Last Call Neiman Marcus
Fashion Advice: Designer Discounts at Outlet Malls
Kristine Asks: I’ve heard a lot about the Woodbury Commons Outlets located outside of New York City and it is suppose to be a designer mecca. Do you think I could find a deal on a high-end designer bag, like Chanel?
Kathryn Answers: It really depends on what you consider a deal. The Chanel outlet does carry handbags at a discount, but your chances of finding an “it” bag is pretty slim and in my experience, the bags available are usually without the iconic interlocking “CC”.
But all is not lost at Woodbury… The Last Call Neiman Marcus outlet often sells designer bags- like Marc Jacobs, Prada, etc for up too 50% off retail price, there’s a pretty good Kate Spade and a Bottega Veneta outlet. The Gucci outlet carries handbags as well.
To increase your chances of scoring a great deal on a designer bag, shop during the week (avoid, if you can, the weekends) and make sure to head to Chelsea Premium Outlets (http://www.chelseapremiumoutlets.com), sign up for their VIP club, print out a coupon for a coupon book as well as print out exclusive VIP coupon deals.
Fashion Advice: Budget Wedding Dresses
Dear Budget Fashionista,
I am wondering if you have any advice on finding a couture wedding gown on consignment/resale or at an otherwise great price. I refuse to believe that I have to pay $3,000 for a fab gown.
Answer: Here’s some places to definitely check out—
- Last Call Neiman Marcus. LC Neiman Marcus often carries a selection of gowns from major designers like Vera Wang
, Reem Acra, etc. for a fraction of the cost. A friend got a Vera Wang
- Filene’s Basement. They have an annual bridal gown sale that is one of the most hotly anticipated wedding-related events of the shopping season. You’ll find deals from major bridal designers (although most things are a size 10 and below). Head to www.filenesbasement.com for locations and dates for the event.
- eBay. I know it sounds crazy, but you can find great high end wedding dresses online at eBay.com. Just do a search for Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, etc and see what comes up. Many are brand and are being sold by women who weren’t able to use them for some reason (left at the altar?).
Fashion Advice: Where to Find Designer Jeans on Sale
Dear Budget Fashionista:
I absolutely love the “7 for all mankind” jeans—but don’t want to spend $120+ on DENIM! Any clue as to where I can find these jeans without hurting my bank account?
Answer: Try outlet stores like Off Fifth the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet, Last Call Neiman Marcus Outlet. You should also take a peek online at Bluefly.com and the sales section of ShopBop.com
. You might want to take a peek inside of your local Marshalls or TJ Maxx as well.
Life on Tour: The Essence Photo Shoot
Last week, I did a photo shoot for Essence Magazine for their “Her Style” feature which showcases women they consider to have great personal style. To have Essence, the magazine ran by sistas that know style, select me as a stylish person to feature in none other than their September Fall fashion issue is one of the best things that has ever happen to me. Better than the time I found a pair of Kate Spades Sandals at DSW for $13.98. Possibly even better than the time I saw Michael Jackson in a shopping mall (where else would I be?) in South Africa.
I wish I could post the fabulous pictures, but I won’t be able to until the magazine comes out. So here’s the run down:
Location: Sun West Studios, New York, NY. Beautiful large studio, facing the Hudson River (towards New Jersey for those outside of NYC) with tons of natural sunlight.
Editors/Stylists: Pamela Edwards and Gwen Covington, my two new best friends. Pam taught me the way to appear taller when taking a picture is to imagine a string pulling your navel towards your back. It works.
Hair: Tina Pearson—who knows how to work a weave. Tina has revolutionized my hair life my giving me the ultimate tip to taming curling hair during the humid summer. Mix your favorite conditioner with tap water in a spray bottle (an old hair spray bottle works well) and spritz through your hair while finger combing (not brushing) the hair.
Make-up: The fabulous Louie (who has worked on Beyonce), who gave me a nice natural groomed look, which is the perfect make-up look for this summer (think shimmery eye, soft pink gloss, groomed eyebrows).
Outfit One—A brown collared tunic and wide leg jeans from Avenue, layered necklaces from H&M.
Outfit Two—Teal blue dress from Kiyonna, brown and gold H&M necklace. This was my favorite outfit and I even purchased the dress with a discount. See, when celebs do photo shoots, they often like the items they wear and request to purchase them. The discount depends on a person’s celebrity status—Nicole Kidman gets it for free, I get it for 20%.
I rocked each outfit with a pair of 3.5 inch Prada shoes which I borrowed from Essence’s fashion director, Agnes Commack. Agnes has styled everyone from Angela Basset to John Cusack and has promised to take yours truly shopping to purchase my very own pair of designer 3+ inch heels (from Last Call Neiman Marcus, of course). Now if she would only teach me how to wear them because after the shoot my feet was killing me.
