Things can be frustrating sometimes for those of us who want the best in clothing but don't have thousands of dollars to spend on a suit or a pair of shoes. Lucky for you that you are in New York City. There are three ways to go about buying designer clothing in New York for much less than retail.
High End Discounters
New York is home to many, many discount clothing stores that sell nice clothing at reasonable prices. Zegna, Brioni, Oxxford, Armani and other brand name clothing can be found at 30-80% off if you know where and how to look. Below, I have listed the best places to shop for high-end clothes.
There are always quality goods here. Oxxford suits at $1000, AE oxfords at $160 and more. Many prices are slashed 50-70% off retail. The Union Square store is the flagship with the most selection.
"New York's Best Kept Secret" offers designer clothing at 25-75% off retail. This is also a very good store and will always have quality goods in stock.
Syms is a decent store that can be hit-and-miss. They mainly specialize in discount suits, but sometimes carrys labels like RL Purple label for half off.
These stores should only be looked at after the ones above. They are either very hit-or-miss or they only offer something like a 20% discount.
These are premium outlet stores located one hour from the city.
Department Store End-of-Season Sales
End-of-season sales at big department stores are a great opportunity to get deals.
This is probably the most notable out of them all. Barney's runs a warehouse sale twice a year, where everything is 50-75% off retail. An enormous crowd shows up so be sure to go at off-peak hours. Expect some competitive shopping, long lines and tight security.
Dates: 2/16-3/1 and 8/18-9/5
Located at 255 West 17th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (take the A or 1 trains)
The other department stores all run end-of-season sales, although the discounts may not be as good.
Saks Fifth Avenue Lord and Taylor Bloomingdale's Neiman Marcus Nordstrom
Thrift Shops
NYC is home to many Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift shops that resell used clothing. Some may not like the idea of used clothing but the majority of items in these shops are ultra-high-end and in great condition. Best of all the prices are rock bottom. There are Oxxford suits for 24.99, Zegna shirts for 6.99 and all sorts of silk ties for 1.99. The main drawback, besides the clothes being used, is the lack of organization in the stores. None of the items are sorted by size.
Internet Shopping Sites
Other notables include: Virtual Clothes Horse, Overstock, Shop the Finest, SmartBargains, and Jantzen Tailor