Shop the luxury designer brand sales

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It isn’t a little known fact that luxury and designer brands too go on sale, just like every other brand. The only difference is that luxury brands do not advertise their sales with flashy advertisements and large banners proclaiming sales of 80% off! In fact, unless you know about the existence of the sale, you might not even be aware of it, even if you walk past the store or into it.

Here’s a few tips when shopping a luxury designer brand sale:

Luxury brand sales happen twice a year - Generally, once in June/July and once in November/December. Look out for subtle ads in the newspapers or little plaques that say “Sale” in the store window.
Items on sale are limited and are usually from past seasons - don’t expect to find the popular IT bags of the season. Those are either usually sold out or not on sale. Classics too hardly ever go on sale. Gucci for example, rarely has discounts on their classic Jackie O bags except for those with seasonal fabric, and the Celine Boogie bag hardly ever goes on sale.
Discounts range from 30% to 60% - The general rule of thumb is that of a 30% discount in most brands. Gucci doesn’t usually go higher than that unless you are extremely lucky (and I have been!), Salvatore Ferragamo recently went up to 60% off on very selected items at Starhill.
Don’t be afraid to ask the price - Sometimes you might be surprised at the amount quoted. Also, the price tag tends to be hidden away and it looks awful to be rummaging through the bag to look for the price tag.
Do your homework - If you are lucky (and because stocks of luxury brands don’t move as quickly here) you might even get the season’s IT bag on sale, or something classic. Knowing your prices help too.
Different stores may have different stock and designs - Because the designers have a few different stores around town, you might find that certain stores have some designs that others don’t. So, do shop around before committing. It was easier when there was only KLCC and Starhill to contend with. However, now that Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and The Gardens are up, the net is cast wider.

Over the years and through trial and error, I have amassed my designer handbag collection purely by scouring the sale racks and in the process scored some excellent bargains on full leather bags I could not afford otherwise. No matter how much I want them, I cannot afford the designer items while they are on full price, so waiting for the sale is the next best thing for me.

There is one caveat however. If you are hoping to buy a Louis Vuitton on sale, don’t hold your breath waiting. As far as I know, Louis Vuitton is the only designer brand never to go on sale at all, ever. Pity.

January 2, 2008 | Filed Under Fashion, Sales, Tips | 5 Comments

Stila Perfectly Gold palette - awesome discount

What better way to start the New Year than with a great deal to be had? I highly recommend grabbing the Stila Perfectly Gold Eye & Cheek Palette ( 3x Eye Shadows + 1x Cheek Color ) which is now only US$16 (RM53.50). This palette originally retailed for RM125 when launched and has a good set of warm toned gold colours, suitable for Asian skin tones.

I picked one up previously and it makes a great staple for me especially when I travel, because the colours work really well for day and night. Now that Christmas and the New Year is over, its time to look forward to the Chinese New Year, and what is better than going gold at Chinese New Year eh?