It has been a great Summer with lots of traveling and bargain shopping.  The following are some of the pieces I’ve picked up at tremendous savings, from T.J. Maxx, Neiman Marcus Last Call and the Goodwill.  Plus I’ll let you in on some bargain shopping tips & warnings.  First up are a couple of pieces I picked up at NM Last Call in Austin, which is possibly the best outlet ever, because they will add extra discounts to final clearance pieces.  My beautiful Ying Li long, hand painted, silk gown retail price was $375, the Last Call price was $135, the orange stamp meant an extra 75% off for a final price of $34.  I also picked up a couple of Leigh Bantivoglio silk and lace camisoles that were originally $175, then were final clearanced at $16 and they took an extra 25% off for a final price of $11.

I’ve mentioned my love of T.J. Maxx (or for our U.K. readers T.K. Maxx) and over the summer I stocked up on Undrest wonderfully comfy,  pima cotton loungewear, picked up Nougat of London candles & body lotions and just last weekend during there Final Clearance Sale, I found Natori knickers and Wacoal bras for under $3.  I have no idea when they will have another final clearance sale, but it’s worth signing up for the newsletter.

Some of my best finds came unexpectedly from the Goodwill.  I love the chance to mindlessly wander the racks of thrift stores and I was rewarded with a lovely gown from Emilio Pucci for Formfit Rogers.  It’s not one of his signature prints, but it does have his signature embroidered in several places within the lace.  If you click on the picture you should see his name in the center.  Where else can you buy vintage Pucci for $4, only at the Goodwill.

Another source of bargain shopping (heck, most shopping) is something called Twitter.  If you haven’t heard of it here is a YouTube tutorial.  If you’re on Twitter here are some great people/sites to follow for the latest fashions and tips on fabulous finds:

LuxeTips

Lollieshopping

StyleIt

Coutorture

and finally another warning about eBay, please do your research before bidding, it’s as simple as running a search.  For example, I needed a make-up case, checked ebay and found Sephora limited edition train case (rrp. $78) for $39 to $49 plus $10 shipping then I checked Sephora’s site and there it was, on sale, for $39.  And if you spend $50 you get free shipping (pick up a couple of  Perdis lip balms for this winter) and free samples.  Sadly for the bidders, they over paid with the first bid.  There are deals to be found, but now more than ever you need to do your homework.