Are you "down" with DownEast Basics?

My "rule" for buying new clothes is that I generally stick to a $20 or under price tag for each piece of clothing. I make exceptions, however, for jeans, bras, coats, and the occasional piece that I just *know* I'll wear everywhere.

Because I am a deal-seeking kind of girl, I appreciate boutiques like DownEast Basics.

The cool thing about DownEast Basics is that the most expensive item that the brand carries is $44.99. Most of the tops, bottoms, dresses, and skirts actually run in the $15-$30 range. And, if you are a bargainista like me, you'll appreciate the sale page with discounts up to 70% off (If you're pregnant, be sure to check out the maternity tanks and tees on-sale for $5.00).

DownEast Basics recently sent me two items from their fall line to review - the Closer Look Cardigan ($24.99) and the Out and About Skirt ($33.99):

downeast-basics-closer-look-cardigan-out-and-about-skirt

Here's a close-up of the skirt:

downeast-basics-out-and-about-skirt-orange

And me in the sweater (Thanks to my cosmetologist sister Kathryn for doing my make-up for all these shots. She just started her first job at a salon and clearly has a knack for it.):

me-october-2009

The Closer Look Cardigan is soft, easy to wear in hot or cool weather, and has that slouchy look that is all the rage this season. The sweater extends beyond the hips and has two mini front pockets.

The Out and About Skirt, on the other hand, is excellent for petite types like me because the A-line is flattering and the length is just right. The corduroy is lightweight, yet perfect for fall - and the tiers are just plain fun. And I already told you I'm all about the orange this fall. As such, I'm loving the pumpkin-inspired hue of this skirt.

YOUR TURN: How much money do you generally spend on new clothing pieces?

downeast basics logoWIN IT! One winner will receive the Closer Look Cardigan ($24.99) and Out and About Skirt ($33.99) by DownEast Basics. To enter, leave any topic-related comment on this post prior to Sunday, November 8th at 11:59 p.m. (Don’t forget to follow the rules…all generic comments like “Enter me!,” “Love it,” and “Cool stuff!” will be disqualified.).

*UPDATE* The winner is #20 Sara. Congratulations!

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106 comments on “Are you "down" with DownEast Basics?”

  1. I love the gathering on the sleeve of the sweater and that skirt would look so great paired with a fitted blazer as well. Very versatile outfit!

  2. I love the length of that cardigan, so cute! I don't have any skirts at all, the last time I bought a skirt it was a size 3 mini :) I need a good skirt for when I have events to go to for my kids!

  3. I've been trying to buy better quality clothing so that it'll last longer, I will pay up to $50 for a top if I know I will wear it for a long time!

  4. I am definitely a frugal-ista just like you, and I loved that even the outerwear at this shop is so cheap! I love the A Cut Above Coat because you could dress it up or down and wear it anywhere!
    Cassie
    [email protected]

  5. the fact that i don't go after the latest of the latest (i'm a 'classic' kind of girl) helps me on keeping my clothing costs low. I can just browse through ross and find a nice pair of jeans, dress, sweater or top, usually below $25. More than that is too much for me :)

  6. Before I got married, I was all about designer clothing...and racked up a lot of bills! Now I'm a lot more practical and try to spend about $15 for a shirt and $30 for jeans.

  7. My daughter and I shop clearance, sales, etc. for clothing. My daughter gets her "name brand" jeans at Goodwill for $5.OO to 7.00 at the most

  8. I can't say that I have a fixed dollar amount of any one piece of clothing. It depends on the piece. I will invest more in pants and spend less on tops and sweaters. I also try not to buy things that are too trendy. I wear my clothes for years and years and years.

  9. I enjoy bargain hunting. I would spend on skirts, pants and dresses up to $30-40 and on tops up to $20. Unless something really catches my eye and then... I might give in...

  10. As a pastor's wife, I'm always looking for something, comfortable, while still looking appropriate for church. I love that these items from Down East are so cute, yet modest. Thanks for the giveaway!

  11. I'm like you, something has to be pretty darn good for me to spend more than $20 or $25 on it. When I see a sale sign in a store though, I'm like a moth to a flame, I head right for it to try to search out a deal!

