.: OOTN: Birthday Suit + Style Secret

My 23rd (yes, i'm "that young") birthday is Monday, the 26th, and it has swiftly crept up on me. Since I do have to work at the tip of the week in order to keep a dollar or two in my pocket, I cannot celebrate the day of and instead opted to go out last night. I went to a few spots, ran across the same lames, dodged the same thugs, giggled at the same mediocre females ... Tampa nightlife NEVER leaves me impressed. Nonetheless, I had a good time with a new, super cool friend of mine (#YesNewFriends) mostly drinking.

Nothing too special.

Digressing...

I chose to go with a very trendy watercolor floral 2-piece set, nothing too extravagant. I'd been eyeing this one in particular after I saw it show up numerous times on my Instagram feed, it was being sold by several different online boutiques. What had me stalling is the price. I know the material, the lifespan, and overall quality of wholesale merchandise is not grade A, so seeing this spandex outfit with a $70 price tag attached was a little too steep. I mean, don't get me wrong, I support independent business owners ALL DAY, but, some things just aren't worth it.

Primarily, the vendors buy by the bulk, so I guarantee they're not even paying half of that for the garments. Then, most boutique merchandise is seasonal, so it's not something you should spend a lot of money on (good quality or not) because they're not staple items. Last, the seam work and construction of these types of garments, coming from overseas, is usually sub par. I sometimes have to fix something before I even wear it outside the house, or notice things that should have been put together differently. With that being said, i'd much rather spend the $100 on something more significant like a basic pair of black skinny jeans I could possibly wear different ways weekly and won't fade.

My set, purchased along with some other things by my mother, actually came from a local flea market. Upon entering I realized that everything online was available. EVERYTHING. For half, or even a quarter of the price. Of course the flea market is crammed and hot, and you won't have the "pleasure" of saying you purchased it from a boutique -_- ... but you will get to feel the material of the garments as opposed to assuming, you will get to try it on and avoid having to ship it back, you will get to see if it actually compliments your physique before purchasing, and most importantly, you'll get it at a reasonable price.