Shop Designer On A Budget - Feb 22

Within the last few years, I've been attempting to build my wardrobe with a “quality over quantity” mindset. I'm a fan of classic pieces that will last years and I can hopefully pass down to the next generation. I used to be addicted to shopping, I think I've changed. Maybe I haven't changed and I just spend money on more durable items now. These items obviously cost more, hence I'm shopping less than I used to. However, as much as I love shopping, I also love a good bargain and over the years, i've discovered a number of ways to buy designer pieces I've been eyeing for much less than the retail prices. Here are a few of them

1. SHOP ON SALE

This is the most obvious one. Most designer brands go on sale on their websites at one point or the other during the year. It's worth making random checks during the year to see if your favourite brand is on sale. I've bought a lot of items on sale from Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, Rene Caovilla e.t.c. The perk of this is you're buying directly from the brand's website and it doesn't get more secure than that.

For example, at the time of writing this post, this is what part of the sale section on Rene Caovilla and Jimmy Choo looks like.

2. RESALE WEBSITES

This is one of the best ways to score a designer piece on a budget. On these sites, you buy second-hand goods and most of them rate the condition of the piece from Excellent to Average. This way, you know what you're buying. This method isn't as efficient for shopping for shoes because it may be difficult to find your shoe size in a second hand good. For bags. I really recommend this. You're usually able to shop pieces anywhere between 10-80% off the original price! My favourite resale website is The Real Real. Other websites with similar services include Yoox and Vesitaire collective. On these websites, you're also able to shop vintage pieces that brands no longer sell or have discontinued.

3. DUTY-FREE SHOPPING

Since Brexit and the Covid19 pandemic, the UK no longer offers duty free shopping at their airports which sucks. But, I was able to shop duty-free at the airport in Paris recently which was great. It's worth having a look at the duty-free section anytime you travel to see if they still offer tax-free shopping.

4. LUXURY FASHION WEBSITES

This is another great way to score designer pieces at discount prices. These retailers offer sales all year round. Be careful about buying full-priced items from these sites as they're often more expensive than shopping directly from the brand's website. The Outnet and Moda Operandi are my favourites. I'm also a regular on Net-A-Porter and My Theresa.

These are some of the deals i've scored on The Outnet

This was scored on Moda Operandi. The retail price for these shoes on the Rene Caovilla website was about £800 if I remember correctly.

I'll end by saying - DON'T BECOME ADDICTED! Too much of my money has gone towards these websites. But do I regret it? NO! Life is short and I must enjoy my money while I'm still alive to enjoy it.

Happy Shopping!