I am a designer label slut. I don’t stick to one brand- the more labels the happier I am. BUT I never pay retail. People love going to malls to go shopping but I prefer outlets and department stores. My absolute favorite stores are Century 21, Bloomingdales Outlet, Off Saks, and Woodbury Commons Premier Outlets.
Shopping is my cardio. To build a wonderful closet you need patience. Yes, all those racks can seem overwhelming but going through every item is worth it. My best advice is for you to split up from your friends when shopping. Head to the clothes section while your friend goes to the shoe department. Lets face it, we’ve all gone shopping with our friends and waiting for them is frustrating. You don’t want to be the friend that takes forever and you don’t want to be the one that waits forever. I found this the best strategy when shopping with others. Set a time to meet up and try things together. When you shop with others you tend to rely on their opinions. You nervously hold up a shirt you secretly really like and ask your friend what she thinks- knowing she has different style. She laughs and you act like you didn’t like it. First of all, a shirt may look weird/ nice on a hanger but it looks completely different once it’s on you. Two, everyone has a different style thats why it’s a good idea to pick clothes independently. I will admit there are many shirts my friends chose I thought were heinous but once they tried on the shirt it looked really chic.
Some of my friends are not fan of outlets. They think they sell clothes that were last season or reject clothes. However, outlets sell clothes that department stores sometimes overstock. For example, Off Saks gets daily shipments. On the other hand, Ralph Lauren receives clothes by season. So don’t be afraid to ask the employees how often they get clothes. My best advice for outlet shopping is to go on WEEKDAYS. Avoid weekends! Parking will take forever! AVOID big shopping holidays! Black Friday, Memorial Day Weekend, and Labor Day. Best shopping days are days before holidays! People who don’t go to outlets often believe they are getting really great deals when shopping at the outlets during these holidays. What they don’t know is ‘the deal’ they are getting is actually more expensive than regular discount price during normal days.
For example: (total fictional price)
Banana Republic skirt Retail $100
Outlet price 50% off= $50
what outlets do during shopping holidays:
“25% off skirts PLUS 10% off before noon” = “OMG What a great sale” from a non outlet shopper =$65 (All these tactics make you feel like you’ve save so much when in reality they actually raised the price)
I also suggest you sign up for those discount deals/accounts employees suggest. The more card for Off Saks or emails. Set up an email just for these discounts because they tend to send these emails frequently. You’ll receive tons of coupons which will help you in the future. Most importantly they’re free!
If your more of an online shopper, here are the sites I belong to. They have fabulous discounted prices.
www.gilt.com
www.hautelook.com
www.ideeli.com
www.billiondollarbabes.com (best for vinatage sales often LV, Chanel, and Tiffany vintage pieces)
www.ruelala.com
www.shopbop.com
www.renttherunway this website you can actually rent high end designer dresses such as Herve Leger dresses for $200! Shipping is paid for and they professionally clean the dresses for you.
Lastly here’s a fashionista secret. Create a friendship with an employee in your favorite store. I never understood why my aunt was so friendly with an employee at bloomingdales. After awhile, they knew each other by a first name basis. She then would tell my aunt about upcoming sales and sometimes gave discounts. Don’t forget: Salespeople have the power to help you get what you want: The best pieces in hard-to find sizes, sneak peak at the collections before they hit the sales floor, exclusive scoop on new deliveries, exact dates of markdowns, and more. Loyalty is big in retail because of commission. Once you set up a relationship some sales people will even call you in advance and put your size aside. Trust me, this really does happen because that Bloomingdales Sales Person does this for my aunt.
Fashionably Yours,
Karen xoxo
