Where do you shop?

[maiden voyage]

it can be hard to find much where I live (berkeley), stores seem to be geared either towards people much older or younger than me. I have a feeling that there is a whole magic land of amazing shops across the bridge (san francisco) but I rarely venture there for shopping - I should!

in the meantime -
*old navy (I'm super choosy in there but sometimes find really cute things... I always see a few girls with good style making the rounds with that eagle eye, looking a little bit addicted to the cheap thrill)
*gap (sometimes jeans or tshirts
*la redoute ('designer lines' another cheap thrill)
*j crew (they've changed, more interesting, and I like that they leave their shapes really classic and simple instead of adding odd trendy modifications. My tailor was amazed at the beautiful fabric and construction of my wool pants!)
*urban outfitters/anthropologie (for fun stuff)
*jeremy's (bargain-basement place with seconds, lucky finds are agnes b, helmut lang)
*thrift stores!
*random boutiques whenever I'm travelling
*I get stones and silver jewelry from a tibetan woman with a broom-closet-sized shop off of telegraph ave. and beautiful scarves and mirror-worked bags from another tibetan shop)
*just venturing into internet shopping, starting with shoes
I don't think I'd know how to shop at high-end stores, I'm still figuring out what clothes work for me and I'd hate to make super-expensive mistakes. But I've always liked the idea of quality rather than quantity...

 

[jen88]

I live in Stockholm, Sweden and the shopping here is not the best but my favorite stores here is NK ( it's like Sweden's Saks Fifth avenue) and Champagne. They both have great clothes and bags etc from some of my favorite labels.
I always try to find new places to shop that isn't so popular because not that many will be wearing the clothes. But at the moment I shop alot online at shopbop, net-a-porter and the swedish sites bubbleroom and flare. Flare is definitely my favorite at the moment because they have nice bags like balenciagas and chloés.

 

[jenimmacto]

i'm the best discount shopper i know, i've built a wardrobe of only high-end designer stuff on a student budget, so if you live or work in westchester ny, baltimore or DC, read on!
WESTCHESTER:
i spend the majority of my budget at roundabout, a designer resale shop in scarsdale and greenwich. it's about $100 for a skirt, $150 for a semiformal dress, $200- $600 for handbags, $300-$700 for leather jackets, $100 for shirts. pricey for a resale shop, but their stuff is truly great, lots of tom ford era ysl, giorgio armani and rick owens leather, chanel bags, viktor & rolf, alexander mcqueen, hermes, etc.

for local boutiques, great stuff in scarsdale, rye and greenwich has good 50% and 70% off sales on certain things like moncler winter coats and raw 7 cashmere, and plaza too in bronxville and rye always has a 40% and 50% off sale shoe shelf where i've found kate spade, lilly pulitzer, coach and miu miu shoes for $50-$100. both of these places also do sidewalk sales.

i check out the designer clearance section of filene's basement in white plains and wait until it goes to 40, 50 and 60% off. they actually go to 70 and 90% off during certain weekends, but by that time nothing is left. i've gotten amazing stuff there, valentino leather coats, narciso rodriguez and moschino, a dolce & gabanna suit, see by chloe and d&g denim, prada bags . . . also an excellent selection of high-end denim (yanuk, blue cult, habitual, seven, miss sixty,chip & pepper) at ~ $80.

the clearance rack at loehmann's back room in white plains is also worth a look. you really have to search, but when you find something in good condition and they're having a promotion, it's worth it. i've bought three 100% cashmere luciano barbera blazers there for ~ $150 each. their shoe department is a similar situation-- generally worthless but i have found delman flats @ $40 and dolce & gabbana and fendi pumps @$80.

for denim, the best place to go is the havana jeans outlet on s. fulton st. in white plains (off central ave). nothing is above $60, and i've found citizens of humanity, levi's premium, diesel, yanuk, even da-nang silk pants. from november to february they do super clearance and sell off this stuff @ $15-20 per pair.

lacrasia in grand central station is also nice for cheap belts and scarves and high-quality hair accessories.

