How to shop designer pieces to get the utmost value.

I for one have never been a designer girly until recently. That is based on a multitude of things (finances, style preferences, logic) but in the long run, I do love certain designer pieces that I know will stand the test of time and I’ll wear over and over again. I by no means am saying you need to have designer pieces in your closet since it really is a luxury at the end of the day and doesn’t at all signify anything special in my eyes.

I will say though if you are considering purchasing something I wanted to give a bit of a review on pieces that were 100% worth it in my eyes and what weren’t.

Designer Bags (resale is key)

Two of the most precious bags in my collection are my Louis Vuitton monogram croissant bag and my Bottega medium hobo bag. Both of these were purchased on resale websites (Rebag, Vestiaire & The Real Real being favorites). There’s a feeling of lowered pressure when purchasing designer bags secondhand. As long as you buy from a reputable source there isn’t much to worry about in terms of authenticity plus having a bag that’s already been carried makes it less stressful in regards to “ruining” or getting the bag dirty/used. While I still take great care of my bags it just puts a little less stress on myself. Plus a lot of the older designs speak to me!

Designer Shoes

I always thought my designer purchases would be limited to bags. They seemed like the best investment since they can have such longer longevity than clothing or shoes. Fast forward to now and I am an absolute shoe girly. I usually purchase my designer shoes from outlets. My Gucci leather and mesh sandals were purchased from an outlet as well as my Prada triangle patch leather slingbacks (Neiman Marcus Last Call). The only pair I’ve outright purchased are my Gucci leather lug sole loafers. I know shoes may seem daunting to purchase but as long as you wear them without the intention of thrashing them they will last! My loafers were probably my best investment as they are sturdy, comfortable, and black (so less marks to be seen).

Smaller Accessories

One of the first designer purchases I made was the very coveted Gucci double G belt. While we all cringe at the thought of those things I remember being really set on that item for a few reasons. One of them being the price point (it was cheaper than a bag) and the second was that it allowed me to slowly step into the world of designer. At the time I wasn’t too aware of luxury resale websites (honestly not sure if any of them even existed yet) and eBay was too risky so most of these purchases were made direct. A few years later I still find myself leaning towards pieces like this with some of my favorites being my Gucci tights, a few pairs of sunglasses and my Prada wallet. The plus with accessories is that you could quite possibly wear them with almost every outfit (ie sunglasses or belts) without spending too much. I also tend to keep these pieces longer since I am not usually always in the market for things like a new wallet. The only caveat here is that some of the items can be a little too trendy (ie. the GG belt or say the Gucci tights) so it’s just one thing to note when making selections.