Bargain Basement (The Good Kind)

Finding designer clothes on the cheap, the perfect cable knit jumper, and the mugs everyone always asks me about.

Do you get up and look for it or wait until morning? Are you a normal person or a psychopath?

Greetings Spendthrifts!

(How do we feel about that as a collective Add To Wishlist subscriber name by the way - like Swifties, or Barbz? I feel like if there were a collective noun for a group of shoppers, ‘a spendthrift of shoppers’ would be it, you know? But anyway - I’m getting distracted).

I had such a lovely response to last month’s inaugural newsletter - thank you all! I really enjoyed writing it, so I’m glad to see it being so well received.

I’m going to keep the format of each newsletter pretty much the same for now, so one item or theme explored in-depth - in this month’s issue it’s how and where to find designer bargains - followed by a whistlestop tour of a wider array of items - this month it’s cable knit jumpers and where to find the perfect one (though truth be told I couldn’t resist going long on that topic too), and another interiors interlude that includes where to buy the hard-to-obtain mugs people DM me about every single time I post them on Instagram.

Let’s go.

As promised, this month’s issue of Add To Wishlist is dedicated to discounted designer clothes - an oxymoron if ever there was one, right? To be clear, I’m talking about year round discounts here, not just those you might find during the sales, which in my experience can be a slightly fraught time to make purchases. And don’t worry - I’m not about to advise you to ‘keep an eye out for sample sales’, which is how many fashion magazines suggest stocking your wardrobe with cut-price designer items.

If you do find yourself at a sample sale, chances are you will find some incredible discounts (we’re talking 50-90% off - I have a Burberry trench I got at a sample sale many moons ago for £110 as opposed to the RRP of £1000+). But the truth is that many sample sales - I’d even go so far as to say the majority - aren’t publicly advertised/are invite-only - open mainly to fashion industry professionals, or to employees of the brand in question and their friends. You have to know someone who knows someone (usually a PR), so it seems a bit disingenuous to suggest them as an option for those of you who don’t work in fashion.

I actually tend to avoid shopping during The Sales, as I find the pressure of them is such a classic way to make shopping mistakes. I have a quick browse and then tap out - and although I know I probably miss out on some great finds as a result, the stress is just too much - we all have those panic-bought-but-never-worn sale items we bought largely based on the size of the discount and the scarcity mindset that sales foster. The knowledge that thousands of other people are at that very moment combing through the same bargains you are, and that leaving an item behind for even a few hours could mean that it’s gone forever, is an intoxicating drug.

I also find the sheer quantity of stuff to browse through during the sales overwhelming, so in recent years I’ve progressed from breathlessly refreshing the Net A Porter website 10x a day around Christmas time, to a slightly different strategy - I add items to wishlist (hehe) year-round and frequently update my wishlists on various e-commerce websites (MatchesFashion has the best user experience on that front as far as I’m concerned - I wish more stores would email you when your item is low in stock or back in stock, which is really all I ever want to know!). Then when the sales kick off, I have a look at whether any of those items have gone on sale, and keep checking back. That way I know it’s not just Sale Brain at play, but an item that I truly love. Otherwise… well, let’s just say I don’t 100% trust my instincts during sale season, though your mileage may vary.

Buying things from some of the designer outlet retailers I’ve shared below also works for me as I’m not suuuuuper fussed about buying items that are ‘new in’ or current season - that’s not really how I dress anyway, so things that are a few seasons old are fine by me (also the turn around time on some of these outlet stores is... really something. I frequently see things I’d considered buying full price discounted online within 12 months, and have bought many items that way). 

Of course it goes without saying that this strategy doesn’t work all of the time - I do buy many of my clothes at full-price (boo!!) because especially when an item is popular, chances are it’ll sell out fast and never make it to the sales anyway. If you’ve spotted an item of clothing that makes your palms are sweaty / knees weak / arms are heavy don’t assume/hope it’ll wind up in the sales, because you may well be disappointed. This strategy is more about unexpected nice surprises you can find at discount retailers.

And on the topic of discounts - in general I’ll try to share the cheapest listing for an item I’ve come across in this newsletter, and I do usually do a quick check before including a link here to share the best price I can find. That said, I don’t have the time to exhaustively scour the Internet for the best price on around 40 or 50 items per newsletter - so if something from the newsletter’s caught your eye, do be sure to double check yourself. Google the item to see where else it’s being sold, look up discount codes, use the Honey Chrome plugin.. I always look online for a discount first before buying anything, even high street items - I’d give my email address to the Devil himself in return for a 10% ‘new subscriber’ discount.

Now that’s out of the way - here are my favourite retailers for designer bargains, and some of the cutest items available at the time of writing from brands including Jacquemus, Prada, Miu Miu, Rejina Pyo, JW Anderson, Vivienne Westwood, Marni, Missoni, Khaite, Proenza Schouler, and The Row - with the majority of items below £300.