Letter from Boston Filene's Basement By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
フィレーヌ・ベイスメント 時計や靴や冬物の服を買わなくてはと思っていた雅子さん。あまりお金を使わないで買い物をしようと思うとき、向かう先はただひとつ、ボストンのダウンタウンにあり、地階がバーゲンフロアで有名なフィレーヌデパートです。週末の人混みを避け、金曜日にフィレーヌを訪れた雅子さんが目にした光景は…

I needed some warm winter clothes, I had lost my watch, and three pairs of my shoes were starting to fall apart, so I decided that it was high time that I go into town to do some shopping. Not wanting to spend too much money, I knew exactly where I needed to go: Filene's Basement, in the Downtown Crossing section of Boston.

Filene's Basement has now become a chain store with branches in the suburbs, but the original store is a Boston classic and it is still going strong. Unlike the suburban offshoots, the flagship store is actually located in the basement of a department store called Filene's. Filene's is a rather generic, large department store with tasteful displays and expensive prices. But the basement is an entirely different matter: It is famous for its bare-bones decor and bargain prices.

But the prices there aren't necessarily inexpensive. Most of the goods are sold at tremendous markdowns relative to their original cost. Of course, if the original is expensive, even a 50 percent discount can run into the thousands of dollars; I've seen many things there that I couldn't afford even with the discount. Filene's is famous for being a place to "discover" high-end bargains. However, there are also plenty of racks of affordable clothes that are made even more so because of the markdowns. Some of the clothes are in sorry shape — many of the items are out of style, or slightly damaged or simply not in demand. But it's a huge store with a wide selection, so I usually end up finding something that I like.

In fact, it's the scale of the store that makes me reluctant to go there unless it's absolutely necessary. The floor space isn't that big, but the clothes are organized so haphazardly that it's hard to find whatever treasures may lurk beneath the surface.

A large percentage of the clothes aren't even on hangers; they are piled in heaps on tables, and people burrow into the piles like scavenging animals. Even the stuff that is on racks is often unlabeled, mislabeled or misplaced, so it's hard to find things of a particular style, color or even size. One needs to be very open-minded while looking through the goods. It's a fun way to shop for adventuresome types, but it requires a lot of time and energy.

Some sections are a bit more consistent in their organization. For instance, the jewelry section consists of display cases, with salespeople behind the counters, so it feels more or less like a regular jewelry store. The food section is also easier to manage than the other sections. Many fans of Filene's Basement would probably argue that these sections don't capture the true spirit of the place, though.

I played hooky and went to the store on a Friday morning because I knew that the weekend crowd would make shopping there all the more difficult for me. As I entered, I saw a group of young Japanese women in front of a stack of little black nylon bags. The display didn't make the bags seem very special, but I noticed that they had DKNY tags on them. This was a typical scene, however, so it didn't surprise me too much.

What DID surprise me were the dozens of brides-to-be trying on wedding gowns in front of me. There are communal dressing rooms at Filene's Basement, but these women were geared to try on their gowns right off the rack: Many of them had running shoes, sports bras and biking shorts on so they wouldn't have to take off their clothes before throwing on the gowns over their heads. Most of them seemed to have a helper or two, as well. These helpers would grab promising-looking gowns, guide the future brides in and out of them and offer advice during the entire process.

My guess was that both the brides-to-be and their helpers took off from work for this special event. I must say that many of the gowns looked unappealing to me — tacky or plain grimy — but those women looked like they were having a ball. I suppose there's nothing as exciting as looking around for a dream dress and a great deal at the same time.

The bridal bonanza is held only a couple of times a year, so even I felt a bit excited about the whole thing. It's a scene that I couldn't imagine seeing anywhere else — including a watered-down Filene's Basement in the suburbs.

Shukan ST: Nov. 27, 1998

(C) All rights reserved