I know we all have a similar dreamGo in your pocket pull out your wallet
And put it in the air and sing...
Well, we all know the lyrics of Travie McCoy’s Billionaire, right? Unfortunately I’m not (yet!) a billionaire, but I do sometimes dream of 50 pairs of Louboutins, summer vacations to the Malediven and Seychelles, a couple of different colored Hèrmes Birkins matching with every outfit, a black Maserati GranTurismo S (oh and probably a Fiat 500 Abarth just for fun) and a platinum, diamond Chopard watch. (Sigh…)
But, until that time arrives, designer outlets are the solution for all the girls (and boys) with small wallets and big dreams. Here are some of my favorite places to go outlet shopping, online and in real life.
Let start with my number one favorite, the Designer outlet at Roermond.
Okay, you do have to like this ‘we tried to make it cozy like a small village’-style, but for me it works. In Roermond you find some great brands, like Gucci, Prada, 7 For All Mankind, Calvin Klein underwear and Ralph Lauren. And not just the failures of the collection (something you see very often in these bad ‘designer’ outlets, like for instance the Rosada factory outlet in Roosendaal), but some real nice pieces. Take for instance the Gucci store. Next to the items of their regular collection (sold for a pretty good price), they also have a few items of the exclusive collection. Picture this: a small sea green bag made of snake and crocodile leather, combined with a bamboo top handle. (Too bad it still costs about 1500 Euros.. *cricket sound*).Their winter coat collection is awesome and they sell some pretty neat stuff for men as well. There’s also a great Le Creuset shop (you know, the expensive cookwear) and even though it’s not really a luxurious shop, I also enjoy their Body Shop outlet a lot.
Let start with my number one favorite, the Designer outlet at Roermond.
Okay, you do have to like this ‘we tried to make it cozy like a small village’-style, but for me it works. In Roermond you find some great brands, like Gucci, Prada, 7 For All Mankind, Calvin Klein underwear and Ralph Lauren. And not just the failures of the collection (something you see very often in these bad ‘designer’ outlets, like for instance the Rosada factory outlet in Roosendaal), but some real nice pieces. Take for instance the Gucci store. Next to the items of their regular collection (sold for a pretty good price), they also have a few items of the exclusive collection. Picture this: a small sea green bag made of snake and crocodile leather, combined with a bamboo top handle. (Too bad it still costs about 1500 Euros.. *cricket sound*).Their winter coat collection is awesome and they sell some pretty neat stuff for men as well. There’s also a great Le Creuset shop (you know, the expensive cookwear) and even though it’s not really a luxurious shop, I also enjoy their Body Shop outlet a lot.
Next on my list is the website www.designer-vintage.com.
Well, that name leaves little to the imagination, doesn’t it? At Designer Vintage you can buy vintage designer shoes, bags, accessories and clothing. Okay most of stuff sold there is still a bit pricy (a lambskin leather flap bag from Chanel: 1350 Euros, a Hermès Birkin: 7500 Euros), but you can be lucky and find some very special items for an amazing price. Plus, they have this rigid zero-tolerance counterfeit policy, so you can be sure that all the stuff you buy is absolutely authentic (they even work with Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Gucci etc., who provide DV with specific counterfeit information and help them judge the items that are being sold online).
Well, that name leaves little to the imagination, doesn’t it? At Designer Vintage you can buy vintage designer shoes, bags, accessories and clothing. Okay most of stuff sold there is still a bit pricy (a lambskin leather flap bag from Chanel: 1350 Euros, a Hermès Birkin: 7500 Euros), but you can be lucky and find some very special items for an amazing price. Plus, they have this rigid zero-tolerance counterfeit policy, so you can be sure that all the stuff you buy is absolutely authentic (they even work with Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Gucci etc., who provide DV with specific counterfeit information and help them judge the items that are being sold online).And there’s another vintage webshop (a combination of real, ‘grandma’ vintage and designer stuff), I also check almost every day, called www.hippas.nl. Their offer isn’t always that great, but (with capital B) over the past couple of months I’ve seen some really nice items passing by (for instance this creamy white leather Gucci bag for only 60 Euros! And I was too late, aaargh!). Though, different than at Designer Vintage, you really have to search for the pretty stuff, but that’s a nice thing to do right?
Back to real shopping again? Well, visit Maasmechelen Village at Maastricht. They’re a member of the Chich Outlet Shopping, which is a collection of nine luxury outlet shopping villages around Europe (Londen, Madrid, Paris etc.). The last time I was there, I needed a dress for my high school prom. You’ll probably understand my excitement trying on all these fabulous (though sometimes a bit trashy) dresses at Escade, Versace and Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Sadly enough there wasn’t a dress that met my needs and the only one that did (a beautiful long black dress with a deep back at RL) was way above my budget. Though Maasmechelen is also a really cozy place to go shopping, for clothing (Liu Jo, Essentiel, Karen Millen and bags and accessories (Furla, The Society Shop)!
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| All photos from Tumblr |
Last one on my list is another webshop called The Outnet. Other than Hippas and Designer Vintage, the items being sold here aren’t vintage. They’re just design, but with a big discount. They sell amazing brands like Alexander McQueen, Chloé, Givenchy, Hervé Léger, Miu Miu and Valentino. You can easily search through their collection by picking your size or a brand or a color. They also have this funny ‘Dress me’-button where you can choose for which occasion you need some new clothes (tea at the Ritz, black tie or the great outdoors for instance), and you get a whole list of potential clothing. And there are also these flash sales (“don't blink, don't move and definitely don't hesitate as the clock is ticking”) where you can get fabulous items for fabulous prices. And there’s more! They also always have a giveaway you can enter freely (their Marni bag giveaway closes in about a few hours, still some time left for you to join!) where they give away brand new items.
Got a little bit greedy after checking out these sites? I understand! But you know what, I’m sitting in my comfy warm house, drinking chocolate and listening to a beautiful classical piano piece. And I’m happy. I could even call this state of mine serene. And I think: I’m perfectly fine with all the stuff I already own right now. I don’t need all those designer bags, bracelets and shoes.
(Well, at least not for today ha-ha)
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