Shopping tips for Steve Lopez, other Fashion District deal seekers

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On Sunday, Times columnist Steve Lopez scoured the Fashion District for a stylish new suit -- something that could be bought with the dollar amounts advertised on an ATM’s fast-cash screen but would fool Antonio Villaraigosa, if perhaps the two men were to take their special ladies out for a double date.

While there’s no doubt Lopez got a killer deal (click on the video above to watch him catwalk his new duds), we wonder how he’d do at haggling for that price. As devoted Image section readers will concede, now’s the time to barter. For some tips, check on Times staff writer Susan Carpenter’s interview with Michael Soon Lee, author of ‘Black Belt Negotiating.’

And, as a commenter noted on Lopez’s column, those who enjoy the thrill of the hunt might get that label they wanted, minus the worn wallets, at the thrift stores. Because really, what’s more recession chic than that?

-- Whitney Friedlander

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Michael Soon Lee’s tips on negotiating

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