The Recessionista Reviews A|X Armani Exchange: Style, Value + Service

A few weeks ago, I went shopping at the new A|X Armani Exchange store on Robertson in Los Angeles.  I entered the store in stealth mode to do a review for the blog and was pleasantly surprised by two things that are becoming increasingly rare in the overcrowded budget fashion field: 1) style and 2) customer service. These qualities are becoming as rare as blue eggs on Sunday as my recessionary journey through fashion’s bridge lines continues.  The big box retailers, like Target,  bring in designers, but in my opinion the quality pales in comparision to the craftsmanship of Armani’s  A|X  line.  Make no mistake, there are still touches of   Armani in this lower priced line.  I noticed the draping of the blouses, the cuts that flatter a women’s curves and the actual 1/2 in to 5/8 in seams on garments, not just serge stitched seams sewn together over lapping edges inside the garments.  The cardigans and jackets have stylish buttons real tailoring. Armani gave me a $50.00 gift certificate to do my shopping, but I spent and extra $30.00 on the above pictured sweater, which I fell in love with .  Throughout my shopping experiences, a live sales person was actually available to help me.  She assisted me by bringing in different styles and sizes to the fitting room.  I do recommend trying on the  A|X Armani pieces in store if you have the chance. Some of the garments are form fitting, and you may wish to go up a size, and others run roomy, so you’ll want to go down a size.  I like that.  The patterns and sizing fit the individual styles of the garments.  There is no “cookie cutter” uniform sizing here. I went down a size in the Gold Lurex sweater I purchased.  The T-shirts were more form fitting, and I took my regular size in those. The jeans and pants looked more form fitting.

Overall, I was really impressed by the selection and styles at Armani Exchange.  When you consider you can buy something for under $100.00 and that a sales person will help you (if you shop in-store,) well, that is pretty incredible. (Especially when you consider that some of the  dresses by Zac Posen for Target were $79.99 and in my opinion, not near the quality of  A|X). The store also has sale items, with many pieces as low as $39.00 USD.   There are great styles for both men and women, just take your time to shop the old fashioned way, and try on a variety of garments in various sizes, as there is sales staff there to help you. The shopping environment is pleasant, so you don’t need to hurriedly rush through the racks grasping for the best deal and hoping you grab it before someone else takes it.   If there is no brick and mortar store (there are 178 stores around the world)  near you, then do shop online and check out some of the online exclusives.  I was ready to buy the amazing Spray Paint short sleeved shirt in person, until I saw that a longer sleeved version was exclusively available on the  A|X website. You can’t believe how beautiful the colors are on this in person.  It’s really striking. Definitely lust worthy.  This shows what a great designer can do when they use a T-Shirt as their canvas.  No gift card necessary to entice me to buy this one.

 I like that the online  A|X Armani Exchange store accepts PayPal.  That is a nice alternative for those who don’t have credit cards, or who don’t wish to incur finance fees.

My only complaint about the store on Robertson is the blasting music and in-store DJ.  The throbbing beat does not enhance the shopping experience, it just brings on a headache.  However, I can endure loud muzak for some amazing garments that are well priced, and offer real, classic Armani style.

P.S: . I’ve announced the winners of my  A|X giveaway.  All the winners have been contacted via email, so check your in-box if you entered! Readers, you have great taste, I loved reading your style picks!!