My philosophy towards clothing and fashion has evolved considerably as I am getting older. In my 20s and 30s, I was just all about getting great deals and cheap items. I was the ultimate bargain shopper, even at decent brand name stores and had soooo much clothing in my closet. Of course we were DINKs then (double income, no kids) and had much more disposable income. The sheer volume of clothing that I had in my closet meant that I pretty much always had decent, hip stuff to wear. Then came along the kids. And that meant less disposable income, my body weight and size was fluctuating a lot during two pregnancies, and then having little ones meant that comfort and function triumphed fashion each time. Now that my boys are not babies anymore, the baby weight is coming off for good and since I’m a bit older–I’m more confident and more concerned about the image I am presenting. Particularly now that I pretty much work for myself and want to make a good impression. So, ten or fifteen years ago, I never would have shopped at a boutique-like store, because I would have perceived it as too expensive. That’s not the case anymore. Because 20-something me would purchase ten pairs of jeans at $10 each, and maybe only truly wear one or two of them regularly. 40-something me would rather purchase one $100 pair of jeans that I absolutely love, they fit great and I wear them all the time. I just view that now as the better value.

Charlie's Jeans & Chinoki-all you need is a phone!

Luckily for us here in Philadelphia, Chinoki has come to town and given us the best of both worlds. Chinoki is an online app, you can use it via the web or your phone. Right now it’s only in Philadelphia, but I encourage everyone to sign up so that you know when it comes to your town–you won’t want to miss this. When you sign up for Chinoki, you’ll be given a list of restaurants, stores and other businesses that are also signed up with Chinoki. Now we have the best of both worlds-local merchants including boutiques, with customized discount offers just for me.

I was very excited to receive this #PickYourDeal offer from Collective Bias. I looked over the list of merchants and immediately chose Charlie’s Jeans because I’ve heard great things about them. Charlie’s Jeans is an independently owned clothing store for men and women and they have been around for about 15 years. They have two locations-Old City and Rittenhouse Square area. I chose Old City because it’s easier for me to get in & out of there, traffic wise, and I like Old City. Charlie’s Jeans specializes in jeans, and fitting you with the best jeans you’ll ever own.

Several months ago, I had signed up with Chinoki when I first learned about them. I’m always game to save money and they intrigued me. You know how when you sign up for some promotional sites, your email inbox is just overwhelmed with stuff you don’t want? Well, with Chinoki, you pick what deals and offers you want. Well, I should say, you pick what merchants you want to hear from, and those are the only businesses that will send you offers. I checked off the entire restaurant category though, because I like to try new restaurants and a text coupon will encourage me to do so.

A few days before I planned to go, I got my offer via my phone. It was a text from Chinoki offering me “Buy one item, get up to 2 additional items half off at Charlie’s Jeans.” When I arrived, I was instantly greeted with by the owner and he asked if I was interested in jeans. It was about 90 degrees and humid that day, so I really wasn’t, but wanted to try them since that is what they specialize in. I will say–they do it right! He instantly knew what size and what fit would be good for me, even though I was wearing a big tunic top. The jeans fit very well and all are made to a custom length. I really liked them and will be back at some point; I decided against them on this trip mainly because right now I am a bit heavier than my usual weight. The jeans are a bit spendy, but worth it for the comfort and the fact that I know I’d wear them all the time. I just don’t want to make the investment if I plan to lose 10-20 pounds.

They had a very large assortment of Made in the USA items if that interests you. Most of the clothing had more of a sophisticated, urban flair to it–definitely not what you’d find in your local shopping mall. I decided to purchase three summer tops. They are all sleeveless and dressier than what I’d normally purchase, but I am trying to improve my wardrobe away from tees and cargo shorts. I will say, that even though the tops are dressier, they are all very comfortable. Maybe they’ll show up in a “What I wore Wednesday” post at some point.

Anyway, I encourage you to sign up for Chinoki and check out what merchants they have listed so far. Even if they are not in your city, you’ll want to be notified when it does arrive. You can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter. Come see the rest of my photos on my Google Plus album.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Chinoki #CBias #SocialFabric.