Shopping Guide to Minneapolis
The Twin Cities is the home of Prince, the Mall of America, cold weather and the best shopping in the Upper Midwest. It’s also my hometown. Whether it’s Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Minneapolis or the Outlet Mall in Albertville, Minneapolis has enough shopping to satisfy the most discriminating fashionista. Here’s my tips for shopping the Twin Cities.
Minneapolis Shopping Tips
- Shop downtown - Downtown Minneapolis boasts two of the best outlet stores in town- Off Fifth, the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet
; and Last Call, the Neiman Marcus Outlet.
- Check the temperature and plan accordingly - There are two seasons in Minnesota: cold and colder. Check the weather before coming, and dress accordingly.
- Head uptown - Scandinavian sensibility meets urban flair with a wide range of boutiques and great restaurants (Figlio is a favorite). Stop by Ragstock, a vintage seeker’s delight, located a block west of Hennepin Avenue on Lake Street. If you have time visit their warehouse location downtown.
- Rent a car - There are no major shopping malls within the city limits. You need a car to scope out the hot spots. However, if you are staying downtown, you can easily get uptown via the bus system, or the Mall of America via the newly installed light rail.
- Visit the Mall of America - MOA, as it is called by the locals, is like your local mall on steroids. Don’t expect to find high fashion - but you will find an IKEA and four Gaps
.
- Bring your checkbook - Minneapolis is one of the only places left where the stores will take a check.
- Pick up a copy of City Pages - This alternative paper has the most comprehensive listing of activities in the area. Plus, it’s free. Also check out the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
- Go to Target - It’s big. It’s red. It’s nationwide. Visit the store in its hometown.
- No sales tax - The great state of Minnesota levies no sales tax on necessities such as clothing and groceries, leaving you more money to spend at the Mall.
- Don’t miss the local malls - Minneapolis has great local malls. Visit Southdale, in Edina - the first enclosed mall in America.
Minneapolis’s Top Shop
Opitz Outlet
Address: 4320 Excelsior Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN (right outside of Minneapolis)
Monday-Wednesday: 12-8pm, Thursday-Friday: 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm
The best bargain hunters in Minneapolis are frequent vistors to this designer outlet mecca. Find incredible bargains like Marc Jacobs Stella bags for $200 and Manolos for $75 (true, I’ve seen the prices with my own eyes!). Sign up online to receive emails and listings for upcoming designer events.
More Minneapolis Information
- Albertville Premium Outlet - A great outlet mall in the middle of farm country.
- Minneapolis Star Tribune - Main newspaper of the Twin Cities
- Mall of America - Your local mall on steroids
- Tourist Attractions - Sick of the mall? Learn what else to do.
- General Mills - Take a free tour and score a sample box of Cheerios.
Wanna Share a Shopping Tip for Minneapolis/St.Paul? Post it in the comment section below.
Shopping Advice: Bargain Shopping in Las Vegas
Dear Budget Fashionista: What are the best places for bargain shopping in Las Vegas
A: Personally, I think the best places to do real bargain shopping in Las Vegas is at the outlets (read below my comments on pawn shops). Las Vegas has more shopping outlets per capita than probably any other place in the world. which is just fine my me. At the Fashion Outlet Las Vegas. you’ll find a pretty good Williams Sonoma Outlet, as well as outlets from companies like Coach, Last Call Neiman Marcus, St. John Knits, Tod’s, Burberry, etc. at the Fashion Outlet Las Vegas. It is about a 10-minute (around $10) taxi ride from the strip or you can use the shuttle from the MGM Grand.
Head to the site, to get more information on the outlet (as well as a link to a coupon to save an additional $3.00 off the shuttle service). Make sure you get a discount book with coupons for additional savings at the mall.
There is also another, outlet mall (Las Vegas Premium Outlets) located about 10 minutes or so from New York New York (about a $10-15 taxi ride) between the strip and Downtown Las Vegas. They have a Dolce & Gabbana, Tahari, etc outlet. Go to Premium Outlets and register for the VIP club to receive even more savings.
I would also check out the shopping mall on the other end of the strip near Treasure Island and Circus, Circus. It isn’t a discount mall, but they have some great stores, like Neiman Marcus and Saks. Since it is the end of the season, these stores are probably having pretty good sales. Some people like the pawnshops (which, of course, are EVERYWHERE). Personally, I feel kind of creepy buying something that was someone else’s misfortune. However, if a pawnshop had a pair of Cartier gold and diamond earrings for less than $500 bucks I would purchase it as quick as you can say “bankruptcy”.
Fashion Advice: Cheap Custom Made Suits For Men
Q:How can I buy custom made men’s suits for off the rack prices?
