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The morning I was leaving for an out-of-town wedding, I decided the outfit for a wedding cocktail party wasn't glam enough.

Fortunately for me, I live practically down the street from the new Towne Center, so I popped into some of the shops thereFeBe, Stella, White House/Black Market, Curriecertain I would find exactly what I was looking for. I didnt. I didnt even come close.

What I did find, however, was a bunch of high school girls with their mothers, some inattentive shop girls and an escalating heart rate.

Ninety-five dollars for a tank-top? With the money an outfit cost there, I could have paid people at the party to like my old outfit.

While shopping, I suddenly felt like the walls were closing in around me; paranoia began to sink in. Was everyone staring at me? Did they know my pants came from Old Navy? Did they notice me when I looked at the price tags? Did they see straight through the this-skirt-is-so-last-season expression I wore to disguise my inability to afford the skirt unless I deferred three student loan payments?

I had to get out of there. When I got back into my car, while searching for a paper bag to breathe into, I realized I was suffering from sticker shock. But I still didn't have a new skirt.

So I decided to make one final attempt to strike style (but not wallet) gold. I crossed the street and entered Frock Candy. As I looked at the racks, I could feel all my vital signs returning to normal. These clothes were cute and funky and didn't require a loan shark to pay for them. I walked out with an awesome skirt (everyone at the party said so) and only $36 lighter.

Since then, I've usually passed up Towne Center when I'm looking for something trendy. But every time I drive by, I wonder, "Who shops at those places?" There are so many of them, all with the same $250 jeans. Are there really enough rich, fashionable, young people in Baton Rouge to keep all those boutiques within a five-inch radius in business? I know one place that doesnt have to worry about that. Frock Candy.