How much clothing did your wife bring?

[viking]

What does she do in Russia?

She is in accounting at the Gomel University where she handles financial matters for the students. May I ask what this has to do with clothing?

[Doll]

She is in accounting at the Gomel University where she handles financial matters for the students. May I ask what this has to do with clothing?

Sure, I was trying to imagine her standards. Sounds quite high for me.

[docetae]

Well, like I said, I did shop at Wallmart for 2 or 3 months, then my neighbor (an AW) talked me out of it,"We're passing Wallmart- don't even look at it"  
The clothes there are not that cheap BTW if you think of washing it one or two times and then throw it away.

On my side , I boycott Walmart... Just look at their business practices , this is the worst of the worst....

[Faux Pas]

On my side , I boycott Walmart... Just look at their business practices , this is the worst of the worst....

Ditto

I am not opposed to Kohls, Steinmart for casual clothes....I like them

[ECOCKS]

Hmmmm, well everyone should vote with their dollars. I find their products to be comparable to many things everywhere. As for their business practices, they changed many business practices and are increasingly being imitated by other companies hoping to bring profits back to their bottom line. It is interesting that despite the downturn, they are just posting their first couple of quarters of negative/slow growth. And they needed no bailouts or TARP money to keep hundreds of thousands of employees at work, only beginning to layoff limited numbers in the last 45 days.

How does that affect clothing? Well every person has their own tastes as to quality and style. Jeans from WM seem to be the same jeans sold elsewhere, t-shirts are of varying weights and the hiking shoes I bought the year before moving to Ukraine lasted three years of near-constant wear. All in all it seems pretty decent to me for those who shop selectively. It's an option which some choose to exercise.

[Doll]

Jeans from WM seem to be the same jeans sold elsewhere, t-shirts are of varying weights and the hiking shoes I bought the year before moving to Ukraine lasted three years of near-constant wear. All in all it seems pretty decent to me for those who shop selectively.  

WM jeans and lets take Levi's 505? Though Levi's are not expensive. Look at you butt in WM jeans and Levi's!   Huge difference!
Hiking boots? Heheeee have you tried gore- tex?

[ECOCKS]

Have a good life Doll.

[Doll]

Thanks!  

[viking]

Sure, I was trying to imagine her standards. Sounds quite high for me.

Ok. I'll bite. How do you get to "higher standards" from the information I gave you. I am curious. Maybe I am missing something from a cultural perspective?

[Doll]

Ok. I'll bite. How do you get to "higher standards" from the information I gave you. I am curious. Maybe I am missing something from a cultural perspective?

It's very easy- the accountant  at the University.They are obsessed about clothing.
High standards in clothes .

Maybe I am missing something from a cultural perspective?

You are.

[Wayne]

You should tell her not to put any important documents in her checked baggage. Those items and anything important should be carried on the plane. She should make a sign in bold letters with her name, contact information and address to ship the luggage in English and all other languages involved in her flights and place these signs several places inside the luggage.  It is very easy for the luggage tag to get torn off the outside of the bag.

Unless the laws in Ukraine changed in the last few years, all art work must be evaluated by a certain government agency and a tax paid as a percent of the value.  A stamp or seal is placed, usually on the back, indicating the tax paid and value of the art work.
Ukraine does not allow certain historical items to be removed from the country.
Gold and valuables may be taxed.

New clothes brought into USA would be subject to duty.
On an international flight, if your luggage is lost, there is a limit to the amount the airline is required to pay.  This limit is very much less than domestic flights within USA.  If any items cost more than $200, you should bring a receipt in your purse.  You should make a detailed list of items in the checked baggage.

[mies]

Wishful thinking, Viking. Odds are it won't happen that way. My money says she'll want to hit those stores much
sooner - and not just by virtue of being in fashionable New York. I hate to generalize, but I will - and this may
offer you some measure of comfort: there are many FSU ladies here in Charlotte. Nearly every one we've come
to know share a distinct love of "the bargain"....  upon arrival, she will sniff out store locations. When possible,
even if by foot - she will check them out. The clearance racks become her magnet - and she'll be delighted to
see her size remains available and in abundance.

I believe it was at the one year mark that I noticed Elvira no longer wore any of the clothing she brought along
from Russia. What gathered dust here was her sewing machine - her ability to craft dresses and suits professionally
remains intact - but as she says, "Raw materials here cost more than the outfits that so many retailers are willing
to give away..."

Since your lady won't be able to work (at least not on the books) when she first arrives, you'll probably have to
set her up with an allowance as Blues Fairy mentioned. I never expected Elvira to spend this on the basics like
food, supplies, etc...  but on herself. That's just me. What I did notice was she tended to come home with bags
full of blouses, pants, skirts and so forth for prices I found hard to believe. Somehow my wife, bless her - managed
to keep in style without busting our budget. Ladies here also network via phone - and sound alarms when a major
retailer starts marking down.

We had dinner with boaterguy last weekend. He and I were comparing notes on this very matter - and I showed
him the pair of light woolen slacks I was wearing, made in Canada, excellent quality, that Elvira virtually stole for
the sum of seven dollars. LOL!

