Retail executive Larry Meyer is uncomfortable with the adjectives sometimes used to describe his employer, a California apparel chain churning out new styles so frequently that fresh deliveries come through the store doors as often as five days a week. "We didn't invent that" term, the Forever 21 senior vice president said of "disposable chic," which the apparel stores' shoppers use to describe its hot fashions at very affordable prices.

	Stacy Innerst, Post-Gazette Click illustration for larger image.

The same label -- and its sibling, "cheap chic" -- has been applied to a slew of retailers that have discovered consumers love paying so little for something that is stylish, even if the styles change next year. Low-priced designer clothes and home goods helped anoint discounter Target with the nickname "Tar-ZHAY." H&M, or Hennes & Mauritz, a Swedish apparel chain known as the "Ikea of clothing," reportedly caused near riots last year with a limited edition line of inexpensive clothes from oh-so-out-of-reach Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Pittsburghers unfamiliar with H&M or Forever 21 are getting their first local taste of these popular retailers and this too-cool-to-be-called discount trend. H&M, which has 1,100 stores in 21 countries, is scheduled to open its first area store today at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall, off Route 28 in Frazer. Forever 21, a chain of more than 145 stores that opens 30 more annually, has been at the Mills mall since midsummer and at the SouthSide Works development since last month.

The growth of such stores reflects a great appetite for inexpensive, fashionable merchandise, said retail consultant Lois Huff.

She points to a couple of driving influences, led by a whole passel of middle-income shoppers who, after spending hours watching home decorating TV shows and cable programs explaining what not to wear or showcasing the latest runway fashions, have developed a strong sense of design.

The majority cannot afford to keep up with the Hiltons, perhaps dropping $4,250 on a Giorgio Armani Plisse jacket or $1,200 on a Marc Jacobs gold quilted Venetia satchel.

Besides, for most people, investing that much in a purse would mean using the same bag daily to justify the expense, even if it doesn't quite go with the outfit du jour. What's the fun in that?

At the same time, shoppers have benefited from lower prices made possible through global sourcing -- they expect to be able to find slick lamps and well-cut jeans that don't empty the wallet.

"The confluence" of these two forces -- societal exposure and outsourcing -- "is cheap chic," said Huff, senior vice president at Retail Forward in Columbus, Ohio.

The trend might not have accelerated so fast if the culture had not made "shopping down" so acceptable.

Maybe it started when Sharon Stone wore her Gap T-shirt with a Valentino ready-to-wear skirt and an Armani dress worn as a coat at the 1995 Academy Awards. Certainly it helped when respected, post-modern architect Michael Graves began doing clocks and toasters for Target.

More designers began to believe they could reach the masses without sacrificing their reputations among the well-heeled customers demanding items that would be sold to only an elite few.

Target's relationship with Isaac Mizrahi may have even infused new energy into the fashion designer's career, with the discounter carefully marketing its partner's glam factor. The retailer has tried to simulate the fashion experience as much as possible, holding special events to launch new lines and, last month, even holding an online trunk show making key items available exclusively to e-shoppers for three weeks.

Mizrahi certainly shows no shame about his down-market work. The September edition of "Shop" magazine includes a shot of him laughing with a model attired in his clothes: a $19,500 mink coat and a $2,900 pair of khaki pants, both sold at ritzy Bergdorf Goodman, paired with a $24.99 blouse and $27.99 pair of moccasins, carried by Target.

"How does Isaac successfully live in both specialty department stores and discount stores? Why does Bergdorf Goodman welcome Isaac into its rarified space at the same time as the brand sits in the pet care aisle at Target?" asked New York retail consultant Wendy Liebmann in her August client newsletter.

"The short answer: Today a chic brand is a chic brand, whether high or low priced. Today's smart shoppers recognize that, even expect that."

Chanel designer Lagerfeld, who has been called everything from haute couture demigod to the high priest of hip, slickly maintained that fashion guru persona in an interview in which he was quoted as saying he decided to do the H&M line because it amused him. Next up, designer Stella McCartney is creating a collection for the company that will hit stores in November.

Mass market retailers clearly covet the cachet that comes from successful forays into cheap chic.

J.C. Penney launched a line this year with Nicole Miller, whose clothes have been seen on celebrities and are traditionally sold in boutiques. Penney spokesman Tim Lyons, who said sales had been strong since the February launch, added that the retailer was working hard to improve its fashion quotient.

This push by retailers to create fashion instead of just copying the latest designs is perhaps one of the most compelling pieces of the chic-but-cheap story, said Retail Forward's Huff.

As an example, she cited Michael Graves' housewares at Target. "He didn't follow someone's design. He designed what he wanted," Huff said. "That's an extreme reversal of where trends and styles come from."

And it is different from the version of chic that bargain hunters search for in the deeply discounted wares found at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx or quirky home goods chain Tuesday Morning -- though the new retailers like the treasure-hunting aspect, too.

Forever 21's Meyers, for example, said the chain's frequent deliveries of fresh goods meant its shoppers stop in an average of three times a month, not great for a grocery store but not bad for a clothing shop.

A recent stroll through Forever 21 found a brown corduroy shrunken jacket for $23.80, a crocheted cabbie hat for $10.80 and jeans ranging between $29 and $33.

H&M, where the average top costs $29.90, also delivers new products to its stores daily. The company has more than 100 in-house designers tracking trends and developing fashion.

"The company offers chic clothing but we are also focused on the quality of the garments," said spokeswoman Jennifer Uglialoro. "H&M clothing offers high fashion and quality."

Achieving a reputation for cheap chic takes both luck and skill. "Everyday low price" retailer Wal-Mart's recent decision to advertise its clothing in the September issue of high fashion magazine Vogue seemed more jarring than Target's venture into the brainy New Yorker.

As for the rap that some of the merchandise from cheap chic retailers is not built to last, Huff just laughed. "They're not the quality of Chanel," she said. "They are not the worst quality, but they are not the best."

On the other hand, she said most of it seemed good enough for what she needs. "There's a place for 'good enough' in the marketplace."

At Forever 21, Meyers would likely agree with that sentiment. When The New York Times' shopping columnist checked out the store not too long ago, he noted, she seemed to think the quality was good enough. "She said it was relatively durable."