I won't argue, Forever 21 is one of the most affordable, fashion forward stores around. It gives us the capability of being a fashionista without breaking the bank, a college student's dream. All through college, this was my go-to store. A bedazzled dress, a statement necklace to dress up that plain tee, a pair of rockin' heels I just HAD to have, an adorable ring to match the statement necklace. Well, let's just say at one point my wardrobe consisted of a lot of Forever 21 merchandise, and this was OK until I noticed that these purchases were slowly but surely falling apart at the seams. All the bedazzles fell off of that pretty little dress, the statement necklace seemed to turn green overnight, the heels left my feet in more pain than I have ever felt before, and the ring just plain broke.
After college my friends and I started referring to Forever 21 as the "disposable" store, where we would go shop with the understanding that whatever we bought would be for a single use. However, all these single uses ended up costing more in the end than probably investing in more durable articles of clothing. Over the years, through the many hauls of my closet to purge it of all the fad related items and the "I'm just not that into it" pieces, I found that the constant theme was that almost all the items I was donating/throwing away were Forever 21 pieces.
I realize that the average price for clothing at Forever 21 is $19.99, but if you buy 3 of their shirts for a total of about $60, you can get one really nice shirt from pretty much anywhere else that will last more than one cycle in the laundry machine. This life changing formula put into perspective that I no longer want to throw away my money on short-lived pieces of clothing but rather start investing in articles of clothing that will last more than 12 hrs.
I'm proud to say I haven't bought anything from Forever 21 in about 5 months. Even though I peruse their website to see what they have to offer (hey I'm only human), and even though I see some really cute, affordable pieces I would want, I remind myself that this is just a one time deal, and to me, not worth it.