BALTIMORE/CHEVY CHASE:
when i was in college in maryland, the loehmanns in baltimore was the best for very reduced alberta ferretti. the filenes basement in baltimore was AMAZING for its designer clearance, with stuff directly from barneys, bergdorfs, louis boston, and holt renfrew. people there are more conservative, so anything slightly avant-garde and the furs and suedes all got really cheap. i found hard-to-find labels like balenciaga, lanvin and behnaz sarafpour as well as the more commonly discounted prada, genny and dolce & gabanna. i guess designers who show in ny don't like to liquidate in ny because it kind of ruins their image, so the chevy chase loehmanns gets straight off the runway peter som, calvin klein, ralph lauren, and oscar de la renta. they also have several better contemporary lines like marc by mj, kulson, cacharel and duarte jeans. their shoe selection is great certain times of year, i've found sonia rykiel, christian lacroix, valentino, costume national. the filenes basement in chevy chase sucked except for lingerie, where i found ~ $175 panties still with their barneys tags for $15.

DEPARTMENT STORES:
the saks in san francisco always has the most stuff for 60% off sale, and the sales associates there are the nicest! if you establish a rapport with them they'll ship for free too. i also like bloomingdale's in white plains for sales on really high-end denim and lacoste stuff-- they still have a good selection of sizes at 40% off. plus my best friend from high school works in the YES department, so if i'm ever going to buy anything for full price, i want her to make commission on it!

WEBSITES: i've always liked the merchandise and prices on yoox but have had some problems with their customer service. i like ebay for stuff that's otherwise prohibitively expensive, like tiffany sterling silver barware or nancy gonzalez handbags, but i'm very leery of it for most popular fashion items. i also like activeendeavors.com when they have codes and i want a specific pair of jeans.

places that are just not worth it for bargains (from personal experience
smartbargains.com
overstock.com
eluxury.com sales
t.j. maxx
marshalls
revolveclothing.com
kitson
american rag
toney, toni & the gang and havana jeans sales
neiman marcus (except for last call sale)
ebay for anything well-known (so many fakes)

 

[Diamond Star]

I buy a lot from H&M,Topshop and Zara.Gap's great for basic pieces'.
As I'm a student I can't afford to spend that much of clothes so I love vintage shops and market's.

Have to add Rokit in Camden, always worth checking out.

 

[travis_nw8]

personaly i no longer restrict the stores i go to, just open your mind a bit and look into stores u would never usually go to. for example i currently wearing linen-blend pants from primark(the cheapest possible uk high street store for £8) with a gold silk tee shirt from bottega veneta (for considerably more that £8)....

 

[snowqueen]

im loving a shop in liverpool called cricket at the moment ... its the one with the animal print bag as seen on collean as she always carries one.

 

[.francesca]

i'm on a really tight budget (read: no job!) so i shop a lot at second-hand and thrift stores. value village in canada is great for unique things like knitted sweaters and old sheets to cut up and make into skirts and stuff. winners, also in canada, is just like ross in the states: new clothes discounted for being out of season. i've found some amazing items at winners and never spent more than $50 on a single thing. specific to halifax, i sometimes shop at an locally/independently-owned store called biscuit but they are really, really expensive..they inflate their prices like there's no tomorrow. they have some amazing pieces by indie designers, but i think the prices are just too high, especially for me right now. there's also a few really nice vintage shops: dressed in time and junk and foibles that have one-of-a-kind items and local designers.
in san francisco i shopped at buffalo exchange, crossroads trading company, diesel, dema, minnie wilde and scores of other smallish boutiques. there are really good ones in hayes valley and a few nice ones on haight street...shoe biz now has like, 5 locations in the city, 3 of which are on haight..and they have amazing shoes.

 

[maiden voyage]

in san francisco i shopped at buffalo exchange, crossroads trading company, diesel, dema, minnie wilde and scores of other smallish boutiques. there are really good ones in hayes valley and a few nice ones on haight street...shoe biz now has like, 5 locations in the city, 3 of which are on haight..and they have amazing shoes.

that's helpful.. i have some time off now, so i've been venturing into the city (sf) to check out shops. i found a few i liked (azalea, ab fits) but a lot of them seem really low on stock, maybe it's not a good time to shop, just after all the sales.

