You identify two distinct types of buyers: classic and
romantic. How do they break down?
Classics do a lot of research on products. They’re methodical. They don’t buy extra features for their cars. The Romantic shops more with his or her heart. It’s an emotional experience. They’re much more easily swayed by, say, music in a store.
I’m definitely a classic buyer but my husband on the other hand. . . what are some of the inherent differences between men and women shoppers?
Well, there are these stereotypes we tend to believe like “men hate to shop.” But in the course of doing this book, I went shopping with a lot of men who really liked shopping as recreation or entertainment. They liked the hunt and all the rest. But one major difference is women do seem to enjoy shopping in packs. For men, it’s a solo act for the most part. Another is that women are much more comfortable returning. Men in general hate returning and don’t return, even if what they bought is broken or mis-sized. They’re concerned there might be conflict. They don’t want the aggravation. Women aren’t quite as uptight about it. In fact, many return habitually. They’re called “bring back queens”.
How much does a celebrity’s involvement in a product motivate us to buy?
A lot. It used to be we bought things to trade up, to look like we were rich and classy and well-born and dignified. But what’s happened in the last 20 or 30 years is that we buy to be identified with what social science refers to as a "reference group"—i.e. young Hollywood starlets who are in the paper or online all the time. We take our style cues from them.
So when we’re buying a Kate Moss for Top Shop or Elizabeth and James piece, part of what we’re buying is their image?
We want to buy clothes that bring us into that lifestyle. It’s not trading up, it’s trading into a cultural segment that we think is cool or seductive.
The recession's made us all much more aware of price. But shopping on a budget— which is what The Thread is all about— seems to have lost its stigma. Do you agree?
Absolutely. People are not only less embarrassed to focus on price, but it’s also very “cool” to not spend a lot of money.
We’re so glad to hear you say that.
It's true. There’s been a massive mindset change— even with the expensive brands. Just in the last couple of weeks, you’ve got Jimmy Choo designing for H&M and Stella McCartney at Baby Gap. I’ve heard a number of people who escaped the downturn relatively unscathed say, “I can’t believe two years ago I was buying shoes that cost $500!”— even if they can still afford shoes that cost $500. We’ve been chastened. The ultimate cool thing now is to buy both high and low. I’m wearing a $400 top from Diane von Furstenberg, but I bought my jeans at Goodwill for two bucks. That’s become the epitome of self-expression.
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