Shopping Advice
Fashion Advice: The Great Fake Debate Continues
Q: How do you buy a knock-off hand bag? What are your guidelines, what are smart prices to pay? What is important to look for? I want to be able to have nice handbags but not be broke because of them!
A: There has been quite a bit of debate regarding knock-off bags (especially fake Louis Vuitton handbags) and the impact these bags have had on the fashion industry. Exact duplicates are not fair to the designers, period. Imagine spending years perfecting your art and name, only to have some steal your idea and sell it for well below market value. However, using elements of a popular design is nothing new in fashion. Every major and minor design house “borrows” design elements from other fashion designers and lower priced stores like H&M often sell items using a design made popular by more expensive designers (I call it “designer inspired” items). The difference between “knock-offs” and “designer inspired versions”, that the designer inspired versions don’t claim to be the real thing.
When looking to buy a knock-off you have to ask yourself, do I want it because the celebrity of the moment has it or do I want it because I truly like the designer and the bag. If the later is your answer, skip the rest of this article and save your pennies (nickels, dimes,) to purchase a real bag. However, if the reason why you want it is because Nicole Ritchie, Lindsay Lohan, or whatever celebrity of the moment has the bag, then I suggest you really think about why you’re buying the item (and why you feel the need to emulate an idea that isn’t real in the first place—celebrities often get those items for free). Buying a designer bag isn’t going to make you Jessica Simpson.
If it is quality you want—rarely are knock-offs good quality—then look for high quality, mid-priced bags from designers like Coach, Hype, Kenneth Cole, Donna Karan, Cole Haan, etc. You’ll find these bags for up 75% off at stores like Nordstrom’s Rack, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, and their outlet stores. Furthermore, designer label doesn’t always equal quality. For example, a very famous designer makes a nylon bag that just because it has its label on it retails for over $300. You could buy the same bag, same quality for around $30 at your local T.J. Maxx.
Fashion Tip: How to Shop a Sample Sale
A traditional sample sale is when a designer, design house, or store sells its “sample” merchandise, merchandise created to promote the designer’s line in fashion shows or showings to store buyers, and/or for use in photo spreads for magazines like Vogue, Elle, etc. This is one of the reasons why most true sample sales (not up and coming designer showcases masked as sample sales or regular store based seasonal or stock sales) happen in New York and to a lesser degree, Los Angeles.
In the past, sample sales were limited to sizes 4-6 in clothing and size 7/8 in shoes, which excludes pretty much everyone except Naomi Campbell. However, many designers/stores are starting to expand their sales to be more like warehouse or stock sales—featuring a wide range of sizes and styles that were actually produced by the designer for retail. Most notable of this type of sale is the famous Barney’s Warehouse Sales, held in LA and New York twice a year, where the hip store sales its designer stock from previous seasons.
Discounts at sample sales can range from 20% to 90% off retail price and the quality and quantity of merchandise varies as well. For designers, like Kate Spade or Prada, you would probably find better deals by heading to your local outlet mall. There is no set rule of about who gets in or how many people get in. It really depends on the designer or store having the sample sale, and the limits of the space. Usually once you’re in the sale, you can usually stay as long as you need to, but many sales only let new people in when someone leaves. Unless you have a connection or special pass, there is no way to know that whether you will get into the sale.
Here are some tips on how to shop a sample sale
Know the dates Mark your calendar appropriately. Key sample sale seasons are November and May in New York City. Visit our Sales page to see up to date sample sale listings. Make sure to arrive early, and also remember that many sample sales start earlier than advertised— it doesn’t hurt to stop by a couple of hours beforehand, or even a day or two early in some cases.
It’s all in the preparation
Make your sample sale shopping experience more enjoyable by leaving your excess belongings at home . Dress appropriately, wear comfortable shoes and appropriate underwear. For example, slip-on shoes are the best if you are shopping for pants. Assume that there will not be a private dressing room area—wear a camisole if you do not feel comfortable getting naked in front of strangers (women and men alike).
Know thyself
You can’t hit all the sales; you must be strategic. Know what designers cut for your body type. Know your size. Know how to separate the junk find from the treasure find. And, most of all, know your budget!
All sales are (usually) final
Make sure you’ve tried everything on and examined your items before you make your purchase. Watch out for a red stamp marked “SAMPLE”, any garment mutilation, faulty construction, damage, mislabeled sizing, etc.
Fashion Advice: Budget Shopping Tips for Busy People
Q: I’m a girl who has a love of fashion, but not a lot of time to go scouring through the racks looking for the real steals. I know this must be possible, so my question to you is what are some tips for people who want a bargain, but have little time?
A: You do not have to spends hours shopping each week to find great deals on designer fashion.
General budget shopping tips for busy people.
The first rule of budget shopping is to go on the weekdays. Besides missing the long weekend lines, most stores put out new merchandise and markdown existing items on Tuesday-Thursdays. Another tip is when entering a store, head straight for the back or side racks. Most retail stores place their new, more costly items along the aisles and in the front of the store. Another way to save time is to sign up for email alerts to your favorite department stores. Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Macys, all have email alerts that notify you of a sale days before it happens allowing you to plan accordingly.
Shopping online is great option for bargain shoppers who have a limited amount of time. Online discount stores like Bluefly.com, SmartBargains.com, Overstock, and YOOX .com have some great designer fashions at low prices and allow you to shop without leaving your computer.
Happy Shopping
The Budget Fashionista
Budget Shopping Tip: Shop by SKU Number
Here’s a hot tip from one of my sources—use the SKU number (the numbers underneath the bar codes on the price tag) to find your favorite items online for less. Entering the SKU number, and sometimes the style number into Google, can help you find your favorite item for less on sites like eBay. Furthermore, many online discount/off price stores like SmartBargains.com and Overstock.com
, are not allowed to use the name of certain designers mid level designers like Jones New York and Tahari (which is why they’ll say something like “name brand designer suit”, when selling their items at discount prices, but will have the SKU numbers listed on the page.
Fashion Advice: The Cost Per Wear Ratio
Not all bargains are created equal—some are really spending traps in disguise. Calculating the cost per wear of an item before purchasing the piece will easily uncover the true value of an item. The cost per wear formula:
Total cost of the item/ estimated number of days you’ll wear it = the cost per wear
For example, if you spend $500 on a great winter coat, wear it for about 100-150 per year over the next five years, it’ll cost you about $.67 to a $1.00 every time you wear the coat. The more you wear the coat, the lower the cost per wear. On the other hand, the trendy top you bought for $20 at your local Old Navy, that you wear only three times before throwing it out, costs you around $6.50 everytime you wear it, making it almost SIX times as expensive as the coat.
So what’s the moral of this shopping trick? Value, not low prices should be your focus when budget shopping. Remember a bargain is only a bargain if you actually wear it.
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