   

I agree with each and every word in this post.

When I just came to USA - very soon I met a girl from Ukraine. At our second meeting she told me "let's go shopping - it's a summer sale time". And we went to the store. I saw few things that I liked, for a great price. Yet she told me "no, that's too expensive - let's look for better deals". I ended up buying two designer dresses - around $15 each, fantastic jeans for $4, and the shoes of my dream (I've seen them in the past while still in Ukraine, but they were too expensive for my budget) - for $30. It was then that my romance with "SALE" started
I can't help searching for bargains. When I come to the store and see something that I like - I start waiting for the end-of-season sale. If the item isn't sold out until it is discounted 80-90% - I buy it for small portion of what it cost initially. Sometimes I am coming back to the store for several months "meditating on shoes/dresses" etc. I get a feeling very similar to gambler's rush - when the stakes are growing - every time the price is reduced, and buyers are "cleaning out" the shelves. But when I finally get the item I want - I am really really happy - just as a person who won jackpot in a casino
Most of my jeans I bought for $5-20, and those are all good quality jeans of good brands - not a WallMart stuff. My numerous t-shirts are all $1-5 a piece.  Shoes - 30-100$ - but all of them bought at 75-90% sales. So these are really good and nice shoes.
Viking, I honestly believe that it is pointless for your wife to bring many clothes from her home. She can have a joy of shopping and buying new clothes, while still staying within budget.

[kievstar]

Depends on the RW and how much the husband makes and if the RW is stylish.  

Most people like a bargain but some things are just cheap under 200 usd and you have to spend over 200 usd for quality - for example purses.   The discount models are just garbage.  Most women in America have garbage purses.  Look and are cheap.

Will your RW look good with cheap priced clothing - maybe but maybe out of season or 1 year behind in the fashion world.  Will men notice you wife out of season or 1 year behind in style - no.  But fashionable women will notice.  But how many of them are there and do you really care.

My wife likes the new styles and I like her in them.  But she works as a model here in the USA and she is getting work all the time by how she is dressed.  

That being said most clothes in the USA are stylish and good quality an are under 100 usd.  Shoes, blouses, jeans, etc you can get high quality in the 50 to 125 usd range.  When you going under 50 usd your getting outdated garbage.

[mies]

Depends on the RW and how much the husband makes and if the RW is stylish.  

Most people like a bargain but some things are just cheap under 200 usd and you have to spend over 200 usd for quality - for example purses.   The discount models are just garbage.  Most women in America have garbage purses.  Look and are cheap.

Will your RW look good with cheap priced clothing - maybe but maybe out of season or 1 year behind in the fashion world.  Will men notice you wife out of season or 1 year behind in style - no.  But fashionable women will notice.  But how many of them are there and do you really care.

My wife likes the new styles and I like her in them.  But she works as a model here in the USA and she is getting work all the time by how she is dressed.  

That being said most clothes in the USA are stylish and good quality an are under 100 usd.  Shoes, blouses, jeans, etc you can get high quality in the 50 to 125 usd range.  When you going under 50 usd your getting outdated garbage.

I did not discuss clothes for work. Business dress code is a totally different topic. Staying on original topic - how is bringing clothes from Ukraine/Russia/Belarus (at least 1 season old) is different from buying clothes in USA (also 1 season old)?
Why should I spend money to please some chicks around me? Some of them wear the newest fashion and still look like they have no taste and no style. In my opinion - buying all fresh "in fashion" - isn't a guarantee for being stylish and fashionable.
As for purses - I do not really wear purses - I wear "something to fit my laptop and papers in". And when going out - I don't like wearing purses because they aren't convenient. I also don't feel excited when I see purses. Not like when I see shoes. Purse is a useless item, and doesn't fit into my own style.
Please, let me mildly disagree with your statement that everything below 50$ is an outdated garbage.  
 

[kievstar]

Mies, you make some good points but your an older lady over 40 I believe?  Once women have children or over 40 I think stylish is pretty much not important anymore.

[mies]

Mies, you make some good points but your an older lady over 40 I believe?  Once women have children or over 40 I think stylish is pretty much not important anymore.

hehe )))) Kievstar - I am 30. And I am stylish. Wearing what everyone else wears isn't stylish. It's a behavior of a sheep. Style isn't measured in spending $$$ - though there may be some minimal limit - which allows the one to realize own style.

[Faux Pas]

Mies, you make some good points but your an older lady over 40 I believe?  Once women have children or over 40 I think stylish is pretty much not important anymore.

My wife is over 40, quite stylish and classy. I can say this though, it's not the stylish one buys at Nordstroms or Rodeo Drive and she does really please herself by saving money and looking good doing so.

hehe )))) Kievstar - I am 30. And I am stylish. Wearing what everyone else wears isn't stylish. It's a behavior of a sheep. Style isn't measured in spending $$$ - though there may be some minimal limit - which allows the one to realize own style.

Excellent post

[Doll]

Mies, you make some good points but your an older lady over 40 I believe?  Once women have children or over 40 I think stylish is pretty much not important anymore.

