Earthly TasteClothes shopping is a vice everyone is guilty of and, in spite of ourselves, most everyone enjoys. After all, what we wear isn’t just a means of covering up but it’s an expression of our personality. Wearing clothes we don’t like or don’t feel comfortable in is almost akin to presenting an inaccurate or dishonest version of ourselves – which can not only put a dent in our self-esteem but even lead to some doubts of our identity.
But alas, revamping our wardrobe or making some stylish new additions isn’t a luxury everyone can afford – or at least not very often. Moreover, despite our best efforts, the best quality brands are almost always out of reach, barring generous birthday presents or getting lucky on eBay. But just because you’re not a trust fund kid doesn’t mean that you have to suffer the disappointment of missing out on the best labels.
There are lots of different ways of getting your hands on some of the top designers out there, from clothing to accessories to footwear – you just need to know where to look.
Online resalers
There are lots of online providers that are able to get their hands on the best deals on top end names in fashion. In a way, these sites are almost like if a price comparison website and an outlet mall had a baby. Wholesale prices, deals on excess stock and scouting thousands of suppliers for the cheapest possible options, suppliers like ReleaseDay are an amazing source of the best brands out there at the most optimal price. If you’re after the hottest footwear, just sign up to get alerts for Nike shoes latest release dates and get ahead of the crowds. What beautypie is for cosmetics, ReleaseDay can be for great footwear. When a new product launch is about to kick off, limited suppliers get a heads up ahead of the standard highstreet shops and you can score an amazing deal before popularity trends and supply-and-demand hike the prices up.
Trunkshows and Sample Sales
Similar to the concept above, if you can get on the mailing list of suppliers such as Moda Operandi, you can be alerted to private sales events for major and hot new designers way ahead of the general public and pre-order or buy items directly from the designers and before anyone else gets wind of the latest looks. You can often get really great deals, not to mention add chic new items to your wardrobe and be the trendsetters, instead of followers. The only drawback is that such events can have a very limited number of items in particular sizes and will usually last 1 or 2 days in specific locations – so you’ll need to stay on top of these events and sometimes even need to book a slot to attend.
High Quality Pre-loved
With the fashion industry heading more and more into an eco-friendly and sustainable direction, more and more suppliers of pre-loved clothing are popping up. There’s still a bit of a stigma that such sites are basically glorified charity shops and the clothing often being very worn and of poor quality. But if you’re willing to put in the time, you can find providers that take particular care in ensuring that the pre-loved items they approve for consignment have had minimal use and are in exceptional condition – and they’re all outstanding, luxury labels. Websites like the RealReal or the Outnet subject their consignments to such strict scrutiny that the products you buy from them are so close to new you often can’t even tell they’ve been pre-owned! And if you compare how much those items will have cost direct from the designer, your eyes will grow to the size of saucers at the amazing discounts you’ll be able to find.
So don’t limit your closet to cheap synthetics, outdated trends and lacklustre designs – with a bit of online savvy, anything from Prada to Air Jordans to Dior can be yours in just a few clicks.