It was a nice Sunday afternoon. I took a small weekend shopping trip to Loehmann's in the Upper West Side in hopes of finding high-end designer labels at fraction of the cost. After all, I am Mizhattan and I have a high expectation when it comes to getting what I want for the price I want! As soon as I passed through their doors, a small sign that read Vintage Chanel quickly caught my eye. I found one mini quilted flap bag in lambskin with gold hardware sitting inside a glass display case along with other vintage bags & caviar wallets. In addition, there was a wide array of vintage jewelry. I noticed no one was browsing this area and thought it was a bit odd. But after seeing the price tags, I learned why. That mini lambskin flap bag with gold hardware cost $2,899.99. And those beautiful vintage earrings in the lead image ranged $399~$729. Just so you know, the earrings were mostly clip–ons from the 80s & 90s.
Standing next to the Vintage Chanel glass display case, I spotted another glass case with vintage Hermès watches sitting on top of iconic Hermès orange boxes. I found the Clipper chronograph watch for $2,999.99 and a women's vintage leather strap for $1,699.99.
Downstairs, I found the shoe section filled with labels like Giuseppe Zanotti, René Caovilla, Manolo Blahnik, and Valentino. This last brand, especially, was everywhere. I spotted bow-detailed satin peep–toes for $299.99 (originally $745) and pink patent pumps for $299.99 (originally $645). Evening sandals from René Caovilla were priced around the $300 mark (6th photo below). If you are looking for classic booties for fall, I really loved the Giuseppe Zanottis which were priced $379.99 (originally $700 & 7th photo below). A pair of Alexandra Neel satin stilettos were pretty great as well. They were priced $299.99 (originally $667 & 8th photo below).
The last part of my shopping trip led me to the premier designer RTW section. Suddenly sought after Missonis were priced just in between the Target collab & original retail pricing. I saw a check pattern M Missoni cardigan (13th photo below) and a pink/gray sweater dress priced $399.99 (15th photo below). Going back to Valentino, I found an impeccable blazer (11th photo below) and a tweed jacket (last photo below) both priced $499.99 (originally $2,000). My eyes then moved towards the Marc by Marc Jacobs section which was mostly comprised of evening pieces. A corset cocktail dress was $399.99 (16th photo below). Finally, I discovered lots of Moschinos. A printed blouse was $299.99 (originally $750) and a slightly Chanel-esque tweed coat was $499.99 (originally $995). I highly recommend that you thoroughly check for signs of damage when shopping at a discount department store. Though I was happy to see many great designer labels, I also saw wwaaay too many rips & tears.
To summarize, rather than going for vintage Chanels, better items & prices were to be had in the lower level where shoes & apparel sections were located. Oh~, before I end this article, I would like to share with my fellow Mizhattanites, this Loehmann's $25 off coupon in case you plan to stop.