  12. I am the same as you. I went to Debs this week with my teen daughters. My 18 year old walked out with 8$ jeans and my 15 year old walked out with 12$ jeans.

    Everything was on sale.. THAT is my kind of sale! Anything under 15$ and I'm soooo happy!

  13. i love the outfit! and i love downeast basics for their prices. being students, i don't get to do much shopping for myself. so i love it when we go home and i always stock up on a few downeast items. and i love these items. the sweater just seems so perfect and wearable in so many different ways. and the skirt- love the color! the tiers, the material, everything is so wearable. thanks for the awesome giveaway!

  14. I will consider buying it if I am going to wear it....a lot. Whether it's $2.00 from the thrift store or over $100 from the department store. I can justify the purchase if I wear it to death.

  15. What a cute outfit! I love how versatile the pieces look. I'm like you, I generally spend $20 or less when I buy new pieces. Honestly, I scour clearance and sales racks, and often gets shirts for $5 and under.

  16. Love those fall outfits! Your makeup in that last picture looks beautiful, yet natural! I'll see you at the baby shower and thanks for the pictures!

  17. I was about to pay what for me would be an exceptional $35 on THAT VERY SKIRT when I came across your blog & discovered that not only are you blogging about it, YOU ARE GIVING IT AWAY!

    That very skirt and I first became acquainted during a trip I recently made to my local campus bookstore (specifically to try on a different DownEast item). It was a match made...well...in the dressing room! Beautiful, comfortable, modest, easy to wear, and sporting great all-year style and color (right now in autumn with boots, in the winter with tights and a turtleneck, next spring and summer with tees and sandals)---in short, this skirt said to me, "worth every dollar you are going to have a difficult time doling out." Still, I decided to give it time and think it over.

    I tried the skirt on again in a DownEast Outfitters a week later, just to be sure the orange beauty and I were truly meant to be together. (We are.) I may just have to bite the bullet and put my wallet where my dreams are, or stop lusting after it and get on with my life. : )

    This is my first time ever participating in a giveaway...maybe because it's the first time I've wanted this badly what is being offered! Can the prize be split between two desperadoes? One hopeful writer gets the sleek sweater; this hopeful dreamer wins the skirt?

    Thanks for reading.

  18. Depending on what it is this is in order from most expensive to least. Shoes, Jackets, Jeans, and then shirts. Shoes $10-50, Jackets $20-50, Jeans $20-30, Shirts $10-15.

  19. It definitely depends on what I'm buying, but in general the cheaper it is, the more quality it is, the more likely I am to get it!! If I'm buying a fun piece I will probably be more likely to buy it if it's in the $20-$35 dollar range. DownEast prices are PERFECT and I love the quality!! :-)

  20. Very cute outfit! Since I stay at home with my kids my wardrobe has dwindled to jeans and simple shirts, so an outfit like this would be very welcome for those date nights out with hubby!

  21. seriously! Down East Basics!!! What can be more basic then them!? They have great basics that always fill my closet! I love there prices and the knit shirts! I wear them everywhere! Church, Casual, Working out! Definitely a great store to by basics!!!

  22. I love DownEast Basics! I purchased a few of their maternity shirts last year and they were great! They never lost their shape! My favorite skirt is also from there. I am looking forward to getting a few more things to add to my wardrobe very soon with some birthday money!

    Laura

  23. Wow these items are cute. I am always looking for new places to shop for great clothes at reasonable prices and DownEast Basics looks like a place I am going to visit.

  24. i really only buy sale pieces. it's been a long time since i bought something full price. pants i'll pay up to 15$ usually and shirts- anything 8$ and under.
    mind you i haven't bought clothes in a while. maybe this Christmas i'll tap into some good deals/sales.

  25. I am a budget shopper and set a similar pricepoint for myself when adding to my wardrobe. As a new mom, adjusting to my new roles in my home, I amtrying harder than ever to maintain some style and "cuteness" without blowing the budget.

    I think downeast's clothes are ideal because they're simple, stylish and sensibly priced. And that skirt is adorable on you.

