How to actually afford designer items
selling books in NYC & what I ordered from The RealReal this week
You guys!
I’ve got to tell you a story unrelated to this week’s newsletter, but it leads to a series of events that inspired me to write about the topic in the title, ‘How I afford designer items!’.
So lately, I’ve been wanting to get myself back in the habit of reading or at least trying to incorporate reading into my daily routine. I have a pile of books that I’ve acquired over the years, mostly brand-new and unread. Some I bought myself, and some were gifted to me at various occasions and events. Ever since moving to New York, I have very strong urges to declutter my space every season, and this time, it’s the book pile that I’m targeting. East Village Books comes up in my search for best places to sell used books in NYC. To sell here, you’d need to send them an email with a picture of the books’ spines.
So I got an email reply within an hour saying to just come in any day between 1:30 and 8. They only quote for textbooks, fyi.
When I arrived, the man who appeared to be the owner asked if I emailed them and I said I did. After I placed the books on the counter, as instructed, he came over and quickly glanced at each book for no more than 10 seconds in total. After that, he checked something on the computer quickly and came back to me with an $8 quote. I was shocked and acted shocked, lol. He said he could point out the books he didn’t want and proceeded to separate the three women’s autobiography books and a self-help book from the pile. At the end, he took one thick fiction book, two cookbooks, and two poem books. I noticed he paused a little to ID the two poem books earlier, so that was a sign. I should have known better that they were clearly interested in scholarly books, as said on the website and visual/written signs in the store. I left the unwanted books there for donation.
Trust me I’ve had many reading attempts all throughout my life. I grew up reading a lot of comic books and textbooks because I was a nerd in school. I collected mangas and magazines and taught myself English grammars and vocabulary from English books I borrowed from my uncle who’s an English teacher. Well, my most recent successful attempt at reading that I can recall happened last year. It’s the viral On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous book, a novel written by the Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong. I was inspired to pick up the book after watching the Helmut Lang SS24 show titled ‘Born to Go, a collection designed by another Vietnamese-American designer, Peter Do. He is the creative director of his namesake brand, Peter Do, and now Helmut Lang.
After I left East Village Books, feeling slightly disappointed, I walked over to one of my favorite consignment/designer thrift stores, called Tokio 7, because I felt like I needed retail therapy to cheer me up. Just window-shopping! The current spring/summer selection at the store, in my opinion, wasn’t as great this time, but I managed to pull 6 items to try on.
My body stores fat in my thighs and arms, and that’s part of the reason why you’d never see me in mini anything. I just rarely am in dresses and skirts, in general. However, I’ve always gravitated toward A-line and shift dresses, knowing that they can get tricky. Since often time, they fall into the mini category.
I used to do the seamstress job back in the Minnesota day for my aunt at her tailoring shop, so I knew. We would spend a long time standing in front of the mirror, me with the tomato pincushion and the client in their dresses, and discuss what would look good as I pinned to hide the ‘unwanted’ area of the dress as a better visual example. Commonly, the hem would need to be brought up, and the waist need to be taken in (where exactly depends on the client’s body and what they prefer). You don’t want the hem to be at the biggest part of your thighs, basically, so mid-thigh is not the length I’d recommend if you have thicker thighs like me.
I remembered exactly this one black dress that I saw on The RealReal the previous night as I was browsing the site. Turned out, it was the exact dress that I tried on from Tokio 7 with the two exposed pockets at the hip.
The RealReal haul
Here’s the list of everything else that was in the order.
Loulou Studio black crop top - I paid $37.50. - I’ve tried this top on before at Saks! It was the butter yellow crop top with a trouser set that I bought but then returned because I was planning to wear the set to a wedding. But then I changed my mind! I wanted a black crop top with this exact style to wear with this black linen maxi skirt from Dissh that I bought last year to wear as a set. I just hope that the two black colors match! Again, I do have other linen vests that I could wear with, and this top would just be a nice addition.
Loulou Studio black capri pants - $30 - Capris are so back, so I’m very excited to style them for spring and summer!
Acne Studios dress - $67.50 - Currently, I am very into anything scoop neck and V-neck. Can’t you tell? I love the black contrasting panel at the collar and sleeves, and this midi length is the most flattering length on my body. Plus it’s from Acne Studios!
Peter Do black dress - $46.25 - Ahh, you read it correctly! The dress from Tokio 7 was priced at $280!!!
Toteme black bodysuit - $54 - I have this exact bodysuit but I think I lost it when I moved from Seattle to New York (so 3 years ago!). Glad to have it back because I love it’s one of my favorite long-sleeved bodysuits. Love the sheer sleeves, and the knit material is quite nice!
Jil Sander black dress - $29 - A black V-neck shift dress that looks and feels perfect for casual days.
Jil Sander brown evening jacket - $36.75 - I’m thinking of styling it with jeans or a white maxi skirt with a 90s bag and a pair of kitten heels or ballet flats. How cute and perfect for special occasions such as Mother’s Day coming up.
