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I like discount shopping. I love searching for that sale and I get a thrill when I’m able to get a super discount on an item that I’ve been hunting down. But, there’s a brand that appears on this site pretty consistently that I can’t get discount shopping. It’s doesn’t play the markdown game and it’s price range is higher than the stores that I typically shop at. And since you’ve already seen the title of this post, you know I’m talking about Everlane.
Everlane The Oversized Alpaca Crew c/0
Old Navy Skirt (Similar, Similar)
Over the Knee Boots (Similar, Similar)
Anthropologie Scarf
Madewell Transport Tote
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Everlane The Oversized Alpaca Crew c/0
Old Navy Skirt (Similar, Similar)
Over the Knee Boots (Similar, Similar)
Anthropologie Scarf
Madewell Transport Tote
Why It’s Worth It To Make Room In My Budget for Everlane
I absolutely love Everlane, but I’m fully aware that it’s not cheap. I’ve also had a few of you say to me that you love Everlane, but you just can’t afford it or it’s just really not in your budget. Trust me, I understand. I’m there with you (remember when I wrote about investment pieces?). It’s why I wanted to write this post for you to explain why it’s worth it to make room in my budget for Everlane.
Real Leather. And Real Silk. And Real Cashmere.
Previous to Everlane, none of the above things really felt like accessible, wearable clothing options to me. I didn’t even bother looking at items like leather Italian loafers because there was no way I could afford those, they would be $300. A real silk shirt? Pssh, $250. Everlane makes these items actually accessible.
Plus, they use these expensive fabrics into a variety of ways, so they’re never cutting corners. You can purchase a cashmere dress or a leather tote. You don’t have to worry about running into a “faux leather” anything at Everlane.
Quality
Even though the items are more accessible, doesn’t mean they’re of lower quality. Every item I’ve received has been of incredibly high quality and has lasted me more than one season. Or I can tell that it’s going to last more than one season.
Plus, if you do have an issue with your item, customer service is pretty quick to respond.
Actually Comfortable
Here’s something you never here: all of their pieces are actually comfortable. What the what? Remember my review of the day gloves? They claimed these shoes were just as great for walking as sneakers and they weren’t kidding. Their heels and mules were just as comfortable.
The cashmere sweaters are the softest sweaters in the world–I actually didn’t understand the hyper around cashmere until I got one of Everlane’s cashmere sweaters. Then I tried one of theirs on and went, “ohhhhhh! This is why people love cashmere!”
Even my backpacks and shoulder bags have been incredibly comfortable to carry, even when I’ve over stuffed them to the point of explosion.
It’s so rare to find a clothing store where everything is comfortable that when you find one, you hold on fast.
Expensive, but not too expensive
Now let’s address the important elephant in the room: pricing. So yes, I’ll admit it: Everlane is not cheap. In comparison to where the majority of the readers on here shop (Old Navy, J.Crew Factory, Loft, etc.), it’s expensive. But, if we zoom out and look at the bigger picture, Everlane actually falls into the more mid-range priced companies.
How do you know? Go to the shop section of Google and put in “authentic Italian Leather loafers” and let’s compare: $278 from M.Gemi, $298 at Brooks Brothers, $575 from Ferragamo, and $640 from Gucci. Everlane is only $168. You can repeat this with real silk shirts, cashmere, jeans, etc. You’ll quickly get the point. Everlane even does the work for you on their site and shares what the item would typically retail for on their site. You’ll be blown away by the difference.
Transparency in Pricing and Choose your own price
How do they pull of the inexpensive pricing? Well, I can actually tell you that because Everlane believes in full transparency in pricing! This is best shown in Everlane’s “Choose What You Pay” section, the closest thing they have to a sale section. For each of the items, Everlane breaks down at the bottom of the page how transparent pricing works. They share the breakdown of the costs that goes into making of the item.
For instance, the main price they charge for their Relaxed Soft Cotton Shirt is $68, but it would traditionally retail for $130. At the bottom of the page, it tells you that the true cost of production of the shirt is $26. So Everlane is only charging about a 150% mark up, while other companies would typically charge a 250% mark up. But, Everlane also discloses this information about themselves while others choose not to.
Choose your Own Price
If we then look at the Choose What You Pay page for the same shirt, you can choose to buy the shirt for $48 (A little less than a 100% mark up), $55, or $62. When they first set up this page, they actually had it set up so you could decide how much money Everlane would make off of your purchase, so you could choose to pay the exact cost of production, a slight mark up, or Everlane’s retail price.
Everlane is the only company I’ve ever known to tell you EVERYTHING about the costs of production for their items and share exactly why they’re charging what they do.
Transparency in Production
Not only are they transparent their pricing, but they’re transparent in the production of their items. For every single item on their site, you can look and see exactly which one of their factories the item was made in and learn about each of the factories.
Everlane also is working towards clean production of each of their items. They’ve already introduced clean silk production and clean jeans production, but they aren’t planning on stopping there. On the site, Everlane recently introduced a line of winter jackets that was made out of recycled bottles. These jackets promise to be ready for any winter.
They actually listen to user feedback
Finally, this may be my most favorite reason: unlike many companies, Everlane actually listens to and values user feedback. They don’t want to put out a subpar product, so they’ll keep working on something until its perfect. And when something new comes out? They’ll ask for user feedback and take everything that they get into consideration. My commuter backpack actually came about because people loved the modern zip, but wanted an easier want to reach into their bag while on the go. The first run of their bodysuits didn’t have snaps on the bottom, but you can bet that the second run did!
It’s amazing knowing that a company is actually listening to the feedback that you’re giving to them and using what you say to make their products even better.
So how do I make room for Everlane into my budget
Okay, so I’ve raved enough about it, but how do I ACTUALLY make room for Everlane in my budget? Yes, I do know that I receive some things from them for free for my blog, but I also buy a number of things from them on my own (I told you, I REALLY liked the day gloves). So when I buy things, I need to figure out fitting them in. Well, doing so is a matter of a few things (that you should always be taking into consideration when you’re shopping).
How much did I already spend this month? If you’re on a tight budget, maybe focus on making this your main or only clothing purchase this month. Or if you’ve spent a lot this month, hold off until next month to buy. Since it’s clothes, there’s very rarely an urgency to buy now. (Unless it’s a black tie wedding in two hours, then, um, get your butt to a department store now.)
Do I have something similar in my closet? If so, is it better to sell that item on poshmark and put the money towards the higher quality item on Everlane? Or is it better to stick with that item and skip the Everlane purchase? (Which is okay!)
Am I going to get my cost per wear with this piece? For a lot of people, if they can get it down to a $1/wear (so if it’s $100, you’ll wear it at least 100 times), it’s worth it. For Everlane, I feel like my cost/wear on pieces is pretty good, (especially with those cashmere sweaters), but I can’t speak for you. Think about how you wear clothes and think about it seriously.
It’s a long list, but that’s how it’s been worth it for me to make room in my budget it for Everlane. It’s only of the only more expensive brands that I’ve done so for, but it’s definitely been worth it.
Now, I’ll give you all a little treat. If you’ve never shopped at Everlane before (or you want to make a new account with them), you can use this link and take $25 off of your first purchase (which will totally make it worth it). If you decide to use it let me know what you get! Or if you already shop at Everlane, let me know what your favorite pieces are!
Photos by Kimberly Graydon