  26. I usually stick to a lot of cheaper stuff for basics so that i can really splurge on a fancy item once in a while!

    nettysgirl at gmail.com

  27. I'm a bargain hunter so I usually spend under $20, but I'm dying for the L'amour jacket on Down East Basics so I might have to splurge for my birthday :)
    Thanks for the chance to win..

  28. Hey Steph,
    The pics turned out great! Cute clothes too! I'll need to check out DownEast Basics. It was so much fun doing your makeup! Thanks for coming in. Love ya.

  29. oh, i love the color of that skirt...a modern take on the 80s ruffled skirts. would look awesome paired with black or brown leggings and cowgirl boots. i've been perusing the DownEast Basics site for sometime. I'm definitely digging their down-to-earth style.

    Dr. Dolly
    drgarnecki at gmail dot com

  30. I hardly ever get new clothes, and when I do, I generally don't spend much. Maybe $30 on an outfit at Ross?

  31. I don't usually spend much on clothing, i would say about $200, because most of my clothing is bought at thrift stores, it's so much better, you get good quality clothing for a very low price! :)

  32. Down East Basics has become one of my favorite places to get clothes. I am tall (5'11") and all of their Wonder Under Tees and Tanks are PERFECT for me! I use them to lengthen every shirt I wear. I just bought a skirt from them recently and LOVE it too!! They are wonderful - and in my price range!! :)

  33. I love Down East Basic, they have such good transitional pieces. I'm such a bargain shopper that I love stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Old Navy.

  34. Down East Basics is one of my favorite places to shop because they are price efficient and very stylish. I can still feel like my clothes are cute, but not too expensive. I also appreciate that a lot of their clothing is modest. Most of the time I will spend up to $25.00 for an article of clothing if it is something I really like. I try and stick to clothes under $20.00, but they are really hard to find!

  35. Not very much....usually. I'm more a thrift store shopper, or the $3.00 racks at Walmart. I can actually find some really cute stuff, and get complimented all the time. The staples though, that I wear under everything are the Down East camisoles...I love them. I also wanted the Tuxedo tops for so long, that when they finally came back I spent full price on two of them. That was a LOT for me. Thanks for the chance.

  36. Usually less than $15 for any one item, especially since both my husbands and my work has slowed down alot this last year. But if I find a fantastic coat or pants or suit or such that i can keep for 5 years I'll go up to $75-100.... But that's rare.

    LOving DownEast Basics right now. By far the most useful and valuable pieces in my closet.

  37. Love all the 'basics' you're featuring! As a new mom, although I'm working, I live for nice basics that I can slip into that match everything else ... much like what we try to dress our daughter in too!

  38. I LOVE LOVE LOVE DownEast Basics. Their stuff is so affordable yet fashionable at the same time. I didn't know about the out-and-about skirt yet - very cool. Thanks for highlighting. I think I'll head on over to the site right now & take a look...

  39. I hate spending very much money on clothes. I very rarely spend over $20 on anything and was very excited to get a brand new pair of jeans this weekend for $7!!

  40. I try to find clothes that are on sale or at least discounted from the department store prices. Anything I can get between $20 and $40 is great. Sometimes a splurge is fun though :) You look great in this outfit! I love the look of it...

  41. I think I shop a lot like you, I like to keep things to $20 or less. I do love to shop 2nd hand for some things too. I love Down East, I have a few of their pieces. I kind of feel like if I don't pay to much for things and I get quite a bit of wear out of it I can send it away and get something new when I get tired of it.

  42. I'm a bargain shopper - always cruising the sale racks looking for a good deal. So I was happy to find DownEast basics! Now I can look cute for less. I'm willing to spend a little more for a great pair of jeans, but when it comes to tops and tees, $20 is about as high as I like to go. Thank you DownEast for making great clothes at great prices!

  43. I just found this site. It's terrific. I'm loving the reviews on clothing. LOVE the skirt, boots & cardigan look. SO cute. I lost touch with fashion for quite a bit after submerging myself into the natural motherhood world. I'm now finding a balance & loving it. Great job on this site!