M Missoni tank - $31.50 - Can never go wrong with a simple black scoop neck knit tank top like this!I cannot wait for them to arrive as I’m pretty positive it’s going to make a good try-on haul. Shopping on The RealReal is even better than thrifting in person anywhere in NYC, at least price-wise. I still prefer an in-person shopping experience because I can get to touch things and try on things. Without me trying on the Peter Do dress at Tokio 7, I wouldn’t know how much I wanted the dress and how good the dress was. It’s made from this sturdy luxurious satin material that hangs so well on the body. I wouldn’t mind getting the green color size M, but I would never pay $280 with tax for it at the store. At the time, I just knew exactly that was the dress because I saw it while browsing on The RealReal website the night before. I’d always filter things by price, so finding it on the website took no time as the dress was one of the cheapest items.
With shipping which costed $14.95, I paid $347.45.
Stay tuned for a haul next week!
Tips on how I actually afford designers
DESIGNER SHOPPING TIP #1: Know and care enough about the designers and the brands. Look up the history, find out about the people, and learn about their art and craft and what makes something good. If I pay for designers, I expect the quality and style to stand the test of time. Plus, they have to have a resell value (see tip #6).
DESIGNER SHOPPING TIP #2: Shift your mindset from shopping like a buyer to shopping like a collector.
And it’s been a huge game-changer. I think I like the word curator a little better here because it means more intention with a personal style and taste in mind. I love this take by
and the discussion that followed!DESIGNER SHOPPING TIP #3: Shop a lot and look everywhere!
Local thrift shops and flea markets are great places to start on this journey. You don’t have to buy anything, just go have a browse. There are gems at estate sales, Goodwill bins, and facebook marketplace if you know what to look for or if you look hard enough. When traveling, I always make a list of these stores and carve out a few hours during my day to check them out.
In NYC (and LA), there are sample sales. I don’t go to a lot of sample sales if there’s a line anymore, but I would for brands that I absolutely love.
Consignment shops tend to offer a better designer line-up, but things tend to cost more here. NYC has a ton of those high-end curated secondhand designer and vintage shops, and I can only dream. Exhibit A. Exhibit B.
DESIGNER SHOPPING TIP #4: Ask friends!
As mentioned in this video (at 12:46), I got this blazer for more than 70% off its retail price. I have a friend that works at the Nordstrom corporate in Seattle, and she’s been getting a few things for me using her employee discount over the years. Love that she’d always respond so fast and just simple a person who understands and gets it. She ordered for me twice, size 34 and size 38 as the latter became available the next day (but accidentally got delivered to my aunt’s place in Minnesota!) There’s no sale tax in Minnesota on clothes, so I had my cousin shipped it to me. Turned out, the shipping cost was slightly less than NYC sale tax (if I were to order and have it shipped to me in NYC). Yes, it took some work and help from the people, but worth it because I love it so much. WORE SIZE 38 HERE!
DESIGNER SHOPPING TIP #5: Get familiar with designer prices, and know that sometimes you’ve got to pay for nice things.
If you’re new to this, I’d always recommend to start with designer leather bags and shoes. Leather lasts forever, and these things do hold value at resell. You can shop for basics such as T-shirts, jeans, and blazers anywhere, but it’s always the accessories that will make or break the outfit. Women have to have their purses, and that’s a non-negotiable, at least to me. And you don’t have to buy new or pay the thousands at retail!
DESIGNER SHOPPING TIPS #6: Reconsign!
And use this money to buy new or secondhand/used things that are new to you! Again, The RealReal is a good place to start, but they’re picky in terms of brands that they accept. Try local consignment shops, and here is my list of stores to consign if you live in NYC.
The RealReal - in-person drop-off or curbside pickup for higher end designers
Tokio 7, 2nd St. Vintage - also higher end designers
Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, & Crossroads Trading Co. - mid-range to high end designers. They can be very picky, so don’t have high hopes!
Other People's Clothes in Bushwick - my best-kept secret! They literally take everything!
You can opt to sell stuff yourself online. I love Poshmark (use my referaal code when signing up to sell - ATANDT_16 for $10) and eBay! Vestiaire Collective is a good place to browse for designers, but I’ve never bought or sold anything from there. ThredUp would be my last resort if I want to just get rid my stuff. I’ve made zero dollars after sending them so many boxes!
Lastly, now that you’re in this for the long haul, and there is no competition! Good things take time and work (or sometimes, it’s just pure luck!). To some people, it’s a hobby, and to others, it’s a business. Shopping for designers, refusing to pay full-price for things, is kinda both hobby and business for me.
P.S - Some East Village recommendations (if you’re in the area!) - check out Jane Cookshop if you love kitchen stuff, La Cabra for their incredibly delicious bread and pastry - must try the cardamom bun!, Raku for udon, Soothr for Thai, Uluh, Szechuan Mountain House, or Cheli for Chinese, Veselka for Ukrainian, Cafe Mogador for Moroccan,
I’m making phở on YouTube this week, so come on over!
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See you next week!
An :x