Zara

It is a regular Monday here in Italy but in the States it is Labor Day. Are you shopping all the great sales today? I have one more store to add to your list.

I just love Zara. Do you shop there? It is a Spanish chain that has stores all over Europe and several in the States. I must tell you, their clothes are always exactly what the Europeans are wearing. The prices are amazing, the quality is decent and the style is usually exactly right.

Even a lady I know who is the typical sophisticated Italian, is always, always well dressed and has many of her clothes custom-made, shops at Zara. She says their pants are "well tailored". Once this spring I asked her if she was going out because she had on a fabulous trench and a beautiful silk scarf with perfect hair and make-up. She answered "No, today I just stay home and read." Shouldn't we all look that great to read? Anyway, if she can wear a 40 Euro pair of pants from Zara, we all can.

Zara is always fashion forward and here's the trick according to Wikepedia : "The company can design a new product and have finished goods in its stores in four to five weeks; it can modify existing items in as little as two weeks. If a design doesn't sell well within a week, it is withdrawn from shops, further orders are canceled and a new design is pursued. No design stays on the shop floor for more than four weeks, which encourages Zara fans to make repeat visits. An average high-street store in Spain expects customers to visit three times a year. That goes up to 17 times for Zara.

So, if you want the European look of the moment at a really great price, head to Zara.

http://www.zara.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home/it/it/zara-sales

image credit: businessweek.com