Part 2 Dress agencies VS eBay, designer outlets, season end and sample sales

This is where we get into the comparisons, and what advantages and disadvantages both have and where are the ethics involved, and how cheap is TOO cheap and what are the long term big picture ramifications.

Unfortunately with the glut of consignment shops in the last 10 years, shop owners now days demand higher prices, not much better than an end of season, or a sample sale, of brand new items. And the cut is generally more to the advantage of the seller, when it used to be the other way around or nearly 50-50. And Georgie did diligent research on her items, never guessing what it was, how old it was, or how much it should sell for.  Now days even though shop owners have 100% easier and better resources with the internet, a lot of them still rely on guess work, or their own estimates of what they would pay, or what they think a customer should pay.

But the day I found the equal to my fave shop in the whole world in the states, was serendipitous. It was pure mistake I wandered into the well loved, but at the time, little publicised "Love is Boutique" in Tunbridge Wells, and it was almost going back in time. And to this day it still remains my most favourite, trusted agency to either buy or sell the same quality I had fell in love with at Georgies.
But more about agencies in general since they are now to be found in almost every town and some are better than others, you just have to be diligent and patient to find them.

It’s hard to say whether this is a good or a bad thing. I have at times found treasures priced lower than what they might get on eBay, items that are assumed to be not worth much, when I knew I could easily resell it for a profit if I wanted to. But these are very rare and far between. Now it seems everything is priced so high that if I were to be patient on eBay, or wait for Harrods two huge sales a year, I could get new, for the same price as used.  In my eagerness at least twice (three times)I have made the mistake of thinking I was getting a great deal.  And being impulsive on the chance it might sell before I could research and return to buy it, I had purchased an item only to return home, do a quick look online, and find that I had bought something easily a lot cheaper elsewhere, not to mention it also was not quite what I had thought I was getting, but that was my own ignorance and impetuous nature.

So, three times, I swallowed my disappointment and reminded myself that my favourite few agencies also had staff, overhead, and costs.  And was it worth the extra money spent to help keep a beloved small business going, which so easily could slip under.  With the competition of eBay very quickly smashing small businesses, it was.  I blamed my own impulsive actions for not having waited till I decided whether to buy it. And as for the one item that was different from what was described to me? When I brought it to the attention of the shop owner, I was quickly, and graciously offered a refund if I wished. She was absolutely more charming than any other customer service person I had ever dealt with, and should give classes to bigger stores employee’s, that at times make you feel criminal for a perfectly legitimate return.  And although I could have done exactly that, and came back home, and bought the item online on several sites, and  easily saved 100 or more pounds, I chose not to. Why? I was not BFF with the owners, I considered them friends but in an acquaintance sort of way, and I definitely wouldn’t lend, much less give 100 pounds to someone I was casually friendly with, so then, why?

Because. Aside from genuinely really liking these gals and the shop, more importantly I refuse to spout about ethics and not follow my own heart and mind. It’s easy for us to all moan about politics and how sad things are declining, and if only people would change one or two little habits, how different things would be, but that said, as in everything, if we are not a part of the solution then we really ARE a part of the problem.

 We are all quite disturbed at seeing the demise of the small shops with private owners in favour of big corporations, chains and shopping centres. We are losing the charm and the delight of being able to stroll down a street filled with boutiques, curio and specialty type shops. Because if we continue to buy everything on eBay or in giant shopping centres and discount warehouses, we are also contributing to the demise of the very things we want, and need, to keep our towns special and the way we all claim they should be. On the other hand, if we decide to take even one action that would help save the things we cherish, in the bigger picture we are also contributing to our economy; we are contributing to employment for our neighbours that own or work in these little shops.  They pay taxes, they contribute in many other ways to our town as well, and it’s a very long lengthy chain that for every link we break or remove, will eventually cause us look back and say ‘if only’.

 So whilst I think it’s important to share my ideas on grabbing wonderful bargains, it’s also about balance.  How far am I willing to go, to get it that much cheaper by buying it on line? And in the long run, is it really worth it then?  Because while I love feeling that I look fashionable and fabulous, and I love knowing I haven’t mortgaged my home to do it, I happen to love being able to stroll down that very same street, that also has other small shops, and know that I also helped contribute to keeping the town I live in just that tiny bit more special for that much longer, and hopefully others will see it that way too.

Dress agencies VS ebay,designer outlets,season end and sample sales

I am unashamedly quite a bit of a label snob; I have a champers taste in clothes and accessories on a beer budget. I also genuinely believe that certain brands quality is much better than the K-mart or Primark shops ranges, and buying a Ralph Lauren white shirt that will easily last me ten years if treated properly, not go out of style and compared to the same top purchased elsewhere that falls apart at seasons end or goes out of style, common sense always favours the designer shirt.

Very little of the clothing I purchase has anything to do with trends or fads, I love classic pieces. And the minimal amount of pieces I DO purchase that I know may go out of style soon I have a remedy for that too. Having landed a job in customer service in a rather upscale department store in my 20s and needing an appropriate wardrobe fast, my mother let me in on her secret she had taken advantage of for years. Supporting three kids on her own but having the same taste for style, fashion and designers that I do, she took me to her secret place.

