Steals & Deals

Wedding dresses had for under $100

By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff

Photo by Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Photos

This dress is by A Common Thread, priced at $45

We loved this article in the Boston Globe. It's always nice to be reminded that you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to look like a million bucks on your wedding day. I bought my prom dress from a vintage store in high school and remember feeling pretty good about the fact I spent $25 instead of $200. The Closet is the perfect place to shop for a party dress, it's easy to find something special, and even if you only wear it once, at least you didn't pay full price!

Granny Chic!

Here is an outfit we put together for Stuff Magazine...pretty cute right?!

So What Do You Do

There's a nice long interview with Sally Singer, News/Features Director at Vogue on Mediabistro. See, Anna Wintour is not that bad! And, as is the case with most stylish people, Sally shops secondhand. Enjoy!

For the Label Shark

It's always nice to see The Closet mentioned in a glossy!

Hooray for Maine

Here is a neat piece from the latest NYT Magazine about Alex Carleton's favorite places in Maine I love that he mentions Wiscasset and all it's picture perfect antique shops. If you have never driven all the way up Route 1, you must do it this summer! Also, The Closet gets a lot of Rogues Gallery.

A True Consignment Shop

There always seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding the characteristics of a true consignment shop. Please consider that The Closet is the most authentic shop in Boston, mainly because we don't purchase ANY of our merchandise outright and have only one of everything. This is the defining factor of a resale shop, because really, picking up leftovers from a boutique (who couldn't sell them in the first place) is just not the same as hunting for a unique garment, that has already been chosen for you by another talented fashionista. 

We are really not a thrift shop either, which is important to understand. Although we do have a handy markdown system, the majority of items we carry are more pricey, high end designer brands that hold there value very well, as they are rarely marked down at the original point of sale. 

Since we are consignment, all of our sales are split 50/50 with the consignor. Therefore, we price items to sell, while attempting to garner the consignor a fair share. If you ever have any questions about consigning or shopping, please give us a call at 617.536.1919. 

This Boot is Work!

A glamorous lady came into the store yesterday wearing a very exceptional pair of boots. Upon glancing at the scarlet red sole, I correctly took them to be Christian Louboutin, "on sale, most likely coming to you next year!" she laughed. The gray suede boots reached up her entire leg, already elongated by a 5 inch stiletto heel. I have no doubt our friend was the most stylish woman on Newbury Street that day, yet I couldn't help but wonder how she got them on! The New Yorker (imagine that) explained it all to me this evening:

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2008/04/14/080414ta_talk_goldwasser

NYT article

I think this is an interesting and accurate account of the dilemma facing some of fashion's fanciest houses. I have been waiting for a story like this to appear for some time:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/fashion/03FIRED.html?ex=1364875200&en=6e1a78614749919f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Can anyone guess what my favorite issue of The New Yorker is?! The Style issue of course, I look forward to it every spring...a favorite piece this year was the profile of Isabel and Ruben Toledo, they are so talented and so in love! I was sad to read about the end of her tenure at Anne Klein. On a rather selfish note, I was a bit upset to be reminded of the day a few months ago when one of her extraordinarily lovely cocoon dress' arrived in the store...I kept picking it up and turning it around, trying to figure out just how she had constructed it and how it would look...and then out it went...only to be snatched up the very next day, when I hadn't even had the chance to try it on! Oh well, all I can hope for is that it is being worn and enjoyed. 

I also had fun reading the piece on Rick Owens, what an interesting man, and not nearly as strange as I had imagined. We receive quite a bit of Rick Owens here at The Closet, I think his customers love his work so much that they are compelled to stock up every season on his slinky jersey knits. At some point they need to make room for more, so that's where we come in. Just see below!...

I really loved this article about consignment shops in the latest issue of W magazine: 

http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/2008/03/consignment