Oh La La...Rue La La

Ruelala is one of the hottest private online boutique-styled web stores you've probably never even heard of.

(Screenshot of Ruelala.com)

Calling out to those who are looking for anything with a designer label without the exclusive price-tag, Rue brings everything from 7 For All Mankind to Waterford to it's members with a steep reduction in the price. Originally sent to my inbox by my fashion godmother (literally), Rue brightens up your email inbox every morning at 11am on the dot with the announcement of that day's boutiques.
Pre-Rue I would get my designer denim from jeans parties, which are exactly what they sound like. Then all of a sudden, *whoosh* enter a website that will sell me Citizen's of Humanity jeans for cheap with no defects! WIth three to four new boutiques opening each morning the selection of possible purchases is almost endless. But the discounts don't end there. If you send invites to your friends emails, what I received that day a year and a half ago, when your friend makes their first purchase you earn a $10 credit good toward any merchandise on the website that never expires.
While this is fantastic, the downside is that most people will not buy something, at least in my own experience. But when they do, they are happy with their find and you are happy with your new discount. I know some very persnickety people when it some to all things fashion. The one who come to mind most is my oh so stylish friend Lauren, who was the one that turned me on to fashion way back in junior high school. She was the first of my friends to give Rue some business when she bought herself an edgy red studded Mat & Nat shoulder bag last summer. Going to school in New York City, she only rocks the fiercest of purses...she's a "bag hag" for sure. This should tell you something about the quality and the price that made her up and buy the bag.
The biggest issue with Ruelala is that many of it's members are insanely intense. Imagine Black Friday on steroids. They are that intense. If you don't log on to the site at 11am on the dot, you will miss out on the best and biggest steals. Most of the time, by the time I log on the item that I wanted is already sold out. This is especially true when it comes to the Final Act, the mega boutique which pops up at the end of each and every month featuring all the boutiques from that month where the styles prices are cut even more.
This being said, it's still worth it to join and share the awe and wonder that is Ruelala with friends and family, a link to Ruelala can be found in my Fashion Faves side bar box.