  44. I tend to buy from the clearance racks, and rarely buy tops that are more than $20,but I do have a couple that cost a little more that I just had to have.

    I tend to spend a lot more on jeans too, a good pair is worth it.

    Your makeup looks awesome and again you look so beautiful!
    Im off to check out DownEast Basics!

  45. I tend to be a bit of a bargain shopper, which makes finding things tricky. I will spend a bit more on a good pair of jeans. If I find something that I LOVE and that I know I will wear with lots of things, I will spend a bit more too. May I just say how cute you look in these pictures! Not just cute...beautiful! Love the boots and the skirt...you are rockin' it!

  46. You look great in that outfit..

    I generally try to stay in a lower range. I try not to spend over $25-$30 on a shirt, and on a skirt I try to not go over 40 and downeast has the best bargain deals, and most the the time you can get the outfits you want for a great deal!

  47. I generally spend a good deal on quality pieces like jeans and quality sweaters. I love anthropology! On everyday where I really like target. The only trouble is the inexpensive clothes don't stand the test of time.

  48. I spend next to nothing on my clothes because i buy most of them at Goodwill. An average trip will cost me anywhere from $5 to $30 dollars, but that usually includes one to three pieces of clothing. That is, if i actually end up finding something. But honestly, there are enough people that like to get rid of perfectly good clothes (seriously, i've found clothes that still have the tags on them!) that i have a fabulous wardrobe with just a little looking!

  49. I'm a bargain shopper, which is one reason why I love DownEast Basics. I try to stick to $30 or less for tops, but I'm willing to go a little more for dresses or pants.

  50. Another awesome company I haven't heard of! Thanks for the intro. :) I rarely buy new clothes, but when I find something quality that fits I'll pay $20-40 for it.

    Truly can't remember the last time I wore a skirt... would love a new one!

  51. I very often buy my stuff at Goodwill or the clearance racks of Old Navy or Target. My budget is all about the deal!

  52. Oh my goodness....I LOVE DownEast! I miss having a store close by! I use to live in Idaho where there are plenty of those stores! Now, I live East of the Mississippi River and they don't have any around where I live! It is one awesome store!

  53. nice. I've never heard of that line, but then again I'm a guy so I probably shoulnd't have :-) I too am pinching pennies these days. It's always nice to hear about places that still sell quality clothes for affordable prices. Unlike Nordstrom, which I love but is ridiculously priced.

  54. Hmmm...well, I have to admit that I've gotten so used to shopping "99 cent Mondays" at Savers, that paying more than a dollar or two for a top feels kind of expensive! If I really like it, maybe 5 or 6 dollars :) I do buy more expensive shoes, and am willing to shell out more for jeans too, because they're so hard to come by a good fit second hand.

    (You look wonderful in these pictures, btw - and your makeup is fantastic!)

  55. I've never heard of DownEast Basics before. Wow That is awesome! I have an extremely hard time spending money on myself, thus why I never have new clothes.

  56. I like to keep tops and bottoms under the $25 dollar range per item. My friend has the closer look cardigan and it is adorable, I have tried to find it online at downeast basics but none in my size, they are all sold out. I love the downeast basics line beacuse it modest and longer in length. You look adorable in the outfit!!! I love those boots!!!!

  57. I'll spend more on boots and bras, but with everything else I'm a bargain shopper. I've picked up a couple of tops lately for under $10 each. And the Levi's outlet is a great place to get jeans.

  58. My friend taught me the great trick to only have pieces that you LOVE in your closet. So sometimes I will spend more on an item that I know I will wear a lot... but generally - I'm a deal shopper. I hate to spend lots of money on clothes.

    And seriously - darling boots! Where are they from?

  59. That is a really cute outfit! I've longed over skirts like that one an I love love love that it's courduroy. I'm super cheap when it comes to buying clothes, well, anything really. I ususally only buy on good sale or resale. This is probably why I don't have much in my wardrobe. I've been wanting to get a cardigan this season b/c it's something that can work in and out of pregnancy so I don't feel like I'm wasting money on it and it's so versatile.

