Longchamp @ the Bloomingdale's Outlet

What really stood out was the varied assortment of contemporary labels like Theory, BCBG, DKNY, etc. which I think is a strength of Bloomingdale’s in their main stores.  It looked to me as though the majority of the merchandise is excess goods from vendors which is fine.  What I don’t like is when outlets manufacture goods just for their outlets.

Bloomingdale’s advertises 30% to 70% off.  They have Women’s, Men and Children’s apparel and accessories - no home goods.  The store was smaller than Saks Off Fifth (still great for designer RTW) and Neiman Marcus Last Call (still my favorite for store clearance of all kinds).  They currently have two outlets:  Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, Virgina and the Bergen Town Center in Paramus, NJ.  They will open an outlet in Dolphin Outlet Center in Miami in October and another in Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, FL in November.

There are authentic Nantucket lightship and friendship baskets at the Four Winds Craft Guild (www.sylviaantiques.com) and custom made mohair throws at Nantucket Looms (www.nantucketlooms.com).  There are darling home decor shops and great nautical sportswear shops - Murray’s Toggery Shop is the store to buy the gentleman in your life those sporty Nantucket “reds” (www.nantucketreds.com).  With jewelry names like Seaman Schepps, Laura Munder, and Ted Muehling - you won’t have to look far to fulfill  your jewelry fantasies.  There are also wonderful cashmere shops and a new Letarte (swimwear and cover-ups) shop.  The darling shopping streets almost took my attention away from the treasures - almost.

Main Street, Nantucket, MA

Late summer and early fall is the perfect time to go.  The crowds have subsided, sale signs pop up in the windows and you feel the warm sun and cool breeze whether shopping or boating or spending a day at the beach.  Post a comment if you go!

This is how it works:  BBOS (Bag, Borrow or Steal) buys gently used designer bags, refurbishes them if needed, and sells them to you along with previously rented bags from Avelle.  There is quite a selection of Louis Vuitton along with other designers like Prada, Dior, etc.  They also sell brands like Coach.  There are so many counterfeit bags on ebay, this is a nice way to buy an authenticated designer bag for less.  In general, the prices are anywhere from 25% to 80% off depending on the condition of the bag, how old it is, and how long it has been for sale on the site.  BBOS will email you when new bags are listed or when they are further discounted.

I recently sold a bag to BBOS that I didn’t have luck selling on ebay.  First I filled out an online application describing my bag and attached several photographs.  BBOS emailed me with an estimate of how much they were willing to pay for the bag.  They also emailed me a pre-paid shipping label.  I mailed the bag to BBOS at no cost to me.  Within a couple of days, I received an email confirming receipt of the bag.  Within a week after that, I received an email stating that my original price estimate for the bag would be honored (since I described the condition of the bag accurately).  It looked like BBOS would lower the estimate if repairs or cleaning of the bag was necessary.  I asked for a check (as opposed to a higher BBOS site credit) and received the check within a week of the confirmation email.  To BBOS’ credit, the process really was easy, clear and timely.

Just as an FYI, BBOS offered me 31% of the original sales price and then listed the bag on the site for over double what they paid me.  I am not sure if they cleaned or polished it.  My bag was 5 years old. I noticed in the sale listing for my bag and others that they do not make any mention of the condition of the bags so they must be confident that they are in excellent condition.  Email before buying if you have any questions because their return policy is “store credit” only.

If you have any bags that are just not your taste anymore or you feel that you don’t use as much as you should, you may want to email BBOS to see what they might be willing to pay you for it! 

In the meanwhile, check out their listings regularly and check out my other recommended websites on the “Great Sites” page here at TheFashionFind.com for other sites I like for discounted handbags.  Happy Shopping.

Meanwhile, Saks is slated to close their Charleston store by the end of this month in efforts to close stores with weak sales.

Bed bugs have long been a problem in rental apartments in New York where tenants have been more consistent in reporting the problem to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development.  Owners of New York City apartments tend to try to mitigate bed bug infestations on their own and are less likely to report the problem.

Bed bugs are not a problem in New York City alone.  A recent EPA conference highlighted that bed bug infestations have tripled since 2005 in the U.S.  Yikes!

So if you are planning a shopping trip (or hotel stay) in the city in the coming months, check your luggage and belongings when you get home!

I assumed Tahari still had a stake in Theory since the brands were and continue to be merchandised in close proximity in stores like Saks and Neimans.

Now, Oliver Theyskens who most recently designed for Nina Ricci will be designing a capsule collection for Theory called Theyskens Theory for Spring 2011.  The collection will have higher price points than the usual Theory prices

Now you know!

Gold hasn’t reached the high prices of the early 80’s (would have been around $2100 adjusted for inflation), but the trend of ever higher prices is not expected to abate.  Thus the need for discount shopping!

Check out www.bluefly.com.  I signed up for email notifications recently because I saw a jewelry sale of designers like Tiffany and Van Cleef & Arpels at 20% to 30% off.  Many of the cutest styles were sold out by the time I found the sale so I don’t want to miss the next opportunity.  You may want to sign up too.