I think we can all agree that Sex and the City is one of the best shows ever created. It reflects many aspects of a woman’s life with extreme accuracy, including friendships and love. One thing that it doesn’t accurately reflect is money. We’re expected to believe that a woman who writes a column from home is constantly buying $400 shoes and rocking Dolce & Gabbana and Dior dresses? Sadly for most of us, our closets aren’t miraculously filled with designer labels like Carrie’s. However, there’s still hope. Below are some awesome places to stock up on some famous designers on a real girl’s budget.
As the fall season starts, it becomes hard to ignore the Notre Dame girls’ love for J. Crew. As anyone who has seen my closet or my recent Internet history can attest, I am no exception. I literally love everything about J. Crew…except their prices. Fun fact: you can now buy an iPhone for less than a J. Crew shirt. If that sounds like a problem to you, J. Crew Factory is the answer to your prayers. They sell almost identical items for much more reasonable prices. Yes, the quality is a bit lower, but it’s not as different as you might think considering the price difference. And to make it better, they have sales like all the time. Nothing not to love.
$88 at J. Crew
$49.50 at J. Crew Factory
This website calls itself “luxury consignment,” which pretty much sums it all up. Don’t let the word consignment scare you- most of the clothes and accessories sold here have been worn one, twice, or not at all. This website sells designer items (we’re talking Prada, Gucci, and Chanel here, among others) for a huge discount. Over the summer I scored a $425 Tory Burch cashmere sweater…for $75! The pieces are still a tad expensive, but if having a good label on your clothes while still having a pretty full wallet is important to you, this is your place.
Ok, don’t freak out. I know that I grew up thinking eBay was super sketchy, but it’s increased its security measures since its creation. I wouldn’t recommend buying anything used off eBay (you never know where its been) but you can find a lot of great items sold at wholesale prices. For example, if you’re looking for a watch you should definitely be looking on eBay, which for some reason serves as a huge black market for designer watches. One precaution: read seller reviews. On eBay it’s common for buyers to review the sellers after they receive the item. A good seller will have a lot of recent, positive reviews. If you’re still not sure, Google them. If the seller isn’t legit, it’s almost guaranteed that someone will have written a scathing review somewhere.
Fair warning: this site is addicting. RueLaLa is composed of “boutiques” that carry different contemporary designers. Each boutique is open for around 3 days, and you can sign up to be notified via email or text to find out when your favorite designer is being sold. RueLaLa is awesome because not only does it carry clothing and accessories, but it’s also a great place to find home and office supplies (did someone say dorm room decorating?). Right now they have some super cute Halloween décor. RueLaLa also has an app so that you can satisfy your need for awesome discounts on the go.