  60. I've actually started to upgrade my wardrobe. I used to put a cap on my clothing, but I recently realized that if I spend a little bit more money on basics (grey/black dresses, skirts, jeans, even shirts) I'll feel better in them and wear them more often!!

  61. I try to spend as little as possible! Usually I try to spend less than $5 (these are generally items that are quality pieces, but clearance priced). For full price, I generally won't spend more than $20 though. Jeans and bras are the exception to that rule though because I wear them all the time. My Max. is about $35 though, I(my wallet) just can't handle any more than that!

  62. I try to stay under $20, too, although lately I find myself wanting to spend more on pieces I know will last.

    Cute outfit! I love twirly skirts.

  63. I'm so the same way about clothes, I hate spending more then $20 on a piece except for jeans. The skirt is really cute, you are going to have a very orange wardrobe after this weekend giveaways huh.

  64. I can't remember the last time I bought an article of clothing NEW. I usually hit the thrift stores and hope they have something that I will like. More often than not, they do.
    These are super cute photos of you! And I am proud of your sister. Is she enjoying her new job?! Hope so!!

  65. I totally stick to twenty dollars or less, as well, unless it's a must-have...and even then I probably won't buy it. I have a hard time purchasing clothes for myself.

  66. Honestly, it depends on how much I absolutely love it and if I have the money to spare. I've spent up to $50 on a shirt before all that doesn't happen very often and jeans vary. Normally I tend to stick to sales racks and discounted items if I can help it.

  67. I try to find things for under $10 but, like you said, there are things like bras that I pay alot more for. I noticed your great makeup job, nice work Kathryn!

  68. I generally don't buy anything that didn't come off the clearance rack. (bras are the only exception) I have a little voice inside me that won't let me buy anything expensive. This is a good thing- most of the time. This little voice also says, "It's only 2 dollars! You have to buy it! Even if it is only kind of cute!"

  69. It honestly depends on what I need. Since I work outside in the mud, most of my work attire comes from Goodwill. The Goodwill closest to the local university is also a better source of casual t-shirts and layering shirts than Nordstrom and Marshalls. Items there are usually $3-$10, so I'll set a limit of $30 and see what I come up with.

    For nicer clothing, recently I've been perusing the sale racks at Banana Republic, Nordstrom and even REI, as REI items are usually wrinkle resistant. Clothing there is $20-$50+, and I tend to keep it on the cheaper side.

  70. Thank goodness for TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I am able to get good quality pieces at fabulous prices. And I am madly in love with Downeast. Easy to wear fashionable clothing that doesn't break the bank. The Closer Look Cardigan is to die for! I need that beauty.

  71. Oh my gosh! You have totally got to save that last pic of yourself! You're always pretty in your pics, but that one is phenomenal! :D

    I almost never spend more than $20 on one article of clothing. Can't remember the last time I spent more than that...

  72. I'm a huge bargain shopper. I honestly try to spend under $10 per item. I did make an exception recently and bought a pair of Lucky brand jeans at TJ Maxx for $29.99. And I LOVE them! They fit so much nicer than the cheaper jeans I was buying. I agree with you that sometimes you need to spend the money on good quality things. I'd love to win the sweater and skirt. They look great!!

  73. On my basic clothing I like to keep it around $20 or less an item, but for key pieces that flatter my body and I just know I will wear 100 times over I will to $50 to $100.

  74. I have the exact same rule as you, Stephanie! There are times when I will make exceptions for more sturdy pieces that are going to last longer (like you said, jeans, and coats, and also well made classic pieces that I know I'll wear a great deal). Down East Basics has only been on my radar for a month now, and I just love what they are selling!

  75. Since I don't work everyday I try to keep the cost of the "wear at home" clothes to under $20.
    I will hunt down a great bargain on the other items that I want to purchase.

  76. I just discovered DownEast Basic not very long ago!
    They do have wonderful looking clothes with great price points. I am a bargain shopper; especially, when it comes to clothing! Most of the time, I will spend $20-$30 dollars on tops, the same on skirt and pants ( sometimes, $10 more dollars on
    pants and skirts ). I wish my sister were a cosmetologist! Thanks, Cindi

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