I’ve always been one for luxury goods. Actually, my love affair for luxury goods began about six years ago and I’ve never looked back since. Over the course of time, I’ve slowly grown in terms of finding my personal style and began to understand what pieces speak to me and what items I need to pass on.
Looking back, my fashion adventures began with Forever 21, Express and J. Crew Factory. I spent all of the money I made when I was in college on basic clothing from these retailers and if I’m being brutally honest, I regret it so much. Every inch of my closet was full and now, all I have left is a trench coat, a button up, a pencil skirt, a pair of denim shorts and a few basic tops from my high-fashion journey.
Talk about buyer’s remorse.
Then my shopping evolved to Asos, J. Crew, Zara, Kenneth Cole, JCPenney, and Ann Taylor. Boy oh boy. Big floral prints, some workwear items here and there and neons. Lots of bright colors and neons. I call that the “What was I thinking?!” phase. And as weird as this sounds, my heart was so happy as I began the process to part with neon-colored items to add to my “to sell” pile a few weeks ago.
Towards the end of my college years, my interest spanned into brands like Michael Kors, Altar’d State and The Limited. Eventually, I evolved to Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff, Kate Spade, Anthropologie and Australian brands like Finders Keepers. I was shopping to figure out my style and now, I have more accessories than clothes from that phase in my life. Don’t get me wrong, I still like shopping at Anthropologie and Finders Keepers and if the original The Limited was still around, I’d still be shopping there for my work outfits to this day.
Fast forward and today, I find myself gravitating towards high-end luxury brands like Chanel, Chloe, Dior, Bvlgari, Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Zimmermann and Valentino. However, I’m not attracted to the high prices, haha! What can I say?
Until I start making six figures, I’m a #ChampagneTasteOnABeerBudget girl.
In this phase that I feel will be more permanent, I’m learning just how much I loveee a classic and high-quality wardrobe. To me, I’d rather save my money to splurge on something that’s been on my wishlist for years. And I say years because I want to make sure I truly want it and not want it because everyone has it. More on this later.
Truthfully, I’ve come to love well-made, beautiful and understated pieces and tend to shy away from high fashion and huge designer logos. Because I didn’t want to shop high retail prices yet still wanted luxe pieces, I turned to consignment and gave it a try. My verdict?
I’ve been extremely successful so I wanted to share with you my top luxury consignment finds (click on the links below to see how I’ve styled my finds)!
L.K. Bennett clutch – This beautiful L.K. Bennett clutch was a RARE find of a treasure. Like, Duchess Katherine Middleton rare find. I was about to leave the store and decided to check out the handbags and came across this beauty of a clutch. It was in great condition, no scratches, discoloring, nothing! I love how I can pair it with a white dress for summer (outfit idea coming soon), a casual, going out outfit or a black dress for a fancy event and it still looks like it goes with everything!
Brian Atwood heels – These gorgeous, high-heeled, high-comfort Brian Atwood lace heels was such a surprise during one of my fashion hunts. It was one of those I’m-going-to-look-one-last-time-before-I-leave moments and there they were, sitting so pretty on a shelf waiting for me. Never have I found so much padding in a pair of stylish heels! I personally think there has to be this kind of padding standard in every heel that’s made. I say this because lack of padding is why I don’t wear heels often. Comfort over looks is who I am.
Burberry short trench coat – I’ve had a Burberry trench on my wishlist for years. It was much to my surprise when this bright-colored Burberry short trench coat popped its pretty head from a rack when I was searching for outerwear last fall. In the end, it was between this bright color or a navy and even though I love neutrals, I chose this bright color. #NoRegrets
This short trench coat was a top pick of my treasure hunts I’ve been on so far…
Manolo Blahnik Hangisi flats – Then these Manolo Blahnik Hangisi flats walked into my life a few months ago and took the top spot! I mean, seriously. It’s still being sold in stores and I got it for a third of the retail price! T-H-I-R-D! Just when I thought I found my top treasure, in comes these sparkling beauties!
So is shopping consignment worth it? As you’ve seen my top luxury finds so far, yes! Like Herbal Essences’ YES, YES, YES, haha!
Other great treasures I’ve found are this Alice & Olivia peplum dress, Alexis lace top, Marchesa Notte lace dress, Kate Spade dress and the most beautiful silk All Saints blush pink and grey dress.
I’ve had so much fun going into Clotheshorse Anonymous looking for my next treasure this last year and coming out with something completely unexpected. And you know what? I’m really happy to be taking my time to build my wardrobe.
Investing in your wardrobe takes awhile, but I’m really enjoying the process of choosing what pieces to splurge on through consignment shopping. The things I’ve found at Clotheshorse Anonymous are pieces I truly and absolutely love. Consignment shopping has not only changed my wardrobe, but it’s changed my perspective on how I shop and spend my money too.
If you like shopping second-hand, what are your most treasured consignment finds? Let me know if you shop or have never shopped consignment!
Disclosure: Manolo Blahnik Hangisi Flats, L.K. Bennett Clutch and B by Brian Atwood Lace Heels c/o Clotheshorse Anonymous (I was not asked nor paid to write this post by Clotheshorse Anonymous. All opinions are my own.)