We all appreciate the spread out, organized-by-brand shopping from your favorite department stores but don’t be intimidated by the seemingly endless, and sometimes disorganized, racks of clothing from your local discount store. Many of my best fashion discoveries have come from hours of scouring the racks of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Loehmann’s and Nordstrom Rack. However, not all are created equal.
Some of my friends steer away from stores like Marshalls because the ones they’ve encountered are dominated by cheaply-made, tacky clothing. They only shopped at the Marshalls near our university to find outfits for the annual 80s-themed party. One thing I’ve noticed is that discount stores located in affluent cities tend to carry more high-end designers (if that’s what you like). As much as I love Century 21 in NYC, T.J Maxx and Marshalls have the biggest discounts on designer clothing. So don’t give up if the T.J. Maxx nearest you is a stinker. Locate stores outside of your city and check out their merchandise. My favorite T.J. Maxx is 20 minutes away (from my parents’ home in California) but carries brands like Marc Jacobs, Armani, Theory, Tahari, Alice + Olivia, and loads more. My favorite finds? A purple Tory Burch cashmere cardigan, a simple, black French Connection dress ($30 on clearance!) and Marc Jacob stilettos. Happy hunting!
P.S. I am also a huge fan of Target’s GO International line. The current guest designer is Richard Chai and his designs are fantastic! Check out his collection on http://www.target.com
