How, Where, and Why I Shop for Designer and Luxury Deals.

How, Where, and Why I Shop for Designer and Luxury Deals.

I’ve had a fascination with and love of luxury and designer brands probably since high school. I would wander the mall in my hometown and admire the beautiful fabrics and spend hours flipping through magazines taking in the elevated branding and new collections from designers.

Obviously, my budget did not allow for purchasing any of these items at full price, so I became a pro at scouring sale racks, finding discounts and seeking out the best shops in person and online that carry high end brands and often have great sales. I truly could spend hours at a good TJ Maxx or Nordstrom rack gathering heavily discounted clothing to try on and find the perfect piece to add to my wardrobe.

I’m certainly not a snob about things needing designer tags or logos and love a good Target find or affordable purchase but, I have found that the pieces I wear over and over again and love the most tend to be from more expensive brands. To shop these items, I have found a few places and tips and tricks that work well for me to invest without breaking the bank. Generally, brands with higher price tags have better quality fabrics, more thoughtful details, and hold up to wear more over time. But, that is not always the case and I’ll never buy something that feels cheap just for the brand or because of the price tag.

A note on “expensive:”

Expensive is a term that’s different to each person. I think “overpriced” refers to paying too much money for what you get. Expensive to me means yes, it costs a lot of money, but often the investment is worth the spend if you take the time to carefully pick and choose both what you love and what will last. This applies to clothing and to things like solid gold jewelry, a topic I love to discuss and will write another post on soon.

Yes, a few hundred dollars is a lot of money no matter how you slice it. But, if you spend $200+ on an item that you wear it 6-10 times a year, care for, would take to be repaired if it broke or needed to be altered, and can potentially resell on a platform like The Real Real or pass down to a friend or family member, then I find it’s worth the spend. I notice that if something is $20-$50 you might buy it even if it isn’t quite the perfect fit or great quality fabric and if it shrinks in the wash, has a loose thread, or pills, it won’t take a second thought to donate or get rid of that item. I think over time this means we have wardrobes full of things we don’t really love and will easily part with, adding to the very real problem of clothing waste that continues to grow from fast fashion (Watch the show “Buy Now” on Netflix to learn more about this).

My good friend and stylist, Carson Love, has really helped me to understand that when shopping, finding one thing you love for every 10-15 things you try on is very normal and expected when building a wardrobe. It can be easy to take ten things into the dressing room and just buy 3-4 because they are the best of the group, but you truly don’t love or need or feel great in all of them. Carson has helped me to narrow down the cuts, colors, and types of things that I love while finding “holes” in my wardrobe that need to be filled.

My Top Tips for Making Thoughtful Purchases.

1. Identify the “holes” in your wardrobe.

For example, you may have a top you purchased that you like, but you never wear it because it requires a special bra or a dress you try on again and again but you never wear it out because you don’t love how it looks with any of your shoes. Carson has helped me to truly “style” my clothes by finding those missing pieces, which sometimes requires shopping for something new but makes your whole wardrobe more wearable.

2. Keep a running list of the missing pieces in your closet.

There are always “fun” things in the sale rack but if you take that piece home and don’t have shoes, a purse, the right underwear/bra, or a top or bottom to go with it, you end up wasting money and time and feel less excited about getting dressed. I have a running list in my phone notes of items I’m looking for like “simple, elevated black sandals” or “fitted white tank” or “slip dress in fun color” and when I’m out shopping or looking at a sale online I can narrow down to what I need rather than just purchasing something that catches my eye.

3. Make “never” rules.

Making “never” rules can help narrow down your choices. I find online shopping to be so fun, but it’s easy to go overboard and let’s be honest, returns can be annoying. I’ve found a few things that help me to avoid mistakes.

One for me is finding the right inseam. I’m 5’10” and I know now that any inseam under 27.5” is an absolute no for me. Typically, I need 28-29” for a cropped pair of pants and closer to 31-33” for denim with heels. Take your favorite pair of jeans and find the inseam and then click into the details of any pair before adding to cart. I also find any pants with pleats to be wildly unflattering on my shape. I have bigger hips/thighs proportionally to the rest of my body and I’ve never tried on a pair of shorts or pants with pleats that look good to me, so I never add those to my cart no matter how cute they are on the model. I have broader shoulders and don’t love a puffed sleeve or shoulder on my body so those are out for my online shopping. And, I have found that my upper body is usually a Medium/size 8 while my lower body is more M/L size 10. I’ll go with my larger size for dresses knowing sometimes I may have to alter the upper fit. Every brand size range is different. I could be a small in a top and an XL in a dress, so I try not to be discouraged when ordering my usual size and finding it doesn’t fit. Ordering two sizes of something and returning one is a good bet if you’re unsure. Shopping in person is a whole different ball game, and I am more open to trying styles on that I wouldn’t normally if something looks great in person.

Luxury Brands I Love.

The following brands are elevated and known for their quality (that I often look for on sale):

ALC, DVF, Nili Lotan, Sandro, Xirena, SEA, Ulla Johnson, TWP, Rachel Comey, Zimmerman

Denim I love: Agolde, Pistola, Citizens of Humanity, Frame

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman, Tory Burch, Dolce Vita, Loeffler Randall

Places I shop the most:

Shopbop, The Outnet, The Real Real, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Tuckernuck, Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus

High end designers I love and search for on The Real Real:

Chanel, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Prada, YSL

*You can create a search for something you’re looking for and get alerts when it’s available. I’ve gotten some amazing designer shoes this way for about 1/4 the price of retail.

Local stores I love to shop in person:

UAL, H. Audrey, White’s Mercantile, Emerson Grace

Another amazing way to try new brands and have a seasonal rotation of fun outfits in your wardrobe is Rent the Runway. I have a monthly membership and love adding new styles to my rentals for events or vacations. They’ve recently quadrupled their inventory and many of my favorite brands are available. They have memberships from $94 a month and the ordering and returns process is very easy to use. I’d highly recommend this if you are wanting to try higher end clothing without having to spend as much. If you love something you rent, you can often purchase it at a discount.

Fall Fashion Finds

I regularly share my outfits, bargain finds and investments on my Instagram. Follow along here if you’d like to see more! And never hesitate to DM me with a question or if you’re on the hunt for something, the only thing I love more than shopping for myself is shopping for someone else!

+My latest finds here.
+The power of the brow.
+Six things I wish I knew before starting chemo.