This girl…. has been shopping pretty much since the day she was born. I’m not kidding my mother sent met to kindergarten in a blazer and a brooch. I have the photo of me sitting on a faux carousel pony school photo to prove it too. I mean what kindergartener wears a brooch and has feathered bangs? (this one, and it was the 80’s). Anyway it’s in my genes and over the years I’ve found some of the best sources to find discount designer deals online and in the wild.
jacket: Vintage Oscar De La Renta
top: Atlantic Pacific for Nordstrom, M
skirt: Atlantic Pacific for Nordstrom, M
shoes: Anthro, Last year similar here
pearls: vintage
Shop at the big box stores. If you are buying certain brands of designer shoes or purses like Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent it pays off to purchase them at places like Saks, Neimans or Bloomingdales. Not only do you get exclusive emails (like 50% off prada shoes) but you get awesome perks like gift cards back based on the dollar amount you spend. If you are contemplating a bigger designer investment piece it pays to look at the bigger retailers that house these amazing brands because they can offer discounts that the boutique never would. You get the sale alerts first if you join their loyalty programs or sign up for their emails.
Get to know your sales associate. The last time I bought a designer bag was a few months ago while I was gone on a trip and I was wandering around the Saks department store after a meeting. That is when Keith came into my life. I was looking at a bag and he knew all the loopholes to get me a 10% discount, 6x the points on purchase and a $600 gift card to use at a later time for my purchase. He also texts me now if something I might like goes on promotion. Most sales associates at boutiques and big box stores have their own business card with contact info and they work on commission. They want you to get the best deals in order to complete your purchase. It helps to get a little help from your friends.
Shop the discount stores in person and on-line! I found the best Stella McCartney blazer that was originally $1500 and it was on clearance at TJMAXX for $79! I find awesome deals by digging through the sale racks. Even better, most of them are online! Saks off Fifth (currently has BOGO Free on the site AND 40% off boots) , Last Call Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom Rack and Century 21 are all shop-able online!
Buy vintage or used designer bags. Buying discount designer items without seeing them in person first can be intimidating but sites that sell real, authentic designer goods want you to be happy with your purchase and will have multiple photos and list every potential flaw. A few places I have had great luck buying vintage designer items are Poshmark, Yoogis Closet, and TheRealReal. If ever you purchase a bag online and are questioning it’s authenticity (make sure you only buy from a site that guarantees it) use a site called authenticate first. They charge $10-$20 for authentication.
Shop IG pop UPs! A new trend is smaller businesses that specialize in hard to find, vintage or discount designer goods on instagram. A few of my favorite accounts are Luxlet, Julia Rose Boston and Agora Vintage. They post discounted bags and goods on Instagram stories all day and it’s addicting watching them unbox everything.
These are some of my favorite tips and tricks for finding the best designer deals at a discount. What are some of your secrets?
ps. My adorable friend frankie is the one who told me about the teal phone prop. Isn’t she fun!?!
