At first, Mary Birchard was a little resistant to the idea of a black, newsboy hat.
The freshman in political science said she wasn't keen on covering her eyes, but in the end, during a head-to-toe shopping adventure, Birchard donned the hat, as well as a black-and-white checkered and cropped jacket.
Let's face it, shopping on a college budget is a drag and can be tough for college students. That's why, on Tuesday, The Lantern took Birchard and Joe Rogers, an undecided freshman, to Rag-O-Rama, 3301 N. High St. with a simple mission: dress them in new outfits with a spending limit of $100 each. Though the newspaper couldn't foot the bill, the clothes were returned at the end of the excursion.
 Media Credit: Jason Driggs |
Despite a wide variety of inexpensive and funky used clothes, staying within the budget was still a bit of a challenge, however, Birchard and Rogers were ready to take the store by storm.
Walking up to the store and pointing out an already-made ensemble in the window, Birchard went right up to a sales associate and asked her to take down the cotton turtleneck, striped knee-length skirt and wide, ribboned belt. Within two minutes of entering the store, Birchard was already in the dressing room, tossing her present outfit on the floor and making way for her new find.
Five minutes later, she emerged from behind the curtain, revealing a skirt that was three sizes too big for her tiny frame. The vintage belt, meant to be worn high on the waist could not mask the overbearing skirt.
"Ugh, I really liked this, but it looked better on that model," Birchard said. "The belt is a big no, too."
The purple turtleneck ($14.50) fit like a glove but still needed something snazzy to kick it up a bit.
A belted jacket ($16.50) was just what she was looking for, and the black-and-white pattern added some funkiness to the sophisticated turtleneck.
A perfect pair of jeans were the best fit for the outfit, and luckily, an inexpensive pair of dark jeans were waiting in the back of the store.
"How about ballet flats with this?" Birchard said, snatching up the boot-cut denim. "Yeah, that'd look cute," she said, answering herself.
She returned quickly with a pair of flats made of a tan material in a basket-woven pattern, along with a pair of short, purple heels ($18.50).
"Uh, no on those," Rogers firmly said, pointing to the flats.
Agreeing, Birchard threw them to the side and put on the heels, or at least, tried to.
"I can't even get my foot in! The security tag is cutting off my heel," she said, as she and Rogers laughed about their shoe issues.
The touches that polished off the ensemble were a purple coin purse ($9.50), and two necklaces ($13.50 and $8) layered together.
Topped off with a tilted newsboy hat ($9), Birchard looked like she had just taken a trip to a high fashion and high-priced shopping store with an outfit that cost $107.
 Media Credit: Jason Driggs |
Rogers chose to go for the ever-so-popular layered look, complete with a vintage undershirt covered in frisky sea lions ($8.50).
He covered the lions with a blue and red plaid shirt ($14.40) and topped off the shirt with a red sweater ($9.50). With a swift pop of the collar, he morphed into "Mr. GQ."
Finishing off the super-sleek look, Rogers picked out a navy-blue pea coat ($16.50), still in mint condition.
Both Birchard and Rogers were surprised when they flipped over the under $20 price tags of the jeans they had chosen to try on. The jean variety at Rag-O-Rama is endless. Every color and fit can be found lining the walls of the store.
Shoes ($16.50) were a snap because Rogers knew what he was looking: a pair of black dress shoes that could be worn to class and the bars.
"I love these shoes, even though they are killing my feet. I'll still force them in there though," Rogers said.
"Beauty is pain, always remember that folks," Birchard added smiling at Rogers, who was walking awkwardly in his new kicks.
Surprisingly, finding accessories was simple: a chic pair of aviator shades ($14.50) and a khaki-colored scarf ($5). A look that calls out for the spring season to emerge.
After the two modeled their new, exquisite looks, they were convinced that they would make a trip back to Rag-O-Rama.
"I'm coming back next week, they'll probably have new stuff by then," Rogers said.
He was also so taken with the pea coat, a steal at $16.50, that he put it on the old credit card before heading back to campus.
Caitlin Wirt can be reached at wirt.10@osu.edu.
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