Shop Talk: 30 Dirty Little (Shopping!) Secrets
For: Vintage finds
Head to: Blendo
Where: Center City
The back rack at Blendo is small. And cramped. But it’s where too many trendsetters to name have found, say, their favorite wool dress or warm coat, or the dressiest, most head-turning summer dresses ever. 1002 Pine Street; 215-351-9260.
For: Designer Bathing Suits
Head to: Loehmann’s
Where: South Jersey
This year’s search for beach attire leads us here, for all our favorites: Calvin Klein, Juicy Couture, Lucky, Shoshanna and Ralph Lauren — many for cheaper than half price, like a too-cute Lucky bikini top and bottom for $14.99 each, down from $48 and $38, respectively. Best of all, tops and bottoms are sold separately, so every shape can find the right fit. Of course, this can also make it hard to find a match, so check back often; deliveries come two or three times weekly. East Gate Shopping Center, 1349 Nixon Drive, Moorestown, 856-866-9200; loehmanns.com.
For: Men’s Shoes
Head to: Benjamin Lovell
Where: South Street
Whether your shoe M.O. tends to sporty Nikes, laid-back Vans or preppy Cole Haans, there’s a pair for every guy, for cheap, in the back room of Lovell’s South Street location. With shoes piled on top of one another — but, thankfully, arranged by size — the hunt is part of the experience here. Rumor has it this is where sale items from all area Lovells get deposited, making for some spectacular finds on a recent trip: $79 Frye boots marked down from $250, and $49 Kenneth Cole dress shoes down from $185. 318 South Street, 215-238-1969; benjaminlovell.com.
For: Casual Dresses
Head to: Anthropologie
Where: City & ’Burbs
We love Anthropologie’s shirts, skirts, housewares and more — and our love grows stronger when said items get moved to the glorious sale room. The very best of the closeouts are the gorgeous casual dresses — from comfy-for-work cotton pieces to light, strapless sundresses — often marked down to half price, like a gorgeous terra-cotta-red eyelet Viola dress, down to $99.95 from $188. Insider tip: Floor items are moved to the sale room on Tuesday mornings, so go Tuesday afternoon for the best pickings. Or, for an even deeper sale collection, check anthropologie.com. Multiple locations; anthropologie.com.
For: Furniture For Your Starter Apartment
Head to: West Elm
Where: Center City
When Ikea Fatigue sets in — and it will — turn to West Elm for trendy furniture, bedding and home accents. Mixed and matched with vintage finds and the occasional family heirloom, pieces like the “Parsons” desk, with drawers in aqua ($279), and an “X-base” buffet ($799) have an instant richness that defies their below-Crate & Barrel prices. 1330 Chestnut Street, 215-731-0184; westelm.com.
For: Women’s Casual Clothes
Head to: Knit Wit Outlet
Where: The Northeast
Knit Wit Outlet doesn’t just get — and mark down — clothes and accessories that didn’t get sold at Knit Wit’s Center City, Margate and Bryn Mawr boutiques; it also scores pre-season samples of items that haven’t even hit those stores yet. Which means that if you don’t mind a dress with, say, the label sewn in upside down, you can get a Central Park West silk dress for $75, marked down from $196, or deals on designer labels from Robert Rodriguez to Three Dots. 1600 Grant Avenue, 215-464-2393; knitwitonline.com.
