Would you pay $100 for this dress? The majority of people don't think so. Photo / Instagram
Would you pay $100 for this dress? The majority of people don't think so. Photo / Instagram
Shoppers have been left stunned after finding out that a simple brown midi dress from Cotton On is accompanied by a AU$99.99 ($108.17) price tag.
The popular brand, which for years has been known for offering affordable and accessible clothing, is now distancing itself from its former “cheap” label and is, instead, leaning towards more of an upmarket pricing strategy.
The ongoing social media debate has left a lot of people fed up, with some calling for the store to “stay in its lane”, reports Kidspot.
Sarah Strozkiy, a mum and fashion stylist, posted a clip on her TikTok and Instagram account @shessoseasonal of her trying on the AU$99.99 ($108.17) dress - which is currently unavailable to purchase from Cotton On in New Zealand.
The video, which has been viewed by over 230,000 users, saw Strozkiy trying on the dress and giving her honest opinion of the ensemble.
“Wait... when did Cotton On start selling $100 dresses?” she captioned the clip, in which she tries on the Cotton On Ella Embroidered Midi Dress in Dark Oak.
Strozkiy then giggles as she turns around to show the back of the dress, which she struggles to do up. “I couldn’t even fit into it even with my usual sizing,” she says.
“First Target, now Cotton On. Guess we all need pay rises,” she says, referencing the $100 Target dress that went viral last year.
“Prices are going up, but quality is going down”
Strozkiy wrote in the caption: “Sooo, I got a message from someone who said it’s getting harder and harder to shop on a budget. Do you agree?
“Would you spend $100 on this Cotton On dress? I also got another message saying that prices are going up but quality is down. Oh my.
Mum and fashion stylist Sarah Strozkiy shared a try-on video of the $99 dress on her TikTok account. Photo / Instagram
“And another message saying that they STOPPED buying from Cotton On because the quality was radically reduced but prices skyrocketed. Is this so?
“Let’s have a friendly and open chat about it. Would you buy this dress for $100?”
‘I might as well go to Country Road’
Social media users flooded the comments, with many chiming in with the content creator and saying they wouldn’t cash out that much for the dress.
“Cotton On is fully having a laugh. Their prices are insane now,” one of the comments read, which was liked by 2500 people.
Another added, “Looks nice but that should be like $60,” while a third said, “It’s cute but not $100 cute.”
One person claimed, “Cotton On is Shein quality with Forever New price tags.”
