A couple years ago I had a major sartorial awakening and my whole shopping mantra changed. I switched from being an impulse shopper to a savvy-shopper. I would partly blame my overflowing closet situation and partly credit my full-time job situation for that. Being financially independent definitely changes your perspective. You have that disposable income and you want to spend every cent of your hard-earned money wisely. So, I was buying less but more quality.
Earlier, I would buy things that were on sale or were from discounted stores but weren’t necessarily the things I really needed. Just because things had a red sale tag on them I would buy without even evaluating the need for it. I would buy without a plan and as a result I ended up with a closet full of bags, shoes, and clothes that seemed redundant and I no longer had use or room for them. Storing them became a challenge and I was more stressed than being excited for snagging a hot sale item.
Outfit details
- DRESS- SWF via Revolve, shop the dress on sale here
- JACKET- Opening Ceremony via Farfetch, shop same jacket here
- BOOTS- c/o Sam Edelman via Zappos, shop the same pair here
- BAG- Kate Spade
These days I buy less, but I buy more quality stuff. I love mixing high and low and my outfits will always be a mashup of designer pieces and mid-range affordable store pieces. Over these years I’ve curated my own shopping tactic, my own list of places to shop for designer pieces for less and my own smart wardrobe which now houses pieces that I put to good use all the time. I’ve added designer pieces to my closet and I never paid full price for most of it. Except for the really high end ones like my Gucci bags, my Fendi bag, my Hermes bracelets and some other stuff, the rest were mostly designer deals and steals.
For the kind of couponer I am, buying designer pieces on sale is like winning a jackpot. I’m always on the lookout for a good sale on designer pieces and don’t mind waiting for em to get marked down. It is time consuming but is worth it. I still love a good sale after all, but mind you- I love sale on designer pieces these days.
Below are some of my designer shopping tactics and also some of the places I love to shop.
- Get on the mailing list of your favorite designers. Most of them send a welcome discount and that’s your chance at snagging their pieces for less.
- Make friends with store associates at the stores. They will alert you of any markdowns or sales and sometimes offer special discounts for shopping early.
- Classic designer pieces will never go on sale, but trendy pieces usually get marked down midway into the season. Stay on the lookout, activate sale alerts/sale notifications so that you get notified the second your wishlist item goes on sale.
- Most of the designers have a retail store and an outlet store. The outlet stores cater to discount shoppers like yours truly. The collection at the outlet stores might not necessarily be current, usually they are a season or two old but it works for those looking to add that brand name to their closet and who knows you might even find the bag you were stalking for a while.
- High-end designer stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Off Saks, Last Call Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom that house several designer brands under one roof are great places to shop for such pieces. These stores offer seasonal sales on their inventory to make room for newer ones and it is your chance at getting some good stuff for less.
- Vintage or gently-used stores are also a great option to get the designer pieces for a fraction of their price, but I personally don’t believe in previously-owned shopping so I don’t even want to go that route.
- Join websites like GILT, HAUTELOOK, BLUEFLY that do designer flash sales. The sales are short-lived but the sales are worth peeking. I’ve had some luck buying great pieces for a lot less.
- There area bunch of E-commerce powerhouses like Revolve, Farfetch, Outnet and so on so forth. These are online multi-brand retailers of premium millennial fashion with that tempting sales and lower prices on designer pieces.
Some of my favorite designer online retailers
I have been shopping at these e-commerce stores and my experience has been everything but dissatisfactory. They have a database and inventory from coveted designers, offer steep discounts and their customer service is beyond impeccable.
REVOLVE – the dress I am wearing retails for $280, but I bought it for $170
FARFETCH – The bomber jacket retails for $630, I bought it a year ago for $180
BLUEFLY – I recently bought the Dior Jadior slingback pumps for $200 less from bluefly.
THE OUTNET – I got these MSMG pants that retails for $410 for $140
MODA-OPERANDI
NET-A-PORTER
SHOPBOP
OLIVELA
FORWARD by Elyse Walker
Get my look
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