hat