There is special shop, in a small, upscale town, in a small house painted red, with a pretty little sign outside on the porch, which said only ‘Georgies’. Nothing else was indicated, no sign of whether it was a private accountant, a day-care, a hair dresser, nothing. But it was west Michigan’s best kept secret for women like my mother and now, me.  Georgies is what was called a ‘consignment’ shop. Over here they are referred to as ‘dress agencies’.  And what made Georgies special was the fact that the location was where the crème d’ la crème of west Michigan’s elite lived. Not where they shopped, not where they worked, it was where they had giant, glorious mansions, all set deep within wooded acres and manicured lawns, secured with gates. To find a shop in this community was unusual but also serendipity. It meant these women had no further than their long driveways to venture to drop off last season’s runway designer clothing, handbags and shoes.

It wasn’t long before I had my very first Gucci bag, Christian Dior skirt suit, and classic Burberry trench, all three together for the price of  one skirt or blouse from the very shop I was working at. After that, there was no turning back. I was dressing just as expensive and fashionable as the women I was assisting on a daily basis, and I often wondered if the latest Gucci sweater they were wearing would be at Georgies next payday, and it very often was.  Needless to say, I STILL 20 years later still own that trench, and its classed as vintage and also one of the most coveted pieces I own, especially since Burberry no longer offers the option of a zip out wool liner, making it still the most versatile coat I have ever owned.   

But…what about the clothes I would occasionally purchase for a season only, knowing that it would be a longer or shorter hemline next fall on the runway? Georgies was where I often brought MY own designer bits and her rules were strict but also very fair. It had to be clean, well taken care of, in great, almost new condition, and resalable. Her rates were as good as her prices. I always recycled my wardrobe and spent even less than before refreshing it.

So today I’ve written about my love affair with designer things and how I’ve found a way to satiate that desire and stay within a budget, my part two of this will be about the changes the last 10 or so years has had on dress agencies/consignment shops and if they are still worth it in the age of eBay giant discount warehouse shops, end of season and sample sales.  Are they? My opinion tomorrow. Cheers!!

Christian Louboutins or Jimmy Choo's? Saturday nights alright...for dancing!

Would Holly-Golightly have a blog ?

Where to start?
I never have a problem writing my thoughts and opinions on other blogs, comments on media pages, always anonymous, and always still careful. It is always genuinely my opinion, but often tempered in regards to the audience and even behind a mask, still always polite.
So, isn't a personal blog supposed to eliminate that problem? I would imagine so, a place where one can write their deepest thoughts and ideas, without any regard about whom may be reading it, if they dont like it, they dont have to read it do they?

That said, I've also always wanted to have unlimited access to a place where I was able to explore, compare, discuss, and debate with others on ideas, thoughts and opinions, and a blog can be the platform for that. My place in the world where I can share, where I can write about anything from the latest book on the topsellers list (50 shades of grey;) or what my thoughts are about Katie Price winning celeb mum of the year from foxy bingo (disgusted) and what I genuinely believe that woman over Forty can get away with, in the short skirt circuit.

So lets just say that I constantly have thoughts and opinions about things that are happening in the world today, things that happened in the past and how they will shape the future. I will write about politics, I tend to be more conservative as I get older, but with age comes experience and being quite liberal as a teen, Ive seen that in this day and age we need more structured in my opinion since too much liberalism has effectively let the kids of today run about with little regard for others. I am also on the other hand quite liberal with my views about faith,sexual orientation and in some respects justice that needs to be tempered with mercy.

I also am an avid people watcher and adore fashion. I once again tend to be a little more conservative, but a bit of glam and high heels are something I believe any age can carry off if done properly. My mother always said "boobs or legs,but never both dear". And always a matching set of lingerie was more for a womans self esteem, but it didnt hurt if your significant other appriciated it "wink".

I love to cook, and the hardest thing I have found since moving here from the states four years ago is that the ingredients, recipies and tools that I took for granted only grace the most dedicated of chefs kitchens over here. I am delighted I remembered to bring my Calphalon and Henckel with me. And one of the first things I obtained after settling in was a Weber charcoal grill, made in Illinois, around the corner from my home town in Michigan. I was born on the east coast not far from Boston and New York, but my teen years were spent on the beaches of the Great Lakes and the forests of the Upper Peninsula, so grilling,referred to over here as bbqing was just another way of cooking,like frying or baking. Bbq, we used as a term for a savory sauce, but that recipie another time.

I enjoy movies and books and very few Tv shows, the Tv for me is mostly another source for news. Yes, I am a news junkie and I read several online and paper versions, magazines and any other medium that will tell me what is going on, somewhere in the world. Movies and books have to grab and keep my attention. I read every night and currently am enjoying a combination of biography and fiction of a historical nature. Pillars of the earth is one of my faves, and the Tv version only kept my attention for about 20 minutes. I knew the story and I knew how much was missing and how much those missing bits actually made the story as intruiging and engrossing as it is. I believe that a good story also has the capacity to educate, and it is something I never cease attempting to do, and that is to keep learning something new, as often and as much as possible.

For now, that is a brief introduction to me and my blog, just so you know that one day you may log on to find a post about about the presidential election and the next it could be about John Galliano and whether he is returning to Dior, or it could be a recipie Ive tried, or a book Ive finished. I am eclectic,  sometimes eccentric, I have a slightly twisted sense of humor, but always within good taste. But hopefully it will keep you interested and accompanying me along as I continue to learn, share and entertain.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon...Cheers !!!