You wish.

[Simoni]

I am interested to know how much of her own clothes did your wife bring to her new home. My fiancee insists that one large bag is enough, yet I have seen women bringing in sometimes 3-4 bags of clothing. I know that I will be buying some things here, but until everything settles in, I am expecting her to have enough clothing to get through at least one change of season ( end of winter, spring) before we hit the stores. Am I out of touch here? Can both the ladies and men give me some feedback? Thanks.

My wife brought two suitcases.  It was enough.  She hits the sales here now, and her closet is growing.   And she also manages to bring more of her things over with each return visit.  Her mom brought her winter coat on her last visit.  Here in Florida it is seldom needed, however.  Thank goodness  

[ConnerVT]

Reading through this thread, I just shake my head.  It's not directed at any one person, just where it has meandered.

She is relocating 1/3 or the way across the globe.  Let her bring as much as she wishes.  She is an adult (which she will remind you of, trust me), and there is nothing to gain in limiting what she brings.

When my wife and son came to the USA, the (free) baggage limits were 2 bags @ 70 lbs and 1 carry on, per person.  I had been bringing (and leaving) an extra suitcase each trip, so we had 6 suitcases at ~70 lbs, 3 carry on bags, and three laptop/pocketbook bags.  One of the suitcases was filled with toys (we allowed the 5 y.o. to pack what he wished), and the rest were filled with my (now) wife's belongings (except for a few changes of clothes I had brought with me).

Total tonnage was nearly 500 lbs of baggage.  The boy was asleep leaving the plane, so my wife carried him, and I wrangled 3 carry on bags, plus everything else, when we exited the plane.  The best $20 I ever spent was given to a skycap at JFK, who brought over one of his large luggage carts, helped toss luggage on the cart, sped us through Customs, and flagged us a minivan taxi (which the three of us and the luggage barely fit).

We had everything from clothing to artwork, cooking utensils to tea cups, toys, music, photographs, you name it.  The only things I really had to talk her out of bringing were electrical (the PAL VCR that wouldn't work in the US, and 220V only hair dryer).

It is now 6 years later, and more things are currently sent to Russia, than come from there.  Almost all of her Russian clothes are retired (although new coats and boots she gets from Russia are always commented on favorably), but it was an important part of her transition from living in Russia to living in the USA.

The baggage rules have changed since then, but even with a second bag (on international flights on Delta) being $50 for 50lbs, it is still a bargin.  USPS International Priority Mail costs well over twice that.  Allowing her to take as much as she wants with two checked bags/person will pay for itself easily.

[viking]

Connor

I WANT her to take more. Since I will not have any checked luggage of my own, I can easily handle a second bag. But she is inisting on only one. I would rather take more and not use it, then to take less. But then, that is how I would do it.

[brave girl]

But she is inisting on only one.

She may be not sure about everything in future??
It is possible.  brave girl

[kievstar]

Mies, to be stylish your not wearing what others are wearing and since the higher price.  If your raiding the sales racks and going cheap your a sheep and being like the masses.

Sorry, I thought you were older as you seem very focused on work and thought you already had your family with grown children.

What I said about stylish not being important for women over 40 is that it is not #1 or #2 priority in their life.  Their life has more important things than how they dress. I guess I was wrong fauxpaus as your wife still has it as a #1 or #2 priority in life.

[Boethius]

Most designers, when interviewed, have said the first place they go for inspiration is the streets of large Western European cities.  They look at what teens and early 20's are wearing at the club scene.  Those are the most "stylish" dressers, and they do so on shoestring budgets.

Unless a woman is wearing haute couture designed specifically for her (prices in the tens of thousands of dollars for one piece, and again, this is rare), someone is wearing the same piece.  There are even duplicates from designer collections, where pieces are in the thousands of dollars.  See, for example, this Chanel couture -

[Faux Pas]

What I said about stylish not being important for women over 40 is that it is not #1 or #2 priority in their life.  Their life has more important things than how they dress. I guess I was wrong fauxpaus as your wife still has it as a #1 or #2 priority in life.

Kiev, actually you tend to make generalizations and leave them to come across as absolutes when they clearly are not. Not a good or bad thing but, can be misleading. I don't doubt your knowledge and experience and I find you a very genuine and overall helpful guy but, here I think you are wrong. Where it concerns my wife I know you are.

One doesn't have to spend large quantities of cash to be stylish. Stylish being the latest trends, fashions and overall turning heads in public. My wife achieves this without the trendy boutiques and she finds pleasure in that. Her appearance likely isn't even in the top 5 of her priorities but it is very important to her. She is over 40 and looks great but it is not the be all, end all other women may experience.

I seem to recall some figures you've tossed out in other threads on the amounts of money required to appease your  much younger and quite beautiful wife's clothing expense. I also seem to recall half of that number to be extremely exuberant. Certainly not a number I am willing to spend on a wardrobe but to each their own. My point here being, style and class to you, apparently comes with a price tag. Not so much with a larger segment of the population of which I am counted.