No Second Thoughts

I think I personally know ten people who buy clothing and accessories at retail and I only know of two who shop pre-order. Most people shop sales and there is nothing wrong with that. But there is a limit on how good of a deal you can get on an item before you have to call into question the true value of the item (is the fabric shoddy? what is the real quality? how much did labor cost to create the piece in question?).

As of recent I have become a fan of secondhand goods. Actually, i've been wearing hand-me-downs for as long as I can remember. The best place to get a great deal, where the item is worth beyond the price is at consignment.  Allow me to clarify one thing – I am not a thrift shopper. I do not pick the racks at the local Salvation Army or Goodwill stores. I shop designer consignment.

My first experience with consignment was a little over two years ago during one of my first few trips to Philadelphia with my then new boyfriend, Pete. We walked into Second Time Around: Philadelphia on Chestnut Street and within ten minutes I had an arm fully of frocks and a new favorite store. Flash forward a few months and I have an afternoon to myself in Manhattan while my then employers at Baby Vogue visited showrooms to buy for the newly opened children's boutique. Where do I end up? Second Time Around: Chelsea. 

These two locations of the franchised consignment shop are my two favorites. They have an excellent selection of goods, wonderful consignees and their staffs are top notch. 

The ladies at STA: Chelsea have saved my sartorial ass more then once. The first time was during my first stop in and my mission was to buy something to wear out to dinner that night. I had brought a wardrobe of collared confections that Alice of Wonderland would have died for. Unfortunately they did not help my cause which was to make a 19 year old look 21 so I could sit in bars with my bosses. A harlequin-eek Trina Turk number with a matching belt was the trick. Next was before the SS'13 ERIN Erin Fetherston presentation and the savor of the day was a yellow Halston Heritage jersey dress. Finally and most recently the day I wandered in needing an alternative to the shoes that were making my feet literally bleed.  My wonderful sales associate ran to the back, came back with a paper towel and band-aids and then bartered with me on a pair of strappy black sandals because I only had $20 and could so clearly not wear my adorable Zara flatforms anymore.

Model Shot of my RED Valentino Dress

Wearing my RED Valentino dress with Pete

My best STA grab of all time occurred this past Black Friday at STA: Philadelphia. I was the first shopper in the store and scored a new RED Valentino textured lace jersey dress in midnight which retails for $595 – for $50.

My favorite thing about the Second Time Around stores is that they have a frequent buyer card where you earn points with each purchase. Ten points and you get a discount on your next purchase.