 

[allmyshoes]

everytime i shop, i go to topshop and h&m, but often go into river island, zara, gap and dorothy perkins, too. being a poor student, i dont buy designer things for myself (gifts are beautiful things) and rarely buy from gap or zara if relying on my own cash.
although, sometimes, i love this little shopping outlet i found in skipton, which is quite classy. bit more expensive, but i love their night out outfits.
thrift is also a good friend of mine.
also, next is great, as long as i'm not in a choosy mood. i often shop online/order from the catalogue.

x

 

[j0s1e267]

I shop anywhere !!! I like to go to Nordies, Bloomies and NM for their variety + they have good exchange/return policy in case I change my mind about something. That's also where I get most of my jeans as well. I only like Saks when they have a shoe sale, otherwise, the customer service sucks big time

I like small boutique shops on Union St., Fillmore St., and also in Carmel 'cos I get to find cute unusual stuff. I love Anthropologie and BCBG always !!! Lately, I have been discovering Urban Outfitters Alot of hidden gems Also, Zara and H&M will be opening in SF soon and I simply cannot wait !

I only shop at Gap or ON for basics like camis or cardies. I refuse to buy anything else esp if the item has prints because the whole world seems to be wearing/carrying Gap/ON. No fun, I hate the thought of running into anyone wearing/carrying the same thing as me, very embarassing !!!

I am not a fan of Macy's the stuff just seems so junkie/messy and you need to spend loads of time searching for the item you want, which in my opinion is just not worth the effort.

I also shop in Asia, when I make my yearly pilgrimage, in either Singapore or Hong Kong. They have really cute stuff or brands that you can't usually find here (e.g. Mango, Morgan and other local designers).

 

[Plastic'sWife]

H&M in FRISCO?! ^^^

Oh my gosh! When?!

 

[j0s1e267]

everytime i shop, i go to topshop and h&m, but often go into river island, zara, gap and dorothy perkins, too.

I love Top Shop !!!! I like River Island ! They have really cute stuff and also Oasis !

 

[j0s1e267]

H&M in FRISCO?! ^^^

Oh my gosh! When?!

check out this article - it says late 2005 !
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/23/BUGNJ7AB3U1.DTL&type=business

better late then never !

 

[seasecrets]

yeah its cool that they're opening h&m on powell st. while zara is going to open on post st.

 

[seasecrets]

i tend to shop at: forever 21 for acessories, ross & marshall's because i don't have that much money, goodwill and other thrift stores, & i like looking around at nordstrom and urban outifitters.

 

[Pastry]

Well, when I shop it means I shop for myself, but seeing how Im extremely choosy, i always end up buying things for my sister. When it comes to me, so many stores out there dont match my style. Stores I can afford mind you. I find Club Monaco great for knits and shirts, but not for pants. They are all straight leg, so if youre not 5'11" and a 30" waist (I got the waist, not the height) you can forget about it. I used to buy a lot from Club Monaco when I worked there (good staff discount!!!). For pants I go to Mexx. I used to work there and I hated the clothes except the dress pants, everything else without exception is hideous. Surprisingly, I have yet to purachase anything at H&M, I only buy stuff for my sister there. I never ever go to "popular" shoe stores such as Aldo, the quality is disgusting and the prices are unjustifiably high. I usually go through a couple of Converse shoes a year and I'll buy a pair of expensive loafers from some Unknown "old man" store. As for vintage I'll often go Queen Street or Kengsington Market in Toronto. I especially like Tribal Rhythm on Queen Street. I havent shopped at Vallue Village in ages, but I should. I've found some amazing silk ties there in the past.

 

[matahara07]

I miss things up. I shop at:

Urban Outfitters www.urbanoutfitters.com
Kitten www.kittencouture.com
Some local vintage stores
Some local boutiques

I've learned it doesn't matter how much you spend as long as you have style

 

[tott]

I've learned it doesn't matter how much you spend as long as you have style

So true...!

 

[deejoy]

I shop at department stores like Marshall Field's, Nordstrom, Bloomie's, and small boutiques.

 

[renferme]

I'm fortunate enough to travel a lot because of my job, so for instance I always buy a pair of shoes when I go to Milan. I like Hong Kong and Taipei for clothes and shoes - the designs are different to what you get in Europe (although I've noticed that our stores do copy the shapes, eventually).
I'm going to Barcelona tomorrow so I'll probably buy something there.
Otherwise when I'm in London I do the rounds of the charity shops once a week, my favourite chainstore by far is H & M and I always look in TK MAXX if I'm in that part of town.
I shop on eBay often, I buy vintage or designer (mainly bags) but I've managed quite well because I've learned to spot fakes (it helps that I don't like heavily logo'd bags or 'It' bags.
I also buy quite a bit of designer clothing from Netaporter.com