A:People (including myself) used to believe having a suit custom made meant spending a great deal of cash. However with many rack suits approaching $1000 buck or more, it may be actually cheaper to get your suits custom made. Several high end stores—Nordstroms, Saks, Marshall Fields, Kuhlmans and Bloomingdales—offer reasonably priced custom tailoring services starting around $400 per suit (cost depends on the fabric). If that is still a little too steep for your pockets, head out to your nearest outlet—and visit these stores:
Nordstrom’s Rack—Has an vast selection of men’s suits from designers such as Calvin Klein, Zegna, and Hugo Boss at 40-60% off retail prices.
Off Fifth Ave—Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet—If you like the main store, you will love their outlet. Great prices on men’s suits from Ralph Lauren (not the cheaper Chaps line) to Helmut Lang. It is also a wonderful place to buy male accessories, especially murses (male purses). Bought a beautiful coach Murse there earlier this year for 99 bucks.
The stores above have tailoring departments. It may not be custom made, but getting an $1200 Boss suit tailored to fit you for $325 buck ain’t too shabby.
Last Call Neiman Marcus. Find big savings on suits from Zegna, Hugo Boss, Prada, and more. No on site tailoring, but who cares when you just scored a Hickey Freeman suit for $400.
Menswear Sale at Last Call Neiman Marcus
A sale for the fellas and the women who shop for them:
Starting today, Friday, December 2, take 20% off Last Call store’s regular prices on men’s apparel and accessories throughout the store, including men’s suits, sport coats, dress shirts, neckwear, sportswear, outerwear and more. Don’t delay - sale ends Sunday, December 4, 2005!
American Eagle Outfitters, Last Call Neiman Marcus
Last Call Neiman Marcus Big Savings: Wednesday, Oct. 5 - Monday, Oct. 10
Take 30% off Last Call store’s regular prices on women’s contemporary and career sportswear, dresses, and suits. Take 20% off all men’s and women’s outerwear and cold weather accessories. Plus, look for more savings throughout the store. Click here for locations.
American Eagle Outfitters Announce the Launch of AE All-Access Pass
For those of you are big fans of the store. Earn Credits. Get Rewards. Members start earning credits immediately on everything they buy at AE stores, ae.com and by phone. Every three months during peak seasonal introductions of new merchandise, they’ll get a reward certificate to spend on AE merchandise based on their prior spending. The member also gains full access to cool music, great sales, events and contests via member’s only ae all accesspass, a section of the ae.com website. The pass is loaded with exclusive benefits, like a 15% discount on their birthdays.
Last Call Neiman Marcus Outlet
So, I am shopping yesterday with my mother and my mother-in-law at the Jersey Garden Mall (we were just too lazy to head out to Woodbury). Jersey Gardens is a huge outlet mall located minutes from the Newark Airport and a block or two from the Elizabeth IKEA, the first IKEA in North America. I took them to Last Call Neiman Marcus, an essential store for fashionistas over 40, where we spent an hour and a half trying on 52 items (true!) between the three of us. Of course only seven of those items fit. It is almost like you have to try on 10 items just to find one that fits.
After confronting the scowls of the dressing room attendant—I think I would have scowled too if I had to re-hang 45 items—we headed to the checkout counter, where my mother purchased a pair of black Ellen Tracy pants and a complete silk outfit (pants, top, shell) for $70 bucks and my mother in law bought a Alfred Nippon Suit, the same silk outfit as my mom (they live in separate cities), and a long black suede skirt for approximately $150 bucks. We discovered, upon approaching the counter, that Neiman Marcus is talking a cue from Saks (which SUCKS at Jersey Garden Mall) and started offering coupons online. Being the Budget Fashionista, I felt it was my duty to sign myself up, as well as most of my friends and family members. Who DOESN’T love a coupon? You can head into any Last Call Center and sign-up on the spot. I received my first coupon before I even got home—10% off any single purchase item. Not bad.
Last Call is one of those hit or miss stores—sometimes can find items like a black Ellen Tracy jacket for $25 bucks or a complete silk pants set for $35. Other times, you find nothing but a stretched out St. John Knit purple and green sequin top for $500 bucks with no matching bottoms. You also have to make sure you double check the sales sections to make sure you aren’t over paying for an item. For example, my mom and my mother-in-law bought the same shirt for their “twin” silk outifts. My mother-in-law was charged $33.00 for the shirt and my mom $13.00. Upon further investigation, we found that the tag of my mother-in-laws shirt was not stamped with the blue 75% off stamp. If we hadn’t checked, she would have been out 20 bucks,
Photo Courtesy of Houston Chronicle
Advertisement
Featured on TBF
Copyright 2003-2009 TBF Group, LLC.